Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program participants gathered in Ankeny on July 22 for the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Forum, an annual event that serves as a celebration of the summer’s accomplishments and jumping off point for further collaboration and partnerships among externs, workplace hosts and program mentors.

The event featured several breakout sessions in which externs and hosts showcased their experiences this summer along with remarks from Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program Coordinator Ann Gritzner and Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council Co-Chair Diane Young. 

“What makes this program transformational is that you don't come back with just stories. You come back with perspective,” Young said. “You come back understanding how engineers solve problems under pressure. How laboratory scientists ensure food safety. How manufacturers use data to improve efficiency. How healthcare professionals rely on technology and analytics. How innovation actually happens. And when you bring those experiences back into your classrooms, students begin to see possibilities they never saw before.”

An externship includes working alongside industry experts at a local STEM workplace, collaboration with fellow externs via online discussion boards and assignments culminating in a final project the teachers can take back to their classroom in the fall and share with other Iowa educators. 

“[The Externships Forum] was wonderful to connect with other teachers and discuss their experiences this summer,” said Harley Doty, mathematics teacher at South Tama County High School and 2026 Iowa STEM Teacher Extern at Bayer. “It was really nice to hear from host speakers on their perspectives of the program. I really appreciated being able to put faces to the names of people on the discussion boards all summer.”

This summer, 95 externs were placed with 78 unique workplace hosts for six-week long experiences that connect teachers to professionals in local workplaces, providing opportunities to gain valuable STEM-related work experiences that can be applied in the classroom. Since its launch in 2009, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education has facilitated more than 1,100 teacher externships in a variety of industries throughout the state.

The Iowa STEM Teacher Externship Program is already preparing for next year’s externship experiences. To learn more about how to participate next summer, either as a teacher or a workplace host, visit the Externships Program webpage. 

“The experience reminded me that learning a new topic can often feel overwhelming, especially when students are encountering unfamiliar concepts for the first time. As a result, I have made it a priority to encourage students to communicate their current understanding at the beginning of each new unit.” 

- Marcus Feldhans
2026 Iowa STEM Teacher Extern with Three Trees Data
LLC and science teacher at South Central Calhoun Middle School

“I have had so many discussions about how often workers in the trades use Geometry. It's been interesting to see a shift once I say that in class because I have lots of students that are, at first, unmotivated to learn geometry because they don't know where they'll use it.” 

- Allison Walders
2026 Iowa STEM Teacher Extern with moveero
Mathematics teacher at North Union High School 

“This externship offers incredible, hands-on learning that translates ideally into our classrooms.  It has been a rejuvenating and inspiring experience. I would love the opportunity to do this again.” 

-Janita Stavroplus
2026 Iowa STEM Teacher Extern at Driftless Area Wetlands Centre
Teacher at Clayton Ridge Elementary

“We can get hung up on the technical skills of the job; however, the workplace culture and teamwork can often have the biggest impact on the success and satisfaction of an employee. It's important to help students understand the importance and value of teamwork and collaboration, which will benefit them well into their careers.”

- Clint Sargent
2026 Iowa STEM Teacher Extern with Harrison County Welcome Center and Historical Museum 
Business Teacher at AHSTW High School

“What I particularly appreciate is how science and engineering practices are constantly being demonstrated by people who I suspect don't think of themselves as 'scientists.' I have already talked one of my hosts into coming into my classroom to show how scientists don't just use beakers and microscopes; some use chainsaws and axes.”

- Phillip Seiwert
2026 Iowa STEM Teacher Extern with City of Des Moines Public Works Forestry Division 
Science teacher at Dallas Center-Grimes High School

“Just like in the classroom, I am blown away by the importance of the skills of communication, problem solving and collaboration that are required to function at a high-level here, regardless of your role on the team or place in the company.” 

- Alex Bendlage
2026 Iowa STEM Teacher Extern at Collins Aerospace 
Science teacher at Cedar Rapids’ Thomas Jefferson High School

“I really was just trying to find a way that our greenhouse could run year round, and we could provide a service that is hard to find for the Elementary Summer Adventure kids,’” said Patty Schmidt, greenhouse teacher at Easton Valley. “I thought, ‘What a great way to show kids and community members we are using our greenhouse year round and we are still teaching kids how to do things.’” 

As an added benefit to meeting these needs, Schmidt envisioned having high school students help facilitate the program, giving them experience and a little summer spending cash, too. 

“It was very flexible, which is what a lot of them need with sports, jobs, vacation and other commitments,” Schmidt said. 

Ten high school students served as interns with the program this summer, helping to maintain and monitor the greenhouses hydroponic units. 

Students also appreciate the interactive nature of the experience and the responsibility entrusted to them.

“It’s been a good learning experience,” said London Kin, another student intern. “This is more hands-on learning about what plants need and taking care of them. I like that I can learn about planting and germination. I can learn that here and then I can go home and do that with my mom in her garden.”

School leaders hope this sparks new interest in their agriculture program with the added benefit of honing real-world skills.

“Some of the students were not in any ag classes or expressed interest in this before,” Schmidt said. “ In fact, one of our homeschooled students who is dual enrolled decided they were going to try it and it has been phenomenal. I’ve seen her opening up and she feels comfortable around others. And another student who is very shy did an amazing job with the elementary kids. It has been really rewarding to watch the kids do that and find their confidence. 

These outcomes reflect the purpose of the STEM BEST^Ⓡ Explore Program; to provide Iowa students with meaningful, career-connected learning experiences that extend beyond the traditional school year. By engaging in hands-on projects, exploring career pathways and taking on authentic responsibilities during the summer, students continue to build the technical, professional and durable skills needed for future success.

On July 16, STEM friends, partners and community members gathered in Cedar Rapids for the yearly Community STEM Day, hosted by the Southeast Iowa STEM Region and Collins Aerospace. As before, the day featured a giant tent with farmer's market-style STEM fun, in-depth workshops, exclusive lab tours, food trucks and more.

We'll let the numbers tell the story of the day:

• 95 exhibitors offering engaging, hands-on STEM fun for attendees.
• 200 volunteers from Collins Aerospace, who made the day possible.
• 18 food trucks keeping everyone fed, hydrated and caffeinated.
• 3 helicopters that landed at the fest to give attendees up-close looks at an air-ambulance, as well as Chinook and Blackhawk military aircraft.
• 5,000+ attendees, making this year's event the biggest one yet.

• 9 in-depth workshops providing STEM learners a dive into a variety of topics.
• 6 exclusive lab tours of the behind-the-scenes innovation happening at Collins Aerospace.
• 15 bikes built by Pedal Power workshop participants and donated to the Start School Right Program.
• 4,200 pairs of sunglasses and 4,000 mini bottles of sunscreen distributed to help attendees battle the hot and sunny day.
  
  

Despite the heat, and a little bit of rain at the end, the event was another reminder of the amazing network of STEM champions in the state, proving once more that tomorrow truly does STEM from Iowa.

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, 2027 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. 1, 2026. Award notifications from this competitive grant will go out in December. 

You can find more information about both programs in the CSPDIF Grant on the Department website or by contacting Michelle Meier (michelle.meier@iowa.gov).

Evan Lambert, a rising junior, is currently researching combinatorial game theory at Drake University this summer. He is working on a game between two players where there is a running score for both of them, where Player 1 wins with a positive final score while Player 2 wins with a negative score. The game format is set with a game board made of two concentric rings, each split into an equal number of segments per ring containing a number. On each player's move, they can pick a pair of adjacent segments, one on both the inner and outer ring, multiply them together, and then add that to the running score total. The outer segment they chose cannot be used again in a move, and the entire outer ring rotates one segment clockwise. The main nuance with the game is the tradeoff between short-term gain vs long-term positional play with that spinning outer wheel. Evan is excited to keep discovering game theory the rest of this summer. 

Technology Student Association Nationals was held in Washington, D.C this year, featuring thousands of students from across the country competing in technology events, including one of our own members, Ishaan Suyal. He competed in biotechnology design, engineering design, Tech Bowl, and chapter team; furthermore, he ran for National TSA Reporter, giving a campaign speech, answering an exempt question in front of over 10,000 people at the general session, and hosting a meet-and-greet. Although he did not win this title, he still closed out his experience with a National Finalist title in Biotechnology Design. “Opportunities like that are rare, so the only real choice is to make the most of them,” explained Ishaan. 

Elise Smith is participating in the Summer Science Program (SSP) at the University of Guelph, a residential research program recognized as one of the nation's oldest programs known for its extensive alumni network spanning top universities. Elise is a part of the Bacterial Genomics cohort, where her group is working with Vibrio Natriegens, determining its mechanism of resistance against the antibiotic kanamycin. Students spend 10 hours a day working in the lab and in lectures from Monday to Saturday. However, it is not just intensive research; they have also done fun group activities, including a trip to Niagara Falls and walks to local ice cream shops. Elise says her favorite part of this program is the people she has met: “I have made so many friendships I know will last me a lifetime, and it's an amazing experience to get to work with other determined, motivated students!"

Summer may be a break from the classroom, but many of our ambassadors have been working diligently to improve their STEM skills. By stepping outside their comfort zones and pursuing opportunities across the country, they demonstrate that STEM is not confined to a classroom or a school calendar. Their experiences this summer will undoubtedly fuel new ideas, stronger leadership, and continued innovation in Iowa and beyond.