Midwest STEM leaders in downtown Madison, Wisconsin

STEM Knows No Borders: Midwest STEM Forum V

Iowa STEM Council members from DuPont-Pioneer, Rockwell Collins and John Deere summoned the executive director in 2012 to encourage more inter-state collaboration, "After all," they said, "...our businesses span these state borders." Solutions to talent development in Iowa or Wisconsin or North Dakota ought to be shared for the good of the region.

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Governor's STEM Council Southeast Regional Board

Regional Boards: The Backbone of Iowa STEM

One of the earliest and most significant questions asked of and by the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council back in 2011 was how to deliver inspiration and innovation locally throughout the state. A working group of volunteers assembled around the question, chaired by DMACC President Rob Denson.

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Statewide K-12 STEM initiative evaluation model

Wrap Up of Iowa STEM Evaluation Grant

In 2013 an Iowa research consortium landed a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study the state's unfolding statewide STEM initiative in order to derive lessons for other states and regions. Best practice in evaluating systemic STEM was the over-arching goal of this first-of-its-kind award from the NSF.

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Map of Iowa

Teachers "...take the flavor of work back to their students" through Externships

Zoom in for a close-up look at Externships of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council and you will find a mathematics teacher committing six summer weeks to learn data analytics with the Intelligent Solutions Group at John Deere's Urbandale facility.

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Students participate in STEM activities at the Iowa State Fair

Nothing Compares to STEM Day at the Fair

Contributed by Madison Flesch, student assistant 

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Michelle Matchell, Ashlyn Thompson, Madison Flesch

Small, Yet Mighty: the STEM Council Student Staff

Contributed by Michelle Matchell, student assistant 

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Children learning ramps and pathways

Quiet of Summer Belies STEM Professional Development Panoply

In the heart of the dog days of summer, thousands of Iowa teachers are gearing up to bring top-drawer STEM education to their students this fall. The 2017-18 Scale-Up programmers have fanned out across the state to equip and train in-school and out-of-school teachers in the latest and greatest STEM learning platforms.

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Educators at Waukee Innovative Learning Center

Iowa's First-Ever STEM Professional Development Palooza

They came from all four corners of the state, representing elementary, middle and high school as well as college and out-of-school learning. All shared a common curiosity: how to amplify STEM in their classrooms and communities.

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Corporate partner logos

Corporate Partners Crucial to Reaching More Young Iowans

The key to building a stronger STEM workforce is to connect what students learn in the classroom to the STEM careers just beyond school walls. With an "edu-nomic development" charge, Iowa STEM along with dozens of committed Corporate Partners bring work-based learning experiences and other opportunities to the students of Iowa.

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Fort Madison high school students

STEM BEST: Fort Madison High School

"Our community partners were reinforcing the idea that students needed to learn in a way consistent with the current world of work," said Greg Smith, principal at Fort Madison High School. "They agreed with us that to be successful as adults, students needed to practice problem-solving in group settings.

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