Yesterday, August 24, I had the opportunity to go to a scale-up demonstration for the
NE Iowa STEM Hub at the
RAMS center in Oelwein. Basically, this allowed interested people from schools, the AEA, and community organizations like 4H or libraries to see about twelve opportunities for which grant funding is available.
Click here for the
APPLICATION PROCESS
From what I can see, they are divided into
community,
after school, individual teachers, and systemic
district options. Some of them focus on
professional development, while others are
curriculum integrations. The application process for these opportunities is short---only until September 14, but there are enormous benefits to students. Depending on your role as a community member, club leader, teacher, or district leader, different programs may leap out at you. Here's my take on them:
A World In Motion was unable to be there, but this seems to be best-suited for an
after-school program or a dedicated
elementary science teacher. Great opportunity to team volunteers, teachers, and local industry.
Fabulous Resources in Energy Education is a program facilitated through UNI's CEEE center. This program is a great opportunity for a
large district, or a team of districts, or even an AEA to give K-9 teachers an opportunity for integrating energy resources and alternative energies in the classroom. Inquiry-based, and $1500 of equipment provided to the training institute.
FIRST Lego League would be a great
club or after school program for a 4H, Scouting, or cluster of community libraries to pursue. Designed for 9-14 year olds, the program costs about $800 to set up. Community volunteers help enhance the skills of the students as they build and design new items.
First Tech Challenge is designed for 14-18 year old students, and the equipment is necessarily more complex. Designed as an
after school club, this program pairs engineering mentors with student teams to work with a $5000 package of robotic equipment. This program can work alone or provide an extended avenue for students who start with FIRST Lego League, but it's price tag is much less than the $25K that some Robotics curricula need to get started.
Hyperstream I liked this program a lot, especially because of its specific Iowa nature, and the fact that it is has been developed by the Technology Association of Iowa as an outreach
after-school club designed specifically for 14-18 year old students. Clubs can choose multiple foci, including Robotics, Game Design, Cyber Defense, and Multimedia Promotions and Presentations. Of all of the programs for a middle or high school focus, this seemed to be the most flexible and the most diverse, to appeal to a wide variety of kids, and I would love to bring it to my county 4H club.
iExploreSTEM Schools with career fairs or communities can really showcase local and regional business opportunities by applying for this festival. What a great way to help 8th grade students and others in planning for the future! This is a great way to get the communities volunteers invested in your local students.
Kidwind is an opportunity for a low-cost, powerful way to integrate STEM into an
individual course curriculum, or into an
after school club, and to allow students to compete with other students in a selected region after teachers are
trained. What I really love is the fact that it integrates well into the the Iowa Science Standards, and it focuses on the process of STEM, rather than an expensive product, through inquiry modeling. This grant appears to provide about $500 of equipment and asks schools or community
members to create competition teams. I really hope lots of middle school and high school teachers look at this grant opportunity.
Project HOPE is another great career development experience, but focuses on STEM in the medical field. Grant money would go to travel costs to bring Iowa health science professionals to your
middle school for a week of inquiry-based guidance, social studies, or science curricula. As students plan for their future, this is a great district option.
CASE for Ag Ed is designed to build relationships and provide
professional development and curriculum resources for your
school agriculture teacher. CASE represents a redesign of agriculture based around an inquiry model, and focused on industry technology, careers for Iowa, and high-tech farming practices. The grant money for this program will be used for training and limited equipment in your district.
State Science & Technology Fair of Iowa is the place where a student who has done a personal research project with an
individual mentor can meet with professional researchers. This long-established program is a great opportunity for a local
STEM group at a school to revamp and re-energize a science and technology fair.
PEERS is a program that has been developed specifically for engineering outreach, and is led by Pella and other Iowa companies. Requests filled out by
individual teachers will result in an engineer or technical worker visiting a classroom, conducting STEM-based activities on specific curriculum topics, and allowing students to speak with employees who use STEM skills in their careers. There seems to be little cost to this program, and the curriculum seems to be well-developed. I know I will give this a try.
Corridor STEM Initiative is a FASCINATING program designed to work with an
after-school program, a local library, or a
grade-level Language Arts program. Especially valuable for elementary students, the program combines targeted book reading with related STEM challenges in a natural fit. Teachers who have seen the Picture-Perfect Science program from NSTA will find this program has a similar feel. Grant monies go to pay for materials.
