 The 2025 Iowa STEM Summit: Accelerating Innovation took place on October 17 in Des Moines.
Earlier this month, STEM educators, advocates, industry leaders and policymakers took over the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines for a full day of celebration and collaboration of all-things STEM.
The annual Iowa STEM Summit, hosted by the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education allowed participants time and space to explore innovative strategies, share best practices and hear from leaders who are advancing STEM education in Iowa. This year’s theme, Accelerating Innovation, was showcased through a packed day of engaging keynote speakers, interactive breakout sessions and networking opportunities, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and the technologies to support it.
“Summit truly is a celebration of STEM in Iowa,” said Justin Lewis, Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council Executive Director and STEM Bureau Chief at the Department. “The Council takes pride in hosting a day dedicated to learning and collaboration between educators, business partners and leaders, and we are particularly excited about this year’s AI focus in response to Executive Order 14.”
Lewis welcomed around 450 attendees to the event, and council co-chairs Diane Young and Lieutenant Governor Chirs Cournoyer provided remarks, sharing their own experiences with STEM. Department PK-12 Division Administrator Tina Wahlert also spoke on the importance of exploring innovative technologies and garnered some laughs from the audience when recalling her students' excitement over the Oregon Trail game on a floppy disk in 1985. |
|
 |
 |
|
Throughout the day, over 40 breakout sessions allowed attendees to hear from students, educators and professionals on STEM and AI at the state and district levels as well as within business and industry. Council-funded programs were featured through presentations from students, educators and program coordinators. |
"I've talked with my friends at school and other students, but having actual adults here to listen to kids or students’ perspectives on AI is really interesting,” said Henry Zou, a senior at Johnston High School and student presenter. “It's really nice to know that the adults, the policymakers and the people who are making the decisions, are also listening to our perspectives as well.”
 The Microsoft tent was a popular destination throughout the day.
|
The Iowa STEM Summit’s premiere sponsor, Microsoft, hosted the "Microsoft Experience” on the Grand Concourse amidst the breakout sessions. Through this exciting experience, attendees had opportunities to learn about MakeCode and FarmBeats, get resource materials, and participate in engaging activities like CloudCraft, a Minecraft-like educational experience. Microsoft gave away a free FarmBeats STEM kit to all attendees, encouraging those who were not educators to donate them to a local school, library or extension office.
“The goal for us today is really to make sure that individuals are aware of all the resources that are available,” said Sara Hansen, senior community affairs with Microsoft. “The educators in the room will always say to their students, ‘there's no dumb questions.’ There isn't any for this. We want to make sure that they feel comfortable coming to the booth today and asking our experts in AI and resource development what they can do and what they can master in their own classrooms.”
|
|
 |
 |
|
At lunchtime, Hansen and Rich Massie, director of operations for Microsoft, along with Rob Burnett, vice president of science learning for the Science Center of Iowa (SCI), announced the traveling exhibit, “Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind & The Machine,” would be coming to SCI in January. Iowa will be the third state to host this traveling exhibit.
Thank you to all of our steadfast investors, partners and advocates for their generosity and dedication to continuing to help create impactful and innovative change to Iowa's STEM landscape.
|
 |
|
Iowa STEM Summit lunchtime keynote speaker Jay Flores provided an exciting array of experiments under his “It’s not magic, it’s science!” brand.
“I want you to go back to the three or four-year-old version of yourselves,” Flores told the audience at the start of his keynote speech.
Flores shared demonstrations and experiments with the help of audience volunteers. He emphasized the importance of making science and engineering accessible and attainable to all by representing abstract concepts using easy to source materials.
|
|
 |
The first 200 to check-in in the morning received a free copy of Flores’ new book, “Engineer Someday.” Flores met with attendees and signed copies following his keynote.
 |
|
The day concluded with an inspirational keynote by former Director of Space Operations Tomas Gonzalez-Torres. He shared his background and experiences from over 25 years at NASA and applied the lessons learned “from shooting for the stars” with an emphasis on preparing students for their own future careers. |
 Gilbert High School students are benefitting from programs being expanded through funding from a recent STEM BEST® Program award.
Thanks to a recent STEM BEST® Program award and subsequent gift from a private donor, Gilbert High School is transforming their welding and manufacturing coursework through authentic, hands-on projects that mirror real-world applications.
“The donor’s contribution, combined with the grant funding, allows us to expand community involvement, encourage more industry partnerships and ensure that students have access to authentic, work-based learning opportunities,” said Adam Davis, teacher in Gilbert's Agriculture Education program.
Davis is in his seventh year teaching Agriculture Education and is a Gilbert High School alumnus himself. He sees a need to provide cutting-edge equipment and foster stronger industry connections between his students and the local community.
|
“Students deserve access to high-quality, hands-on learning experiences that prepare them with real-world skills,” Davis said. “Investing in this program allows us to foster creativity, problem-solving and career readiness in ways that make education more relevant and impactful.”
As one of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council’s signature programs, the STEM BEST® Program offers high-quality opportunities for students to gain hands-on experiences. Gilbert High School’s program has caught the attention of a local private donor that is investing to help it succeed.
|
|
 |
 |
|
“[The donor] appreciated that their contribution would be multiplied through the STEM BEST® matching grant, which allowed their investment to go further,” Davis said. “They also valued the tangible outcomes this program provides, not just in terms of equipment, but also in community partnerships, student growth and long-term impact.”
As a new STEM BEST® Program model, Davis sees opportunities to grow thanks to the support of the program.
|
“I want every student who leaves the Gilbert Ag program to be better prepared for their future, carrying with them the technical skills and industry credentials that open doors to impactful and successful careers.”
The STEM BEST® funding opportunity for new and returning schools is open now. Applications are due Nov. 10. For more information on the STEM BEST® Program, visit our webpage or contact program coordinator Tanya Hunt at hunt@iowastem.org.
The CSPDIF Grant is open to all public districts and accredited non-public schools. There are two programs within the CSPDIF Grant: the Endorsement program and the Professional Development program. Both of these programs function on a reimbursement basis.
The Endorsement program is set up to help teachers obtain their Computer Science Endorsement by reimbursing the tuition and associated costs incurred through the programming. The deadline for this program is May 31, 2026 and it has a rolling approval window. The Endorsement program functions on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds are allocated.
The Professional Development program was created to provide districts with the funds needed to implement quality computer science professional learning. The deadline for the Professional Development program is Nov. 14, 2025. Award notifications from this competitive grant will go out in mid-December.
You can find more information about both programs in the CSPDIF Grant on the Department website.
STEM-sights is written by members of the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council’s Youth Ambassador Group. This is their space to share insight and ideas on STEM events and initiatives important to Iowa students, written by Iowa students. Check out what’s on their minds this month:
 Iowa STEM Youth Ambassadors pose at the STEM Summit sign.
The 2025 Iowa STEM Summit was an amazing opportunity for students, teachers, and professionals to gain insights and connections from across the state. Several Iowa STEM Youth Ambassadors volunteered and even presented at this year’s summit.
The majority of the discussion at the Summit centered around the event’s theme: AI in STEM education. Many breakout sessions addressed potential uses of AI. For instance, the Science Center of Iowa discussed the rapid advancement of AI, debated where it should be applied, and even brought along AI books for kids. Others looked at the regulation of AI in education, offering suggestions for how other school districts might address AI and highlighting the continual nature of adapting rules for AI advancements by incorporating community feedback.
|
For Youth Ambassadors like Eva George, the STEM Summit proved to be an insightful learning experience. “Not only did I learn about the many ways AI is being integrated into education, but I also made meaningful connections that helped me better understand what my future role in STEM might look like.”
Youth Ambassadors engaged with attendees from across various STEM fields. Erin Chen called the event “a really unique and inspiring experience.” She added, “I enjoyed meeting new people and engaging in thoughtful conversations with educators and professionals across various STEM fields.”
|
|
 |
 |
|
The Youth Ambassadors not only learned from attendees but also had the opportunity to network and form meaningful relationships with them. Max Vannorsdel shared, “I think it was really interesting to see the amount of people that I could connect with in just a short amount of time. There were quite a few people there that were very easy to go up and talk to and network with.” |
The Youth Ambassadors also had the opportunity to present at the Summit. They had thoughtful conversations with attendees and shared their experiences. “I really loved presenting. I thought there was maybe going to be five or six people, but the room was packed and it was really awesome because people asked very intuitive questions that required thinking and discussion from everyone. It was more focused on discussion between peers rather than sitting and being lectured at, ” shared Brayden Hunt. |
|
 |
The STEM Summit was a valuable experience for Youth Ambassadors in attendance and allowed them to connect, network and learn from each other, industry professionals and other students from around the state. Follow the Youth Ambassadors on Instagram (@iowayouthstem) as they share their Summit experiences through posts offering more insight into the event.
Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council
Iowa Department of Education
214 East Bartlett Hall
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0298
515-335-1531
info@IowaSTEM.org
|
