A Day of STEM Discovery

While some of their peers may have spent spring break soaking up sunshine, several members of the Iowa STEM Youth Ambassador Group chose to deepen their understanding of STEM careers right here in Iowa by attending STEM Discovery Day. This in-person, hands-on experience was designed from the ground up by the Iowa STEM Youth Ambassador group Business Partnerships committee. This year’s event for group members is intended to serve as a pilot in hopes to expand similar opportunities to their peers across the state in the future.

“It’s been amazing to see how a spreadsheet and brainstorming session has turned into an actual event with partnerships with real-life companies that are major industry players,” said James Peng, an Iowa STEM Youth Ambassador group co-lead and senior at Cedar Falls High School. “I think we still have so much room to grow and there’s a lot of potential to grow an experience like this.”

The day started with a tour of John Deere Des Moines Works in Ankeny where the Youth Ambassadors were able to see real-world applications of innovative technologies.

“I have a big background in agriculture and STEM, so getting to see all this technology is very cool,” said Luke Boyle, an Iowa STEM Youth Ambassador and senior at Western Dubuque High School. “I want to work with the integration of technology into machinery like we saw with the See and SprayTM that uses computer vision and AI to be more efficient.”

Youth Ambassadors who may not have previously considered a factory setting as a potential workplace even found ways to connect their aspirations to what they saw.

“What was really surprising to me was the ergonomic assessments. I didn’t consider that a factory would have to put so much effort and so many resources into that,” said Eva George, an Iowa STEM Youth Ambassador and senior at Waukee High School. “Had I not gone on this tour, I would have never seen that side of it, but now I’m really curious to know more about those ergonomic assessments and how they could maybe even use AI for those kinds of tasks.”

Several Youth Ambassadors reflected on the science and technology embedded within the factory, from robots running along magnets in the floor to how positive and negative charges play a role in painting equipment that classic John Deere green. They were also impressed by the amount of artificial intelligence being used within the company's operations and incorporated into the machines they produce.

After the tour, the group participated in hands-on activities like a welding simulation and a virtual reality simulation, giving them an understanding not only of how those tools are used in the workplace, but how they are developed.

“I want to do industrial engineering and today really got me thinking about minoring in industrial technology,” said Avika Rastogi, an Iowa STEM Youth Ambassador and junior at Dallas Center-Grimes High School. “I thought how they build the virtual reality environments for training was very cool.”

The second portion of the day was at Kemin Industries in Des Moines. Students toured the Molecular Advancement Center and Quality Control Lab and visited demonstration booths exhibiting the scientific processes and experiments done to make foods both safe and tasty.

“The formulaic scientist or chemist definitely stood out to me since I feel like my brain thinks in a similar fashion to the process they described going through when developing a product,” said one Youth Ambassador, when reflecting on the event.

Both companies organized career panels for the students to learn about the variety of career pathways and opportunities available. Attendees remarked on the wide array of ways that engineers and scientists at both Kemin and John Deere arrived at their current roles and the multiple steps along the way.

“I’m thinking about going into patent law in the future and studying industrial engineering in undergrad,” said Vivian Zhang, Iowa STEM Youth Ambassador and sophomore at Ankeny Centennial High School. “Seeing all the new technology being developed today has been really cool and seeing how I can contribute to that.”

Providing real-world learning experiences and career exploration opportunities, like STEM Discovery Day, to Iowa students is a key priority for The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education.

“It has been incredibly rewarding to see this event come to life,” said Casey Wenstrand, Iowa STEM Youth Ambassador advisor. “Our goal was simply to help these students understand more about STEM pathways right here in their home state, but seeing the connections they are making and their excitement about career opportunities in Iowa has exceeded all expectations.”

The Iowa STEM Youth Ambassador group is composed of Iowa youth who meet monthly to take on projects and be a voice for peers. Applications are being accepted for the 2026-27 school year through April 16.