Hands-on STEM learning took center stage for families in eastern Iowa at Community STEM Day on July 17.
The third annual event, hosted by the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council’s Southeast Iowa STEM Region and Collins Aerospace, offered opportunities for families to explore and engage with interactive science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities, through a variety of hands-on exhibit booths, in-depth workshops and exclusive lab tours.
View highlights from this year’s Community STEM Day in our Flickr event photo gallery or check out the highlight video.
“We're really about creating interest and excitement around STEM, getting kids to see how STEM manifests in different ways in their own community,” said Matt Stier, Southeast Iowa STEM Regional Manager.
Throughout the year, the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education and its six STEM regions host STEM festivals, like Community STEM Day, around the state to expose learners to STEM fields and get them excited about STEM career opportunities in their area.
"The impact of regional STEM festivals goes far beyond just the day of the event," said Iowa Department of Education STEM bureau chief, Justin Lewis. “They are a celebration of STEM in Iowa’s communities, offering a platform for local businesses to highlight real-world STEM opportunities and excite students about STEM careers close to home.”
At Community STEM Day, one tent housed farmers-market style booths run by community partner businesses and organizations, but instead of selling produce and crafts, attendees were able to engage with interactive STEM career-linked learning and activities.
Over 70 community partners hosted booths covering various STEM topics and careers including the medical sciences, aerospace, energy, music, coding, robotics and more.
“I've loved going around to all the stations, because everywhere you go there's something new to learn,“ said Lexi Williams, a student who attended the event with her sister and mother.
Some exhibits, too big for the tents in the Collins Aerospace parking lot, provided a popular stop at the event. Attendees could try a semi-truck driving simulation and see the St. Luke’s lifeguard air ambulance (medivac helicopter) which landed on site at the start of the event, up close.
“We're really grateful for the strong response we have from our community partners because without them this doesn't happen,” Stier said. “It's kind of that classic win-win of the entire village coming together and helping support the next generation of STEM workers, educators and researchers.”
Stier also pointed out that Collins Aerospace was a driving force behind starting the event three years ago and continues to invest time and personnel to facilitate the event each year in addition to financial support.
Over 170 volunteers from Collins Aerospace guided students through workshops, hosted tours and helped the event run smoothly.
A second tent housed the in-depth workshops that taught basics of circuits and robotics through projects like creating a light up card, programming rovers, assembling bikes, constructing a prosthetic hand, building a robot, and even learning how to solder.
Attendees who pre-registered were able to attend exclusive lab tours inside Collins Aerospace, including the concept flight deck and displays lab and another featuring the helmet mounted display systems.
To learn more about upcoming Iowa STEM events, including the upcoming STEM Day at the Fair, visit the Iowa Department of Education’s website.