Governor’s Greenwood Visit Launches Iowa STEM Campaign
Greenwood students demonstrate for Governor Branstad (and the news media) some of their school’s STEM-related projects.
Outside the temperatures were in the single digits and the ground covered with new-fallen snow, but inside the library at Greenwood Elementary School things were heating up, at least when it came to science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Or STEM, as it’s known in the education field.
Now it’s time for more people across Iowa to know what STEM means, and why it’s important not only for students and teachers but for everyone. That’s why Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds stopped by Greenwood this morning, to unveil a new logo for the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council as well as kick-off a new public awareness campaign about why STEM education makes a difference in our schools and our state.
The Governor was joined by several Greenwood students sporting t-shirts with the new logo. But the students showed the Governor, guests and media that STEM is more than just a slogan by providing demonstrations of some recent classroom STEM projects.
The following is a press release from the Governor’s Office and the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council announcing the new public awareness effort:
With only 26 percent of Iowans understanding what STEM stands for – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – a public awareness campaign is launching this week to inform more Iowans about the importance of STEM-related education.
Selected this summer through an RFP process, West Des Moines-based Strategic America was chosen to design the public awareness campaign that will focus on making sure students in Iowa are competitive with those in other states and countries when it comes to STEM education and interest. This interest and achievement will be needed in the next 10 years, as projected STEM-related job growth will increase by 16 percent due to the recovering economy and our growing reliance on technology.
“We look forward to rolling out our new brand to students, families, educators, corporate partners and others in the coming weeks because we believe all interested parties will connect with the idea that Greatness STEMs from Iowans,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is co-chairing the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. “The new logo leverages the STEM acronym and prominently ties it with our state’s roots, which is important because STEM is a vital economic development advantage for Iowa.”
The campaign, announced at Greenwood Elementary in Des Moines during the weekly news conference of Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds, includes a new brand and logo, core messages, a Public Service Announcement (PSA), billboard advertisements, statewide events and public relations.
Tool kits that contain talking points, fliers, customizable presentations and other resources will be shared with key STEM contacts across the state and posted to the Advisory Council website in the coming weeks. Television and billboard advertising will rollout in early 2014, and Iowa native Ben Silbermann, co-founder and CEO of Pinterest, has recently agreed to be a part of the TV PSA.
The $150,000 campaign cost come out of the $5.2 million appropriated from the Iowa Legislature to the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council this fiscal year. Strategic America, a West Des Moines-based integrated marketing and communications firm, is donating a majority of the services for the campaign by matching the agency’s time spent on the project dollar for dollar, plus an additional $10,000 in services, for a total of $160,000 in donated time.
