The Kansas Corn Commission’s education program, Kansas Corn STEM, is celebrating a mileston.
According to the organization, the science, technology, engineering, and math or STEM program, reached 104,645 Kansas students and suppored 3,844 Kansas educators in the 2023-24 school year. Kansas Corn STEM was created to increase agriculture education in the K-12 classroom through STEM-based classroom resources and training focusing on corn, ethanol, biotechnology, soil and water.
“It has been exciting to see our Kansas Corn STEM program grow as we enter its ninth year in Kansas schools,” Kansas Corn Commission Chair Kent Moore said. “Science and technology are key to the future of corn farming. That’s why we are supporting STEM education in Kansas schools, building knowledge about corn and agriculture, and highlighting career opportunities.”
The program began in 2016 providing its first Seed to STEM workshop to 26 middle and high school science teachers. It has since grown to a comprehensive program that offers a lesson library with over 100 STEM lessons and activities, many of which include free supplies for every grade level PreK-12. Kansas Corn STEM benefits from expertise provided by over 20 Kansas educators who serve on the advisory board or as lead teachers who provide input into the program and help develop curriculum and labs.
“With the help of current Kansas educators, we have created turn-key inquiry-based resources that make it easy to incorporate teaching about agriculture in the classroom,” Kansas Corn Director of Education Sharon Thielen, Ph.D. said. “Our program continues to evolve as educators’ classroom needs change and as state standards are to be met. As a result, we create new resources or repurpose current resources while continuing to provide free teaching materials and trainings.”
Kansas Corn STEM continues to grow with the creation of new offerings including a kit for homeschool educators; after-school and summer programs; subscriptions to receive Mystery of Corn readers for every student, and a PreK-1st grade “We Grow Corn” book. With each new offering, more teachers discover Kansas Corn STEM resulting in the continued increase of students and teachers reached. Kansas Corn STEM also has two educators on staff who give presentations at schools across the state, extending the reach of the program.
For more information on Kansas Corn STEM, visit the website at kansascornstem.com.
