About the Program

The Creation of Trinect

Through funding from the National Science Foundation’s STEM-C Partnerships: MSP program, the Trinect project will design a new model of teacher preparation at Iowa State University. Engineering design concepts will be infused into the elementary teacher preparation program, together with an emphasis on the knowledge and skills associated with scientific concepts appropriate for elementary school students. An essential feature of the program is a triad partnership between preservice teachers, cooperating teachers and engineering graduate students.

This project addresses the critical need for well-prepared elementary teachers to have confidence in and a commitment to engaging their students in experiential learning of essential scientific and engineering concepts in the early grades.

The Trinect project is a partnership between Des Moines Public Schools, the largest school district in the State of Iowa, and Iowa State University,  with the School of Education, the College of Engineering and the Engineering and Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals (CBiRC) working in collaboration.