How a chance encounter started a robotics journey that continues today.

Joslyn, described as an innovative STEM educator who role models lifelong learning for her students and consistently advocates for student opportunities, has received numerous grants to enhance her students’ STEM experiences with out-of-classroom experiences that transform student engagement, build confidence, and develop cultural awareness.

University of Iowa Health Care (UIHC) STEM Education offers high-impact, hands-on programming experiences that inspire K–12 students to explore health care and other STEM fields. Programming for a variety of STEM experiences is offered on and off campus.

Van Buren County Community School District provides innovative programs both during and beyond the school day, designed to spark curiosity and build pathways to opportunity.

Lee County Conservation offers a variety of environmental-education opportunities for K-12 students throughout the school year and summer, building a deeper connection to the outdoors and the STEM opportunities the natural world presents.

The Iowa Raptor Project, a program in the UI WILD (Wildlife Instruction and Leadership Development) Department in the University of Iowa College of Edeucation, has provided educational experiences both on site and off for four decades.

For more than four decades, Cedar Amateur Astronomers has been providing programs and activities to help advance their sole mission to promote STEM through astronomy.

The strength of the STEM network throughout the region was made evident by the success of the third annual Community STEM Day, in Cedar Rapids.

The Burlington Public Library provides many STEM events and activities for kids in the community throughout the school year and the summer.

Rebecca Whitaker, program delivery partner for FIRST Tech Challenge—Iowa at the University of Iowa College of Engineering, is a longtime champion of STEM learning.

Jenna Stevens, Agriculture in the Classroom Consultant for Clinton and Jackson Counties and Southeast Iowa STEM Region Advisory Board Member, provides hands-on learning about an array of agricultural topics for students in grades pK-12.

Chuck Tonelli, science teacher at Metro High School, is the 2025 Iowa STEM Teacher Award recipient from the Southeast Iowa STEM Region.