November 2018
Monthly News
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IN THIS ISSUE
New Members Appointed to Council
STEM Advisory Council Guides Path Forward
Computer Science Education Week Brings Focus on Important 21
st
Century Skills
STEM Teacher Spotlight: Teresa Green
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December 6, 2018 - 6:00 p.m.
STEM Night
December 19, 2018 - 8:30 a.m.
OA-BCIG Festival
January 25, 2019 - 10:00 a.m.
I'll Make Me A World In Iowa
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New Members Appointed to Council
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The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is comprised of 50 members throughout Iowa, including leaders in education, business and industry, nonprofits and state and local government officials. This body of individuals helps guide the overall direction of the STEM Council to increase student interest, enhance engagement and improve STEM achievement in Iowa.
Katherine Howell was newly appointed to the STEM Council along with eight re-appointed Council members noted below:
- Robert Cramer, Construction Engineer at Cramer and Associates, Inc.
- Craig Johnson, Executive Director of the Iowa Academy of Science, headquartered at the University of Northern Iowa
- Kathryn Kunert, Vice President of Economic Connections and Integration at MidAmerican Energy Company
- Sharon Rosenboom, Instructor of Mathematics and Statistics at Dordt College
- Chris Russell, Data Center Manager at Google
- Kelsey Tyrrell, Director of Iowa Education Programs at the World Food Prize Foundation
- Tanya Uden-Holman, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of the University College at The University of Iowa
- Teri Vos, Community Relations Manager at Vermeer Corporation
The STEM Council would like to thank these returning and new Council members for their commitment to STEM in Iowa.
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STEM Advisory Council Guides Path Forward
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The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council met in November at the FFA Enrichment Center on the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Ankeny Campus.
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Focused on enriching the lives of Iowans through STEM education, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council met on November 20 at the FFA Enrichment Center on the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Ankeny Campus.
Students from Saydel and Bondurant-Farrar Community School Districts interacted with attendees and demonstrated
STEM Scale-Up Programs
-- Ramps & Pathways and Computer Science Principles -- prior to the meeting.
Lt. Governor Adam Gregg opened the meeting of nearly 80 leaders from business and industry, education, nonprofit and policy sectors. A significant portion of the meeting was focused on computer science, including the following topics:
- Computer science incentives and standards
- Computer Science is Elementary project
- Future of computer science
The Council addressed important questions regarding computer science and discussed the STEM Council mission statement and communication objectives.
Cindy Dietz was recognized for her leadership and commitment as interim executive director of the STEM Council this past year. Jeff Weld will be returning as the STEM Council’s executive director in December.
STEM Council Co-Chair and Accumold President and CEO Roger Hargens closed the meeting with motivational commentary about the meeting and encouragement to continue the STEM-momentum.
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Computer Science Education Week Brings Focus on Important 21
st
Century Skills
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National Computer Science Education Week takes place December 3-9, 2018.
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Computer Science Education Week, held the first week in December, shines a light on the fundamentals of coding, generates interest in the subject and helps students realize how these skills can help meet future career needs.
During Computer Science Education Week, millions of students throughout the world participate in Hour of Code along with other computer science-related activities. A list of registered Hour of Code events in Iowa can be found at
https://hourofcode.com/us/events/all/us/ia
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There are many ongoing efforts in Iowa aimed at increasing the number of computer science literate students. Earlier this year, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council announced the Computer Science is Elementary project which will transform six high-poverty elementary schools into innovative and engaging computer science instruction institutions.
Through the generous support from private-sector partners, awards of $50,000 will be made to six elementary schools located in each of the
regions
established by the STEM Council.
The Request for Proposal will be open from January to March 2019. Selected schools will be announced in the summer of 2019 with the final date for implementation to occur in August 2020.
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STEM Teacher Spotlight: Teresa Green
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Teresa Green, a technology teacher librarian at Edwards Elementary School in Ames, received the North Central STEM Region’s 2018 I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award sponsored by Kemin Industries.
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The North Central STEM Region’s 2018
I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award
honoree is Teresa Green, a technology teacher librarian at Edwards Elementary School in Ames. Green began her teaching career as a music teacher in Andrew and Colfax, Iowa, implementing STEM concepts in her music education through rhythmic notation and fractions, musical instrument building and studying musical patterns.
Green created the Edwards Elementary STEM Makerspace and has now taken on the role of makerspace manager and STEM leader. An award of the “Making STEM Connections” STEM Scale-Up Program through the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council has helped advance her efforts.
Green has also partnered with the local robotics club, Team Nutrino, to bring basic robotics programming to the school. They host clubs and after-school hours for grades 2-5, and many of these students have gone on to participate in Ames Middle School’s robotics teams and compete in regional FIRST Lego League Competitions. She has also partnered with the Central Iowa Institute of Electrical and Electric Engineers (IEEE) chapter to teach her students about circuits and applications in small electronics.
This STEM Teacher Award, sponsored by Kemin Industries, recognizes and celebrates one teacher from each of the six STEM regions who goes above and beyond to increase his/her student’s interest in STEM. Each recipient is recognized for his/her dedication in representing I.O.W.A.; by being
I
nnovative in his/her methods,
O
utstanding in his/her passion for education,
W
orldly in the way he/she helps students see that STEM is all around them, and
A
cademic through engaging students in the classroom to prepare them for higher education and high-demand careers.
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Contact the Iowa STEM Operations Center by phone at (319) 273-2959
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