The IINSPIRE Alliance Annual Conference brings together STEM students, faculty, staff, and professionals. Join us and learn more about careers and research opportunities at the Student Opportunity Fair, discuss cutting-edge STEM research with Tech Talk presenters, and network with peers from Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska. You’ll leave the conference energized for the next step in your STEM journey!

This year’s conference is will be held in Cedar Falls, Iowa, co-hosted by the University of Northern Iowa, Hawkeye Community College, and Wartburg College. The theme for the conference is STEM storytelling. The two-day conference offers many professional development opportunities for undergraduate students, including getting to know others in the alliance.

The conference provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to present their undergraduate research work. The oral and poster presentations will take place on Friday afternoon followed by a student networking session and dinner hosted by IINSPIRE alumni.  Posters and oral presentations will be judged and cash prizes awarded. On Saturday, conference sessions include an invited keynote by Dr. Nelson A. Colón (a graduate of both UNI and the University of Iowa), professional development sessions, more networking with alumni, and an awards ceremony to acknowledge poster and other award recipients and contributions to the IINSPIRE Alliance. 

The Iowa Illinois Nebraska STEM Partnership for Innovation in Research and Education (IINSPIRE) program is an NSF-funded alliance among 16 two-year and four-year colleges and universities in the Midwest. Institutions in the alliance are working together to support undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields so as to develop a robust STEM workforce serving the region and nation. The alliance uses high-impact, evidence-based practices to increase STEM student success through research experiences, training, mentoring, professional development, and academic support.

The institutions in the alliance are: Augustana College (Illinois), Des Moines Area Community College, Doane University, Eastern Iowa Community College District, Grinnell College, Hawkeye Community College, Iowa State University, Iowa Valley Community College District, Kirkwood Community College, Little Priest Tribal College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, Upper Iowa University, and Wartburg College. All institutions have been members of the alliance since it was formed in 2011.

The alliance promotes proven and innovative strategies such as bridge programs, transfer pathways, student research opportunities, mentorship, student-centered support, faculty interaction, and partnerships within and across institutions. The alliance emphasizes campus-specific student experiences that leverage resources and programs at an institution and in the alliance. 

For more information, visit our IINSPIRE Alliance website.

NSF Acknowledgement
Grant No HRD-2207350, January 2023- December 2027
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No HRD-2207350. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.