Letter to the Editor: Promoting STEM in northeast Iowa

A design engineer and I recently spoke about the need for more workers trained in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in Iowa. He told me that in today’s truly global workplace, students who have not previously considered STEM may be the key to keeping the U.S. competitive. He posed this question to me: “Don’t we owe it to ourselves to make sure that every young person has the chance to make an informed decision on STEM-related careers?”
As the Northeast Regional STEM Manager of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, I’m working with an advisory board and a number of community and business partners to help students learn about STEM fields so they can make those decisions.
To take a step back, the STEM Council began in 2011 through a leadership mandate to raise awareness and interest in STEM education across the state. One of its goals is to help keep our students competitive with their peers around the world. To ensure all of Iowa’s students are receiving a quality STEM education, the STEM Council created six STEM regions.
One exciting way we’re helping families learn about the STEM careers in the Northeast region is through our STEM festivals. Exhibitors, which can include business and industry, colleges and other K-12 schools, offer hands-on activities for students and their families. We focus on attracting exhibiting partners that can showcase programs that kids could get involved in or careers that students could have if they were involved with STEM.
The nice part about STEM festivals is that they introduce not only kids, but also parents to STEM careers available in Iowa. A lot of people are unaware of all the STEM opportunities in their own communities. Although the number of STEM-related post-secondary degrees increased 31 percent from 2009 to 2012, according to the 2014 Battelle Report, initiated by the Iowa Partnership for Economic Progress, researchers still found that the availability of a skilled workforce, including those trained in STEM fields, is a major concern to Iowa businesses. It’s a great benefit when an event inspires both students and parents to think about the possibilities for their careers now and in the future.
We’ve recently held two STEM festivals in Black Hawk County and Cedar Valley, reaching more than 3,300 people. The Cedar Valley Family STEM Festival alone brought in more than 1,900 students. Within the next couple months, we have two more festivals coming up we hope will be bigger and better.
We have a number of great business and community partners already helping make these events successful, but the Northeast region always welcomes new relationships to further promote STEM. We believe it’s important for kids to learn the significance of STEM and its connection to local career opportunities, and no one can do that better than our business, industry and community leaders.
I encourage you to come out to a STEM festival and see for yourself the kinds of jobs and activities related to STEM. Please reach out if you want to learn more or are interested in partnering with STEM by visiting www.neiowastem.com.

Jeff Beneke,
Northeast Iowa STEM Regional Manager