The Scale-Up application for the 2026-27 school year is open. Applications must be submitted in IowaGrants.gov by 4:59 p.m. on March 10, 2026. To assist educators, the hub is hosting Zoom office hours.

On Monday, March 9, Dr. Sarah Derry, South Central STEM Hub Manager, will be holding office hours via Zoom throughout the day. Join either open-house style session or email her at sarah.derry@drake.edu to schedule an individual appointment.

Open house sessions will focus on Scale-Up, helping educators to finish and submit applications. Questions about other Iowa STEM programs, like externships or BEST, are welcome, also.

Finally, if you're stuck, feel free to reach out anytime. Email Sarah.Derry@drake.edu or call 515 271 2403. No question is too small!

With changes to the Scale-Up program, here's the question folks have asked most often this year:

Q: What happens if I can't commit to three years?

A: While the program is intended as a three-year progression to deepen practice, we understand it can be difficult to predict all the variables in advance.  I recommend you apply. If circumstances change during the course of your award, contact your region manager, Sarah Derry, to discuss.

For more commonly asked questions, please click the Scale-Up Application button above and scroll down to the FAQs.

Finally, if your concerns aren't addressed, please email Sarah directly at Sarah.Derry@drake.edu. Perhaps your answer will help out someone else.

Ramps & Pathways: 
A Crowd Pleaser!

“They [students] love Ramps and Pathways, you can't go wrong with that," said Dawn Johnson with Kids World Daycare and Preschool.

"They have really liked all the balance stuff," referring to the 2024-25 STEM Scale-Up Program All About Balance program presented by the Iowa Regents’ Center for Early Developmental Education at the University of Northern Iowa.

Click HERE to read the full article on Iowa STEM's website.

CodeJoy's Insight

"This program is offered exclusively to Iowa educators of students in grades 4th-12th. Get ready for curated, exploratory, hands-on activities built on safety, pedagogy, relevance, and most importantly, FUN!

We’ll dive into tech, computer science, and AI through the lens of important Iowa fields like:

• Agriculture
• Healthcare
• Automation and Manufacturing
• Entrepreneurship

...and more!"

Join CodeJoy on Insta.

FTC Robotics Impact

"Through FTC, getting hands-on experience with the engineering design process and advocating for STEM through community outreach has helped me realize that I want to become an industrial engineer.

FTC combines problem‑solving and leadership to create real‑world impact!"

~Avika, junior at Dallas Center-Grimes High School and Iowa STEM Youth Ambassador

March

• March 10 -- Scale-Up Applications Due by 4:59p
• March 27 -- South Central STEM Region Board Meeting

April

• April 2 -- DMACC-Ankeny Future Fest for 5th Graders

May

• May 1 -- Physics Day at Adventureland

October

• October 17 -- All-Southern Iowa STEM Fest, Corydon
• October 24 -- Iowa Department for the Blind STEM Fest, Des Moines