April 2015

Molly Faber
NW Regional STEM Manager
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Upcoming Events:

Wednesday,
April 15, 2015
2015-2016 Scale-Up Award Recipients Announced

Wednesday, 
April 22, 2015
NW STEM Advisory Board Meeting
Storm Lake, Iowa

Thursday, 
April 30, 2015
Aviation Day
Estherville, Iowa

Monday, 
May 18, 2015
NW STEM Advisory Board Meeting
Carroll, Iowa


Northwest Regional Advisory Board Members
A special thank you to the Advisory Board of NW Iowa.

Kathleen Bottaro, Sioux City

Barbara Den Herder, Sioux Center

Marcella Frevert, Emmetsburg

Linda Gray, Everly

Cheryl Heronemus, Alton

Jasper LeSage, Sioux Center

Nancy McDowell, Sheldon

Sherry McGill, Sergeant Bluff

Rick Reinking, Spirit Lake

Jody Still Herbold, Kingsley

Mary Trent, Carroll

Gerald Van Roekel, Orange City

Wade Weber, Spirit Lake

Mark Zabawa, Spencer
Your Community; 
Your Events

Learning happens inside and outside of the classroom.
Learning can happen to anyone at any age.

If you know of any STEM events happening, please submit your STEM Event 
so 
learning can happen anywhere, anytime, for  anyone. 

  STEM is the foundation for innovative problem-solving and discovery through exploratory learning. It is important for teachers, students, parents, businesses and communities to connect and have awareness, and access to world-class STEM education opportunities. 
In Northwest Iowa, we are committed to growing STEM education and opportunities.
Women & STEM Conference


 

Middle school girls look to session leader, Amy Profit, as they learn about their muscles by using free-weights. 
 


On Wednesday, March 18, one hundred and twenty-one middle school girls attended the free Women in STEM event at the Iowa Lakes Community College, Estherville campus. The event had interactive sessions specifically designed for seventh and eighth grade girls in order to help them learn about their important roles in the ever-changing world of STEM fields. 

Spirit Lake Middle School Parents In Education (PIE) & Northwest Iowa STEM organized the event which focused on the impact that women have using science, technology, engineering and math in the work force. These women were represented by presenters from a variety of fields. Their dynamic presentations introduced girls to the use of STEM both in fields that are traditionally viewed as STEM fields and those which are not.
Presentations included:
  • Industrial Engineering - Gina Burns from Polaris
  • Science and Technology of Vision - Dr. Tarra Vander Leest and Johnna Dukes from Optique
  • Food Engineering - Edel Summers - Rembrandt
  • Math and Technology in Graphic Design - Tara Lehner from Lakes Print
  • Problem Solving with Math - Jana Phillips from Rembrandt
  • Math and Technology in Interior Design - Nichole Johnson and Jami Mahn from Twetten's Interior Design
  • Psychology and Economics of Food and War - Moriah Miles from Rembrandt
  • Physical Therapy - Amy Profit
Danielle Peterson, one of the PIE organizers, said, "One of the benefits of presenting 'soft' STEM fields in alignment with the more traditional fields is that it makes those fields, science, technology, engineering and math, less intimidating. Whether it's science being used in physical therapy, whether it's technology being used in graphic design, it makes all those fields more accessible as a whole - and that's really the main purpose - to help these girls understand the possibilities." 

A special thank you to all who helped make the event a success!         


STEM Family Festival 


 

Iowa Lakes Community College and Northwest Iowa STEM partnered with the Clay County Regional Events Center to present the Fifth Annual Family Fest. The free event took place on Saturday, March 7 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and more than 500 families attended and participated in many hands-on STEM learning activities.

Families, of all ages were able to engage with microscopes, skulls, a live snake, bubbles, a volcano, a roller-coaster, balloon powered-cars, and much more! 

A special thank you to the team who led the hands-on activities: Associate Professor Brian Bristow, Associate Professor Eric Olson, Assistant Professor and member of the NW STEM Advisory Council, Mark Zabawa, and to the many volunteers. 


Governor's STEM Advisory Council's Seal of Approval


The STEM Council recently added a new recognition system to the Iowa STEM toolbox, referred to as the STEM Council's Seal of Approval, which recognizes the great STEM happening organically across Iowa.
 
Programs and events that align with STEM Council goals, such as community hack-a-thons, conferences, afterschool programs, citizen engagement, showcase events and more may apply for the Seal of Approval. Its dual function is to recognize and help elevate quality STEM outside of the STEM Council purview and expand opportunities for Iowans to identify and participate in great STEM by connecting to the STEM Council.
 
Five applicants worked through a beta-version of the application with a committee of the STEM Council. Eventually, all five earned designation as the first recipients of the Seal of Approval and were announced at the Iowa STEM Summit on March 30, including:
  • STEM Family Free Night at The Iowa Children's Museum;
  • Exploring Iowa Archaeology program of the University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist;
  • Lewis Central Middle School's eighth grade STEM program;
  • Math Counts and Science Rocks at the Vermeer Yellow Iron Academy;
  • And, the Nature STEM Camp program, a joint venture of Sibley-Ocheyedan School District, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Osceola County and City of Sibley Recreation Department.
Each program or event that applies is unaffiliated with existing STEM Council programs and will be considered based on the program's alignment to STEM Council goals, the needs of the community and its benefits and offerings to meet those needs. The Seal of Approval can be leveraged for promotion, external funding and other types of support.
 
For more information on the STEM Council's Seal of Approval or to apply, visit www.iowastem.gov/seal.

Math teacher, Mark McDermott, worked as a 
Teacher Extern at Rosenboom Manufacturing in Spirit Lake.

Rosenboom Manufacturing:
Real-World Externship Leader for Iowa STEM

Rosenboom Manufacturing recognized early on the need of developing and supporting the local community. 
That is why, in 2012, the company connected with the STEM Council and decided to participate in the Real-World Externship Program for Teachers of mathematics, science and technology.  

Since 2012, six Teacher Externs, each representing a different school district within five different communities in Northwest Iowa, have worked directly with the custom hydraulic cylinder manufacturer.


 

Jack Schreurs, human resources director at Rosenboom Manufacturing, said the program benefits both the teachers and the company, sharing insights that meet each other's needs and help them learn along the way. The Teacher Externs have helped Rosenboom Manufacturing on special projects, including improving the training for new employees and developing new methods of material usage analysis to increase the company's savings.


 

"The program has benefited Rosenboom by making us more aware of the goals and needs of the participating teachers and the schools that they represent," Schreurs said. "We trust that the program has benefited teachers by giving them a better understanding of the evolving skill-sets our employees need to be successful as well as the many challenges facing our industry--not just Rosenboom."


Making Teacher Externs aware of these challenges is only one part of Rosenboom Manufacturing's involvement with Iowa STEM. The company also works with students at Spencer High School, giving mock interviews for those interested in pursuing STEM fields, and helped develop curriculum for a manufacturing academy at Okoboji High School.


 

"Today's students are our future," Schreurs said. "Almost every organization recognizes that. We believe that we have a responsibility for preparing students for the future and, while we have no intention of displacing the school or dictating their curriculum or instructional models, we are committed to being a resource wherever and however reasonably possible."


 

Applications are now being accepted for the Real-World Teacher Externship program.