STEM Education & Initiatives

Sustainability Institute for Machine learning and Collaborative Open-source Development of Enzymatic Simulations (SIMCODES) Research Experience for Undergraduates
In 2024, Dr. Theresa Windus (Chemistry) and Dr. Ryan Richard (Ames Laboratory) along with their team received NSF funding to create a Sustainability Institute for… Read More
Smart Integrated Farm Network for Rural Agricultural Communities (SIRAC)
RISE serves as the evaluator for the Smart Integrated Farm Network for Rural Agricultural Communities (SIRAC) project funded by NSF. The SIRAC project is a novel socio-technical platform that will create a smart and connected farm network. The SIRAC team is a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional Iowa State University, University of Kentucky, Missouri University of Science and Technology, University of Missouri Columbia, and the Iowa Soybean Association. Read More
Iowa STEM Monitoring Project
The Iowa STEM Monitoring Project (ISMP) is a multi-faceted and collaborative effort that works in support of the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council. The purpose of the ISMP is to systematically observe a series of defined metrics and sources to examine changes regarding STEM education and economic development in Iowa centered on the activities of the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council. Read More
Developing Virtual Content for STEM Career and Technical Education
Eastern Iowa Community College (EICC) has partnered with RISE to evaluate the development and implementation of virtual training resources for automotive blower, instrumentation, and lighting systems, as well as for home HVAC systems. This web-based virtual training utilizes WebGL for the training platform. Read More
Biological Materials and Processes (BioMaP) Research Experiences for Undergraduates
The BioMap REU is a summer research program in which undergraduate students become active members of interdisciplinary groups and work with faculty members, post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, and industry. Annual evaluation of the BioMaP REU program includes pre- and post-program surveys. The evaluation of the program has been informed by other studies of REU students and outcomes, as well as best practices for evaluation. Read More
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Senior Exit Surveys
RISE is collaborating with the Iowa State University Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering to evaluate the undergraduate program by asking graduating seniors to respond to exit surveys. Read More