 Iowa State University was a pioneer in STEM education, even before it was called STEM. In fact, the university's Biotechnology Outreach Education Center (BOEC) operates the nation's longest, continuous free lab equipment and supplies program for K-14 science educators and their students - 22 years this fall!
Part of the Office of Biotechnology, the BOEC helps K-14 educators in science, family and consumer sciences, agriculture, and extension confidently carry out STEM lab activities with their students.
Summer Workshops for Today's TeachersThe Office of Biotechnology established its outreach education program in 1988. The BOEC's twin teaching laboratories have hosted educator workshops every summer for 15 years. Outreach staff also can design and instruct on-site customized biotech workshops for groups of ten or more Iowa educators. This summer, 46 life science educators signed up for the workshops to practice the most modern molecular biology techniques, while earning professional development or graduate credits. Thanks to the Iowa Biotechnology Association, Iowa educators receive stipends or travel reimbursements to attend. Pre-Service for Tomorrow's Teachers
For university students preparing to be life science teachers, understanding new discoveries is important. As part of their coursework, these future educators attend hands-on sessions in the BOEC's
laboratories to explore the structure and function of DNA, how pest-resistant crops are developed, and the science behind biorenewable products like ethanol, to name a few. Supplying What Teachers Need
Funded by the Office of Biotechnology, Iowa teachers and extension educators can receive free supplies and/or instructional materials for
nearly 30 biotechnology laboratory protocols - not just once, but year after year. Did you know? To date, the BOEC has trained more than 2,800 educators and has provided free materials and supplies for more than 280,000 Iowa students. | 
