MUSCATINE, Iowa–Each day, civil and business leaders, in Muscatine and elsewhere, grapple with common environmental problems, including how to manage human consumption and waste materials, how to make cities more sustainable, and how to meet demands for energy and water in a cost effective and environmentally responsible way. In turn, each of these broad areas contain many specific smaller concerns that require specialized solutions for individual companies or cities to enact. To help identify some of Muscatine’s specific concerns and come up with solutions that benefit the whole community, while teaching leadership skills along the way, Susan Clark Junior High School teacher Pamela Joslyn held the first Begin with Me: A Day of Design event for junior high school and high school students Dec. 6 at the Merrill Hotel.
While at a conference where attendees could apply for grants through the United States Department of Education, Joslyn got the idea to create a leadership experience for students that would promote finding sustainable solutions to local problems. Joslyn reached out to Dr. Leslie Flynn, professor of STEM innovation and entrepreneurship and director of the STEM Innovator Program at the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center in the Tippie College of Business. Joslyn first met Flynn in 2019 through the STEM Innovator Program and had stayed in contact with her during her doctorial studies and when attending other conferences throughout the state. Flynn immediately supported Joslyn’s idea. “When I contacted Dr. Flynn, she was so on board with it,” Joslyn recalls.
Joslyn also contacted Muscatine High School teacher Aaron Smith and invited students in Model UN to get involved as well. “The reason I wanted the Model UN students to participate was because they’re learning to make policy and I wanted to make sure they knew who they were making policy for,” Joslyn elaborated.
In all, 67 students from Joslyn’s eighth grade biology class, Ecolution Club, and Muscatine High School Model UN participated in the Begin with Me event, which will put them on the path towards completing a STEM Innovation Project. At the event, students worked alongside community partners from Muscatine Community School District, the City of Muscatine, the University of Iowa, local businesses such as KENT Corporation and Harper’s Cycling and Fitness, and local non-profits such as the Stanley Center for Peace and Security and Aligned Impact Muscatine, to name a few, to identify a specific challenge in one of the four broad areas of environmental concern, determine how addressing it would benefit the community, and come up with a solution to start pursuing.
After working in their groups to identify a solution they would like to see put in place, students will keep working together throughout the school year to finetune their plan and share it with a local government or business leader who could help make it a reality. Students will also have the opportunity to submit a portfolio documenting their project and complete an exam on innovation. If they complete both components successfully, they can qualify for three college credits from the University of Iowa at a reduced price of only $150.
A unique opportunity to positively impact the community, students welcomed the change to start their projects at Begin with Me. “I enjoy it because it lets me have more opportunities,” said eighth grader Lily Barnard.
“I feel very honored because it’s a way to learn about careers and solve problems,” added eighth grader Ethan Viner.
