STEM Essential

S4 E5: Jeff Weld

On this episode, hear directly from host Jeff Weld on the last ten years of STEM and what's ahead for the state. 

1:50 Weld breaks down the guests from the fourth season of STEM Essential and monumental roles they have played in the progress STEM has made over the last ten years. 

6:00 Weld talks about some of the highlights of the annual STEM progress reports. 

• More than a million k-12 youth have engaged with one or more Council programs. 
• About 25,000 educators have done the same.
• Of 326 public school districts in Iowa, about 310 have at least on teacher or one classroom have taken part in a STEM Council classroom.
• More than 1,000 workplaces have partnered with the Council on programs.
• More than $3.5 million dollars have been invested in STEM programs by 138 private sector donors.
• Awareness of STEM in Iowa has increased from 1/4 of those surveyed to 3/4.
• 96% of surveyed Iowans consider STEM should be an important priority in their school district.

9:36 Weld outlines what's next for the Council as they tackle the next ten years, including strategic priorities. 

S4 E4: Jan Morrison

On this episode of STEM Essential, Jeff Weld speaks with Jan Morrison founder and senior partner TIES (Teaching Institute of Excellence in STEM) and co-designer of the STEM Learning Ecosystem Initiative of the STEM Funders Network, of which Iowa is part.

2:13 Morrison discusses her history with STEM, starting with her parents. Her father was a practicing physician and her mother was a part of the Manhattan Project. Her family's passion for STEM lives on through her work. 

3:56 Morrison examines how STEM works as an transdiciplinary glue, putting individual subjects into perspective. 

5:45 Morrison reflects on how the emergence of STEM as a concept allows the transdiciplinary character of life to enter the classroom and prepare students for life after graduation. 

7:13 Morrison speaks about her experience as an early adopter of STEM as a critical part of education. 

8:08 Morrison reflects on the move from the original acronym (SMET) to STEM, as well as how the field became a respected, understood concept.

10:23 Morrison and Weld examines how the STEM field has evolved over the ten years since she helped launch STEM in Iowa. 

16:19 Morrison discusses the strength of the connection between STEM education and the future workforce in Iowa.  

18:23 Morrison highlights where early childhood STEM is in Iowa and where it could be.

20:50 Morrison touches on how the pandemic gave families additional insight and perspective into the importance of STEM education. 

22:44 Morrison discusses the importance of keeping STEM a priority and cultural leader in schools and communities and how it can be done.

26:18 Morrison highlights how Tulsa, Oklahoma has integrated STEM into their community and what other initiatives can learn from them.

28:39 Morrison outlines how leadership makes a difference in promoting STEM.

31:39 Morrison offers advice and predictions for the next ten years of STEM in Iowa.

 

S4 E3: Erin Heiden

2:13 Heiden speaks on her research, the impact of multitasking on research and the relationship to STEM.

4:42 Heiden breaks down how multitasking and distraction can impact data in research. 

6:28 Heiden recaps the history of the STEM Council and the long term research that has helped track progress over the last ten years. Research has focused on awareness, interest and achievement in STEM since the beginning of the Council.

9:56 Heiden walks through the metrics and methods for research.

12:40 Heiden talks about the partnership of research organizations at Iowa's regent institutions that help collect and report on STEM data. 

13:57 Heiden examines additional partners who provide data to help detail measures and metrics. These include ACT reports and Iowa Workforce Development.

17:15 Heiden reflects on some of the challenges over the last ten years of studying STEM in Iowa.

21:45 Heiden highlights her favorite metrics. Her focus is on finding valuable data that helps guide STEM Council decisions. 

25:45 Heiden talks through what additional metrics or indicators she would like to add if she had the opportunity. 

30:15 Heiden talks about the grant that helped push Iowa STEM research to the national stage. 

33:30 Heiden reflects on how research could help uncover new insights for the STEM Council.

37:43 Heiden discusses how interagency analysis could help the STEM Council. 

 

 

S4 E2: Iowa Lakes Community College President Valerie Newhouse

On this episode of STEM Essential, host and director of the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council Jeff Weld sits down with Valerie Newhouse, president of Iowa Lakes Community College. She is a founding member of the STEM Council and and advocate for STEM at Iowa Lakes and beyond.

 

2:15 President Newhouse talks about her path toward education and how Iowa Lakes Community College was a leader in the STEM movement.

 

7:02 President Newhouse discusses the STEM regions across the state and how they've helped establish a strong program. Iowa Lakes Community College is the northwest STEM hub.

 

8:20 President Newhouse examines how regional hubs have helped create a STEM movement for all Iowans.

10:15 President Newhouse discusses the challenges the Council faced at the very beginning and how they were overcome.

12:48 President Newhouse talks about the application process to become the northwest hub for the STEM Council. She details the hopes and the fears she and her colleagues had. 

15:19 President Newhouse talks through how Iowa Lakes worked with other organizations who also applied for the hub spot. Collaboration helped create an outstanding environment where everyone could participate. 

17:15 President Newhouse examines how the regional committee has helped involve others in the movement. 

18:50 President Newhouse talks about how the current work of the Council stacks up to her expectations at the very beginning of the Council.

 

20:40 Jeff Weld and President Newhouse talk about the supporters who have made the movement possible.

20:15 President Newhouse thinks about what she would change about the STEM Council if she could go back to the very beginning.

23:08 Jeff Weld and President Newhouse discuss the incredible efforts of STEM regional managers and all they do. 

25:27 President Newhouse provides her thoughts on the challenges and opportunities ahead for the STEM movement. Workforce development is both the largest challenge and opportunity she sees on the horizon. 

28:38 President Newhouse examines how STEM can help in the rapidly changing educational environment.

30:18 President Newhouse talks about how STEM and Future Ready Iowa work together in the education system to show students all the career paths available to them.

31:46 President Newhouse shares her main message in STEM. STEM education is essential for every student and for the future of the state.

S4 E1: Cindy Dietz

On this episode of STEM Essential, Jeff Weld speaks with Cindy Dietz, associate director of state government relations at Raytheon Technologies. She is a founding member of the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, which she directed as the interim executive director in 2018.

2:08 Dietz discusses how community relations and charitable giving helped create the beginnings of a STEM education movement in Iowa. She highlights the connection between STEM education and business.

5:40 Dietz examines the conditions in 2011 that primed the state to create the STEM Council. These include the need for a strong workforce, existing economic conditions and Iowa’s strong engagement with schools, businesses and state agencies perfect for collaboration.

10:40 Dietz discusses how legislative support was gained to help Iowa launch one of the first statewide STEM education programs.

12:27 Weld and Dietz assess the landscape and history that have set Iowa up to have local corporations invested in growing talent in the state.

13:48 Dietz highlights how Iowa’s work ethic has made the state and its workers desirable.

S3 E4: Ken Sharp

On this episode of STEM Essential, Jeff Weld chats with Ken Sharp, division director of Acute Disease Prevention, Emergency Response and Environmental Health at the Iowa Department of Public Health. 

2:23 Ken Sharp discusses the influences from his K-12 education that set him on a STEM path. 

5:05 Ken Sharp discusses his unlikely career path and offers advice for others who wonder where their path could take them. He started in environmental science and ended at the Iowa Department of Public Health.

8:42 Ken Sharp describes the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in his position. His team started to learn about the pandemic in December 2019.

11:11 Ken Sharp discusses the need for adaptability in the face of the pandemic.

13:00  Ken Sharp discusses the System Development Efforts for Time-Critical Conditions.

17:44 Ken Sharp discusses the challenges of distributing the COVID-19 vaccine in Iowa.

22:45 Ken Sharp talks about the prioritization strategy for vaccine distribution in Iowa.

31:04 Ken Sharp talks strategy for future pandemics or variations of the current virus.

33:30 Ken Sharp gives advice for STEM students who are interested in pursuing STEM careers.

S3 E3: Balaji Narasimhan, PhD

On this episode of STEM Essential, Jeff Weld speaks with Balaji Narasimhan, PhD about the production of vaccines and nanovaccines.

2:49 Dr. Narasimhan discusses his education background. Born in India to a geologist and economist, Dr. Narasimhan's family practically had STEM in their DNA. He earned an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. He then earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University. He has been with Iowa State for 20 years, researching nanovaccines.  

8:23 Dr. Narasimhan discusses the triad of nanoscience, material science, and medicine that makes up his work. His research looks at how medicines and vaccines can be more effective.

12:24 Dr. Narasimhan discusses the work of the Nanovaccine Institute at Iowa State University. 

18:12 Dr. Narasimhan discusses current technology for delivering vaccines to cells, including those for the current COVID-19 vaccines, and the differences for nanovaccines in development.

23:26 Dr. Narasimhan discusses the cost and effectiveness of nanovaccines compared to currently available vaccines. 

26:49 Dr. Narasimhan discusses the possible effectiveness of nanovaccines against COVID-19 variants.

28:31 Dr. Narasimhan discusses the potential release date of the nanovaccine.

31:07 Dr. Narasimhan discusses the importance of funding in research.

33:25 Dr. Narasimhan gives advice for Iowa students interested in STEM careers. 

S3 E2: Dr. Patricia Winokur, MD

On this episode of STEM Essential, Jeff Weld speaks with Dr. Patricia Winokur, MD, Infectious Disease Specialist and Executive Dean at University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. She discusses what differentiates the virus behind COVID-19 from other coronaviruses, as well as the science behind new vaccines.  

S3 E1: Dr. Nafissa Cisse Egbuonye

It's a new season of STEM Essential. And this time, Jeff and his guests are talking about COVID-19 and the science behind the creation of a vaccine.

Our first guest is Dr. Nafissa Cisse Egbounye, Public Health Director at the Black Hawk County Health Department. Hear how she found her passion in public health, how her county has navigated COVID-19 and how she anticipates we will move forward.

S2 E5: Gabe Glynn

On this episode of STEM Essential, hear from Gabe Glynn, co-founder and CEO of MākuSafe. Learn more about how he came to be head of a technology company in Iowa and how he sees STEM jobs evolving over time.