Computer Science Leadership Team : Bio:Neos

I have an exciting announcement to note, although some of you have already seen a preview through an awkwardly-worded, auto-generated LinkedIn post that made it sound like I had suddenly moved on to a new job. Keep reading and I will explain in more detail:

At Bio::Neos, we believe in a strong connection to our community. One of the ways that we execute on this belief is through an involvement in initiatives that promote computer science in the K-12 public education system. We believe this investment will help to build a strong future workforce with a tie to our region that can help build and attract additional tech talent in our community, region, and state. And since we have been in the Iowa City area for 15 years and expect to still be around in 15 more, we feel like we will benefit from the results of this investment despite the long time frame.

Now to the news! I have been asked to join the Statewide Computer Science Leadership Team which was formed by the Iowa Department of Education! I will be serving in this position to provide the perspective of the small tech business to the Department of Education as they seek to advance the incorporation of Computer Science into the public education system in Iowa. Many of us on the team were also on the Computer Science Standards Review Team and the Computer Science Education Work Group, so we have all obviously been committed to this work for some time.

Unfortunately our first meeting was snowed out, so we had a video call instead. The team is composed of educators and teachers, administrators, Iowa AEA consultants, university specialists, and private sector representatives. Since many of us were part of the Review Team and the Work Group there is a lot of familiarity with the initiatives and goals that are already in place. We plan to have conversations about the implementation of the initiatives and how to achieve those goals as well as identifying and developing resources, building capacity, and developing professional learning.

I'd like to send a big thank you to Wren Hoffman. As the Computer Science Program Consultant at the Iowa Department of Education she played a key role in the development of this Leadership Team and is in charge of Computer Science development within the department. I look forward to continuing to work with her and everyone else on the team. It's always a great opportunity to meet with other educators and professionals who are so dedicated to Iowa's students. Iowa has made great strides in encouraging computer science education as a necessary skill that every student should have a chance to develop.

If you'd like to learn more about Bio::Neos and our commitment to providing educational opportunities in our local community as well as throughout the state please follow us on LinkedIn and check out our other blog entries about our company wide education activities. Are you interested in participating in opportunities likes this or other education promoting events? Please reach out to us. We'd love to hear from you!