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Science Center of Iowa receives $10,000 grant for stem professional development program

July 1, 2021

The Science Center of Iowa (SCI) announced this week that it received a grant for $10,000 from Bayer Fund, which will be used to in the creation of ‘Making Tech Connections,’ a professional development program that equips teachers with tools to help their students develop 21st Century employment skills in computing, algorithms and programming.

“Teachers have been asking for new activities related to technology that would help prepare their students for new and emerging job opportunities,” said Renee Harmon, SCI’s Vice President of Science Learning.

Making Tech Connections also will show educators how to incorporate liberal arts competencies into STEM education while growing their own confidence with computational thinking. Program activities will help students to think critically, imaginatively frame questions and consider multiple perspectives.

“This grant will not only provide support to our organization but also the community we serve by allowing us to develop training that provides teachers with materials, tools and a curriculum that will engage their students in high-tech and low-tech learning principles.”

In 2020, Bayer Fund awarded more than $17 million to more than 3,400 charitable and nonprofit organizations to help address essential needs in food and nutrition, STEM education and community development.

Previous coverage

Middle Bit: Science Center gets $40,000 grant for Innovation Lab programming -July 19, 2019

Tags: Making Tech Connections Science Center of Iowa

Science Center of Iowa receives $10,000 grant for stem professional development program | Clay & Milk

A central Iowa ag-tech accelerator has secured more backers and finally has a name. The Greater Des Moines Partnership first announced the accelerator last year, naming four initial investors. On Monday, the Partnership said the program will be called the "Iowa AgriTech Accelerator" and named three new investors. The new investors include Grinnell Mutual, Kent Corp. and Sukup Manufacturing, all Iowa companies. They join investors Deere & Co., Peoples Co., Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. and DuPont Pioneer. Each investor has agreed to put up $100,000 for the first year of the accelerator. Startups entering the program will receive $40,000 in seed funding in exchange for 6 percent equity. Tej Dhawan, an angel investor and local startup mentor, is serving as interim director until the AgriTech Accelerator names a permanent leader. Dhawan held a similar role with the GIA before Brian Hemesath was named as managing director. As interim director, Dhawan said his main job includes hiring the accelerator's executive director, establishing a business structure and initial recruiting for the first cohort. The accelerator will place few filters, such as location and product, on the applicant pool, Dhawan said. "When you’re seeking innovation, innovation can come from every corner of the world so why restrict ourselves," he said. One area the the AgriTech Accelerator won't recruit from is biotech. For its first cohort, the AgriTech Accelerator will work out of the GIA's space in Des Moines' East Village, Dhawan said. A future, permanent home is still to be decided. The accelerator's program will host startups from mid-July through mid-October, ending with an event connected to the annual World Food Prize. The GIA, which the AgriTech Accelerator is based on, also ends with presentations at an industry event. The accelerator has also started lining up a mentor pool. The Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Pork Producers Association have agreed to provide mentors, as has Iowa State University. While the AgriTech Accelerator is loosely based off of the GIA, it will differ in its business structure, Dhawan said. The GIA runs through a for-profit model for both operations and its investment fund. The AgriTech Accelerator will have a nonprofit model for its operations and a for-profit setup for its fund. Dhawan said the nonprofit model is being used so the accelerator can better work with other nonprofit partners, such as trade associations. "These are all organizations that are nonprofits and can be amazing stakeholders without ever having to be investors in the accelerator," he said. "It becomes easier to work with trade associations in their nonprofit role when we are also a nonprofit." When it's up and running, the AgriTech Accelerator would be one of a handful of ag-focused startup development programs in Iowa. Others include the Ag Startup Engine out of Iowa State University and the Rural Ventures Alliance from Iowa MicroLoan. Matthew Patane is the managing editor and co-founder of Clay & Milk. Send him an email at mpatane@clayandmilk.com.

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