Southwest Iowa STEM Region

09/11/2026

"Looking to pilot bold new ideas as you launch the school year? 🚀 Save the date!

"

09/09/2026

Teacher Award nominations are OPEN NOW!

Give a deserving STEM teacher a little extra pep in their step as they kick off the new school year by nominating them for the Iowa STEM Teacher Award, sponsored by Google

🔗 educate.iowa.gov/STEM/TeacherAward

09/07/2026

🇺🇸 Happy Labor Day! 🇺🇸

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Labor Day!

09/04/2026

🐛 Meet Stacey!

This summer, Stacey spent her Iowa STEM Teacher Externship with Cass County Conservation, gathering new ideas and resources to bring back to her classroom.

During her externship, Stacey reviewed naturalist programs for preschool and kindergarten and connected them to the Iowa Early Learning Standards and NGSS standards.

One of her favorite parts of the experience was Creepy Crawly Camp. 🦋🐞

She had a great time looking for and identifying bugs and butterflies with the kids.

And now she’s bringing one of her new ideas back to her preschool classroom—vermicomposting! 🪱🌱

Stacey is excited to try vermicomposting with her preschoolers this year and said she probably wouldn’t have thought about trying it if she hadn’t learned about it during her externship.

When asked what she would tell another educator thinking about applying, Stacey said:

💬 “It is a great opportunity to learn and grow in the area of STEM.”

Stacey’s externship will help her bring more real-world STEM experiences and workplace skills into her classroom this school year.

For More Info about Iowa STEM Teacher Externs, visit: educate.iowa.gov/STEM/Externships

Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council

09/02/2026

🚨 TODAY IS THE DAY! REGISTER NOW! 🚨

Thinking about applying for the 2026–27 STEM BEST® Award? Join Tanya Hunt today for the STEM BEST® Idea Lab!

Bring your classroom STEM ideas, ask questions, brainstorm partnerships and connect with others who have created innovative work-based learning experiences.

📅 Today, September 2
⏰ 3:30–4:30 p.m.
💻 Virtual Drop-In

👉 Register now:
https://idoe.zoom.us/meeting/register/UOKrnNSnS3qwefPWFZ69OQ #/registration

09/01/2026

🚨 ONE DAY LEFT TO REGISTER! 🚨

Thinking about applying for the 2026–27 STEM BEST® Award? Join the amazing Tanya Hunt tomorrow for the STEM BEST® Idea Lab!

Bring your classroom STEM ideas, ask questions, brainstorm partnerships and connect with others who have created innovative work-based learning experiences.

📅 September 2, 2026
⏰ 3:30–4:30 p.m.
💻 Virtual Drop-In

👉 Register here:
https://idoe.zoom.us/meeting/register/UOKrnNSnS3qwefPWFZ69OQ #/registration

08/31/2026

🚨 You don’t want to be late… not even by a minute!

Join Tanya Hunt for the STEM BEST® Idea Lab and learn how to bring your classroom STEM ideas to life!

Bring your ideas, ask questions, brainstorm partnerships and connect with educators who have successfully created innovative work-based learning experiences.

📅 September 2, 2026
⏰ 3:30–4:30 p.m.
💻 Virtual Drop-In

If you’ve been thinking about applying for the 2026–27 STEM BEST® Award, this is a great place to start!

🔗 https://idoe.zoom.us/meeting/register/UOKrnNSnS3qwefPWFZ69OQ #/registration

Thinking about applying for the 2026–27 STEM BEST® Program award?

Join this virtual Idea Lab to connect with veteran STEM BEST® educators and colleagues who have successfully developed innovative work-based learning experiences. Register today!

🔗https://idoe.zoom.us/meeting/register/UOKrnNSnS3qwefPWFZ69OQ #/registration

08/31/2026

"Looking to pilot bold new ideas as you launch the school year? 🚀 Save the date!

"
https://iowastemsummit2026.sched.com/
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPMDhHGelUz0h3mVYv9BCfOs5qVB7I3GXkbq_DLzrEm6CwPOQ4K4k5lGrEQ7dAgDA/photo/AF1QipP0Dzq57vqxNr9t6SKzhuToaPML9pxxSkxp3TDn?key=bFU3NVdYS2pJR0habkllaV9fMFA2ZFl0SUl1UGZB

08/28/2026

🧪 Meet Abbygail!

This summer, Abbygail, a 7–12-grade math teacher, spent her Iowa STEM Teacher Externship at POET in C**n Rapids, IA.

Abbygail is a young teacher, and many of her students don’t plan to attend a four-year college after high school. She often hears students wonder why they need to learn the math they’re being taught if they aren’t going into a career that uses math.

So she wanted to find an answer.

She wanted to see math being used in a career that doesn’t necessarily look like it uses math.

At POET, Abbygail worked on a project comparing the amount of starch in the fermentation tanks on two different mixing machines. She also spent time doing live yeast counts using a computerized microscope as temperatures changed throughout the summer.

Along the way, she got hands-on experience with lab technology and learned how to collect samples from different areas of the plant.

One of her favorite parts was getting to see the different areas of the plant she had heard about while working in the lab.

She spent time with plant operators and a plant engineer and began to see how the different teams worked together.

That helped her put the bigger picture together.

Now Abbygail can take those experiences back to her students and show them that math is being used in places they might not expect.

She hopes her experience will open new career possibilities for her students and help them understand that math doesn’t stop being useful after they leave math class.

When asked what she would tell another educator thinking about applying, Abbygail said:

💬 “You get to experience new things while learning about other careers that you may not have known about, or knew very little about.”

She described her externship as informative, engaging, and eye-opening, and I think those are three pretty good words for a summer learning experience!

For More Info about Iowa STEM Teacher Externs, visit: educate.iowa.gov/STEM/Externships

Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council