The people in the photo, left to right ;

Brad Henningsen, Black Hills Energy, Damage Prevention Coordinator
Tyler Jass, Iowa One Call, PR & Communications Specialist
Governor Kim Reynolds
Dave Hraha, Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities, Director of Member Services
Alex Cutchey, Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities, Director of Government Affairs

The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is a public-private partnership representing education, business, industry, nonprofits, students, families, and state government. It is focused on raising student interest and achievement in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects and improving STEM economic development in Iowa. The Iowa STEM Teacher Externship program, through the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, aims to facilitate collaborations between Iowa businesses and teachers in science, mathematics and technology fields.

Launched in the summer of 2009, the benefits of this unique business-education partnership include:

• Matching talented, educated and skilled teachers as participants and contributors to your business needs.

• Providing students with career information pertaining to businesses and industries right here in Iowa, creating a future work force in the area.

• Lasting partnerships between businesses/industries and local schools.

Iowa STEM Teacher Externs work side-by-side with knowledgeable and skilled employees at the local business level which provides educators with the experience to steer students towards STEM fields.

Proven Value: 

Iowa STEM Teacher Externships provide an opportunity for organizations to work with educational professionals in their community. Teacher externs have worked on high-level business projects in a variety of industries across the state. From working with a continuous improvement expert in surgical units at a regional hospital, to mussel diving and water quality monitoring, to mapping machine efficiencies at a major advanced-manufacturing business, teacher externs can offer uncommon expertise and save business hosts time and money. Please click here for videos of past externships.

Time Commitment: 

Externships typically run for five to six weeks from June through July with a standard 40-hour work week.

Cost Share:

An Iowa STEM Teacher Extern will receive $6,000 for a six-week summer experience. The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council covers 50% of the cost and the business site will cover the remaining 50%.

To apply, please visit our website or contact info@iowastem.gov for additional information.

 

Most of the policy included in the bill is to promote expansion of broadband infrastructure in targeted service areas.  A “targeted service area” is defined as a United States census block within which no communications service provider offers broadband service at or above 25 megabits per second of download speed and three megabits per second upload speed.  

The state’s Chief Information Officer is given the duties to implement the various portions of the Act, including adopting rules and procedures to determine whether an area meets the definition of “targeted service area” and to administer the broadband grant program and the fiberoptic network conduit installation program. 

The broadband grant program will provide for grants to assist communication services providers to reduce or eliminate targeted services areas throughout the state.  Grants are limited to a maximum of 15% of the service providers project cost.  There was NO money appropriated for the grant program during the legislative session. However, once the grant program receives funding the office is to award grants on a competitive basis based on the following:

• The relative need for broadband infrastructure in the area and the existing broadband service speeds.
• The percentage of the homes, farms, schools, and businesses in the targeted service area that will be provided access to broadband service.
• The geographic diversity of the project areas of all the applicants.
• The economic impact of the project to the area.
• The applicant's total proposed budget for the project, including the amount or percentage of local match, if any.
• Other factors the office deems relevant.The purpose of the new fiberoptic network conduit installation program is to provide for the installation of fiberoptic network conduit where it doesn’t presently exist.  The CIO is to ensure that providers have the opportunity to lay of install fiberoptic network conduit wherever a state-funded construction project involves trenching, boring a bridge, roadway or opening of the ground, or alongside any state-owned infrastructure.

The Act requires political subdivisions with permitting authority to approve, approve with modification or disapprove nonwireless broadband permits within 60 business days.  If no action is taken within 60 days, the permit is deemed approved. 

A 100% property tax exemption for 10 years is provided in the bill in an amount equal to the actual value added by installation of the broadband infrastructure.  The exemption only applies to infrastructure built between July 1, 2015 and July 1, 2020 in targeted service areas. 

The bill also included the cell tower siting provisions which will be discussed in next weeks Informer.