Southwest Iowa STEM Region

🤖🌪️🚛 On March 26, 2026, area families gathered in Earlham for an exciting evening of hands-on STEM exploration at the Earlham Community Schools Family STEM Festival!

More than 250 youth, families, exhibitors, and community members attended the free event, exploring interactive STEM experiences including robots, tornado simulations, and semi-truck simulators. Students of all ages had the opportunity to discover STEM in engaging and meaningful ways.

A special thank you to MidAmerican Energy, Iowa PBS, Madison County Conservation, and the many other exhibitors who helped bring STEM learning to life. Earlier in the day, Absolute Science kicked off the excitement with two school assemblies that sparked curiosity and enthusiasm for STEM.

The Earlham Family STEM Festival is a partnership between Earlham Community Schools, the Southwest Iowa STEM Region, and the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, bringing families together to explore the possibilities of STEM. ✨

Don't let curiosity and discovery take a back seat over summer break! 😎 Our teachable moment's collection is ready to keep the spark of learning alive over the next few months!💡

Check out the foil boats challenge to beat the heat while exploring buoyancy, density and displacement! 🚣

🔗https://tinyurl.com/374uzurf


https://educate.iowa.gov/iowa-stem/stem-resources/stem-teachable-moment

🚀 On April 20, more than 200 students and community members gathered at Graceland University for the Full STEAM Ahead STEM Festival! 🔬🐄

Participants explored a variety of hands-on STEM activities focused on space, agriculture, healthcare, law enforcement, and more. From learning about exciting career pathways to trying out a calf-pulling simulator, students had the opportunity to engage with STEM in fun and interactive ways. 👩‍🚀🩺🚓🌱

A huge thank you to all of the partners, exhibitors, and volunteers who helped make this event a success. Your dedication to inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders made for an unforgettable day!

We are looking for practical, relatable examples of work being done by Iowa educators and business partners to advance STEM education. 👩‍🔬👩‍🏫👩‍🚀🧑‍💻🧑‍🏭🧑‍💼🧑‍⚕️

Sound like you? Submit a proposal to speak at the 2026 Iowa STEM Summit!
🔗 https://iowastemsummit2026.sched.com/

📣 Shoutout to the workpalces and employees who are stepping up to strengthen STEM education in Iowa by giving local teachers hands-on experience in STEM careers right here in our region!

🙏 Thank you for opening your doors to open up opportunities for Iowa's teachers and students!

Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Information about the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships program including goals, application materials and testimonials.

Before the sunscreen☀, pool days🏊 and road trips🚗 take fully over, take a moment to nominate a science, technology, engineering or mathematics teacher who went above and beyond this school year for the Iowa STEM Teacher Award! 🏆

🔗 educate.iowa.gov/STEM/TeacherAward

Submit a proposal for the Iowa STEM Summit!
💡Presentations, panelists, and roundtable discussions
💡All STEM disciplines and content areas
💡Inclusion of varying perspectives encouraged (students, educators, business partners)

https://iowastemsummit2026.sched.com/

🚀 Over 200 students and community members attended the Full STEAM Ahead STEM Festival at Graceland University on April 20! 🔬🐄

Students explored hands-on STEM activities focused on space, agriculture, law enforcement, and more, even trying a calf-pulling simulator! 👩‍🚀🩺🚓🌱

Thank you to all partners and exhibitors who made this exciting day possible! 👏

STEAM Ahead STEM Festival! 🚀🐝🔬

More than 200 students and community members explored hands-on STEM activities focused on space, veterinary medicine, law enforcement, agriculture, engineering, and more. Students even had the chance to use a calving simulator and connect with organizations like NASA, Iowa PBS, and Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Thank you to all exhibitors, educators, and partners who helped make this exciting day of STEM exploration possible!

📣 Call for Proposals is OPEN for the 2026 Iowa STEM Summit!

🌟Have insights to share? We’re not looking for perfection, we’re looking for real, authentic presentations that other Iowa educators can relate to🌟

Submit your proposal here: https://iowastemsummit2026.sched.com/