Monthly News of the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council | June 2014

Great ideas in art, music, design and culture often have strong STEM support.

Iowa STEM Supports Art and Culture

Art and cultural history are interwoven with the threads of STEM. The Golden Ratio of 1:1.618 elicits an unconscious appeal for the works of artists such as Salvador Dali. The mathematics of chaos that manifest in weather patterns and stock market trading can produce stunning fractal art. And musical rhythms elicit strong cardiovascular responses in listeners. STEM education provides Iowans not only with great career options, but with the capability to more deeply appreciate and contribute to the finer things in life -- art, music, culture. (continued...)

Pre-K students at Carver Elementary School in Dubuque learn the basics of computer coding last December.

STEM representatives from nine states, plus five industry partners, were present at the second Midwest STEM Forum held at John Deere World Headquarters in Moline, IL on June 24.

Mike Rowe tells the story of his first dirty job, reporting from the sewers of San Francisco with a city plumber.

MidAmerican Energy Co. and Google, Inc. Support Iowa STEM

Helping cover the gap between the generous legislative support for STEM in Iowa and the shortfall to meeting all the interest are some key corporate partners. Two recent, significant investments testify to the valuable contribution STEM makes to growing the talent pipeline for Iowa's innovative economy.

MidAmerican Energy Company donated $100,000 to the Governor's STEM Advisory Council to further STEM programming across our state.

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Midwest STEM Forum II Hosted by Iowa STEM

Leaders of state STEM initiatives from 9 Midwest states were invited to participate in a round-table discussion at John Deere World Headquarters in Moline, IL, on June 24. State STEM leaders of Missouri, Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, South Dakota, Illinois and Indiana were on hand to share best practices and collaborative opportunities. Guests from STEM Connector� of Washington, D.C. and Utah STEM's brand new state initiative were also in attendance. (continued...)

Iowa STEM Takes Care of Business with ABI

June was an exciting month for the management team of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council, as they exhibited at the 111th Iowa Association of Business and Industry's annual conference aptly themed, "Taking Care of Business." ABI, a long-standing partner of the Council, has key relationships with businesses and advanced manufacturing partners around the state who are focused on filling the skilled-trades gap.

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Governor's STEM Advisory Council Administrative Office

UNI, 214 East Bartlett Hall, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0298

Info@IowaSTEM.gov | www.IowaSTEM.gov | 319.273.2959

Contributors to this edition: Jacci Linn and Jeff Weld