THE SCIENCE CENTER OF IOWA ENGAGES AND INSPIRES IOWANS ALONG THEIR JOURNEY OF LIFELONG SCIENCE LEARNING.
Ruling year info 1966 Principal Officer Curt Simmons Main address 401 Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy Des Moines, IA 50309 USA Show more contact info
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Payment Address 401 Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy Des Moines, IA 50309
Donation Payable Legal name of organization: Science Center of Iowa EIN for payable organization: 42-6097912
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What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
SCI homeschool programming supports the Iowa Core and National Science Standards and is accurate, relevant and fun! Your Science Center of Iowa experience will reflect the quality of our fully accredited institution, endorsed by AAM and ASTC.
With hands-on workshops for students and parents, the Homeschool Science Series is a unique opportunity for homeschoolers to enhance their curriculum through STEM programming led by SCI staff. Workshops also provide an opportunity for homeschoolers to share ideas and expand their network of like-minded learners.
Population(s) Served Children and youthPint Size Science (PSS) introduces preschool and kindergarten children to STEM topics through a hands-on approach that engages and inspires young minds to explore scientific phenomena.
The professional development component of Pint Size Science shows educators how to use their knowledge of children's backgrounds and interests to help them develop inquiry skills for exploring basic phenomena and materials of the world. Feedback from teachers on the impact of this program in their classroom has been extremely positive.
Pint Size Science was named a 'Scale-Up' project by the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council in February 2014. It provided professional development training and support to 300 preschool instructors statewide in the 2014-15 school year and similar technical assistance to 550 in 2015-16.
Population(s) ServedMaking STEM Connections (MSC) introduces students to ‘making’, a hands on approach to STEM education that encourages creativity, problem-solving and collaboration through activities involving building, tinkering and creating.
The program provides elementary school teachers, as well as out-of-school, after school and camp program facilitators, conceptual materials and professional development for bringing the Maker’s movement into their learning space. Named as a STEM Scale Up project in 2016, SCI is currently introducing MSC to Iowa educators in the 2016-17 School Year.
Population(s) ServedScience At Your Site Outreach has visited over 170,000 students since 2002, at schools, civic events, fairs and libraries throughout the state, often going to communities with limited science education opportunities. Last year the program averaged more than 200 miles roundtrip when delivering presentations.
STEM concepts are explained in lively demonstrations that appeal to visitors' sense of sight, touch, taste, hearing and smell. Staff use theatricality in performing experiments that move, distort or explode to captivate the audience, while also teaching them about science.
Outreach presentations like Simply Electrifying help students explore the exciting world of electricity. Students become electrons and atoms while responding to open ended questions by SCI presenters that encourage participation and stimulate discussion. Hands-on tools like the Tesla Coil and Van de Graaff generator help demonstrate, with shocking, hair raising clarity, how electricity works.