Bumble bee gathers pollen from a yellow flower.

Teacher Externships Ignite Iowa STEM

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When a teacher introduces a local phenomenon students' learning makes an important shift to problem solving and figuring things out.

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Iowa Science Phenomena

Iowa Science Phenomena is an innovative website and service designed to create, curate, collect and share a growing collection of online media-based, standards aligned, user generated science phenomena resources for use in Iowa classrooms and beyond.

Browse phenomena
Integrate phenomena in your classroom
Contribute phenomena to the project

Featured Phenomena

When a teacher introduces a local phenomenon, such as the ways in which industries select tools and materials to ensure personnel safety, students' learning makes an important shift to problem solving and figuring things out, rather than simply learning about a topic. Iowa Science Phenomena from Iowa PBS is proud to support Iowa teachers as they continue to support students on this journey towards a deeper understanding of the science in the world around them but offering a growing collection of free, local standards-aligned phenomena, unique and relevant to the students and teachers of Iowa. Since 2019, Iowa PBS has partnered with the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program to grow this collection.

Check out this selection of teacher extern contributions and then explore the full collection.

Monarch Caterpillars Eating a Milkweed Leaf

Video

Spirit Lake

This time-lapse video captures two monarch caterpillars feeding on a milkweed leaf, and illustrates the caterpillars' role in the ecosystem as they consume plant matter.

Declining Population in Bumble Bee Species

Chart

Davenport

Rusty patched bumble bees were listed as endangered in 2017. This is just one species of bumble bee that has been on the decline.

Impacts on Changing Monarch Populations

Chart

Cedar Rapids

Indian Creek Nature Center land management planning includes surveying butterfly populations, and data shows how the 2020 derecho is impacting those survey results.

Assessing Water Quality Through Macroinvertebrates

Video

Charles City

Macroinvertebrates can help limnologists assess water quality when looking at the biodiversity of a stream

graph showing the change in phosphates at FW Kent after Lake Restoration

Phosphate Changes at F.W, Kent Park Lake

Chart

Oxford

The Johnson County Conservation Board and Iowa DNR dredged the lake in F.W. Kent Park and created interconnecting catch basins to reset its water quality, using testing to monitor the progress.