Strohbehn.

CEDAR FALLS – Gladbrook-Reinbeck educator Jennifer Strohbehn is one of 82 teachers participating in the 2023 Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program, which provides teachers the opportunity to work at local STEM businesses, nonprofits, government services and other workplaces to gain work experiences that can be applied in the classroom. Since the program’s launch in 2009, the Iowa Governor’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Advisory Council has organized more than 800 externship experiences throughout the state.

Strohbehn, a science teacher at Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District, is working at Collins Aerospace. She is working with the Tactical Communications Systems Engineering group and is assigned to the High Frequency Airborne and Ground Communications Products. She is learning about how radios are used in many applications both by the military and other entities.

“Sixty-nine workplaces stepped up to host teacher-externs this summer. And 82 teachers are now externing. Those are some of the highest numbers since the program began,” said Jeff Weld, Executive Director of the STEM Council. “That tells Iowans that employers recognize the importance of cultivating their future workforces through partnerships with education. And it’s a clear signal that teachers of Iowa are striving to keep their skills and knowledge current for lively classroom experiences linked to exciting local career options.”

The Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program benefits both the participating teachers and the local workplace hosts. Teachers gain real-world applications — making the connection between what is taught with what job skills and knowledge are needed for successful careers — while extern hosts get significant projects completed by talented and independent teachers. By forging matches in the local community, school-business partnerships can develop and last through the following school year and beyond. This ultimately helps make students more aware of the skills needed to fill the jobs right where they live.

This summer, the program is supported through state-appropriated funds and investments by Iowa business, industry and community partners, the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) Education Program. This year’s contributions from workplace hosts total approximately $151,000, in addition to the STEM Council’s investment.

For more information about the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program, visit http://www.iowastem.org/Externships or view a map of all the externships taking place this summer.