News

Thousands learn to program through Code Iowa

The room is eerily quiet. Students’ eyes are glued to their computers, geared up with headphones and a mouse to take on the challenge. Suddenly, a young girl’s hands go up in the air as she yells, “Yes! I did it!”

That’s the “Hour of Code.”

MVP for Iowa STEM: Steve Triplett

Of 32 U.S. states where more than half of their graduates take the ACT, Iowa has the highest percentage of students meeting the STEM benchmark.

This great data point to help Iowa monitor student STEM interest would not exist if not for a great partnership with December’s MVP for Iowa STEM Steve Triplett.

Iowa D.N.R. and U.S. D.o.L. invest in Iowa STEM

Two Iowa STEM programs just got a major boost thanks to grants totaling $250,000. The STEM Council’s premiere professional development experience for STEM teachers – six-week summer externships – has earned a major vote of confidence from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in the form of more than $50,000 from their Resource Enhancement And Protection (REAP) grant competition.

“Making STEM Connections” in and out of classrooms

STEM learning often takes place beyond school classrooms. Other outstanding venues where kids learn STEM include museums, camping trips with their scout troop, at the zoo or on a 4-H outing and certainly among the book stacks at libraries.

STEM BEST® Partners triple in two years

Around this same time in 2014, the STEM Council first welcomed the inaugural five STEM BEST® (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) Partners to the team.

Calling all Iowa workplaces: Host a summer Iowa STEM Teacher Extern

Connecting schools and businesses is one of the main goals of the STEM Council. Whether that business is a global manufacturer or a rural service supplier, the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships program unites the producers of talent (schools) with the employers of talent (business and industry) for mutual benefit.

MVP for Iowa STEM: MidAmerican Energy Company and Kathryn Kunert

November’s MVP for Iowa STEM is fulfilling the company’s mission for “power” to light up the STEM movement and heat a passion for STEM across Iowa.

Iowans line up for lines of code

Whether it is one line, one hour or a year-long journey into coding, schools and organizations across Iowa are preparing for another year of Code Iowa.

PowerTeaching Math scales to power excitement for the “M” in STEM

Creating student-centered classrooms is at the heart of STEM. Fortunately, several thousand classrooms and out-of-school environments will experience this type of learning through Iowa’s STEM Scale-Up Program.

STEM BEST® Partner: “INSPIRE” at Davenport West High School

“Davenport West High School is working to ensure that the coursework offered is reflective of community needs and meant to graduate students into post-secondary programs that further their manufacturing education, with eventual placement in local jobs that strengthen the industry in the Quad Cities,” said Jennifer Boyd, curriculum specialist for Davenport West High School’s “INSPIRE” program.