North Central STEM Festivals | Iowa State University Extension and Outreach ncstemhub

The North Central STEM Region partners with community leaders and educators to host Family STEM Festivals throughout the region. The goals of the STEM festival are to promote, inspire and engage youth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics activities and to introduce children and parents to STEM careers. Organized like a street festival or county fair, visitors stroll from activity to activity at their leisure. Families have an opportunity to take part in activities such as robotics, medical simulations, DNA testing, virtual reality and much more!

Upcoming Festivals

March 14, 2024 (5-8pm) Osage STEAM Festival: Flyer
April 6, 2024 (TBD) Boone Family STEM Festival: Flyer
April 17, 2024 (4-7pm) North Iowa STEM Festival: Exhibitor Registration, Flyer

2023 ICCC STEAMfest was STEM-tastic!

On November 2, Fort Dodge was the home of one of the region's largest STEM festivals held at Iowa Central Community College. The festival was a collaborative effort between the City of Fort Dodge, Iowa Central Community College, Blanden Art Museum, and McClure Engineering.

Over the course of three hours, nearly 30 community partners engaged with youth and families through hands-on, engaging STEAM activities. Youth were able to learn about birds from Blank Park Zoo, explore the Iowa Corn trailer, experiment with watercolors and so much more! These events help increase interest in STEM and STEM careers. If your community is interested in hosting a STEM festival, contact Mauree Haage to learn more about the process.

Boone Family STEM Festival 2023

Boone Family STEM Festival was held on April 1sr with over several hundred youth and their families attending. There were over 50 different exhibitors who brought engaging STEM activities for youth to try.

Children at exhibitor tables exploring STEM options like blocks, computers and playing dolls with medical toys.

Osage STEAM Festival 2023

The Osage STEAM Festival was held on March 23rd with over 600 in attendance. Students had the opportunity to explore hands on STEM booths from 30 different area organizations.

Children at exhibitor booths exploring various STEM activities.

ICCC STEAMfest 2022

Students at vendor booths to learn about STEM.

On Saturday, October 8th, over 200 students and families attended the STEAMfest held at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. Several area businesses and organizations came together to bring a fun and engaging day of hands-on STEM learning. Attendees were able to spend an afternoon learning about pollinators, programming robots, meeting reptiles, and pedaling a bicycle to run a blender making smoothies among a few things. A huge thank you goes out to all those who either helped through exhibiting or by donating towards the event. This was a tremendous success because of help and support of the community!