Hietbrink, DeGroot participate in externships from Iowa STEM program

Two local educators joined 95 other teachers for the 2026 Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program, which places educators inside Iowa businesses to bring real-world experience back to their classrooms. Since its launch in 2009, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education has facilitated more than 1,000 teacher externships in a variety of industries throughout the state.
Daniel DeGroot, a science teacher at Red Oak Community School District, spent his six-week externship at Page County Landfill Association. He learned about recycling, hazardous material disposal, wastewater treatment and water quality monitoring, and how garbage is handled and disposed. The wide variety of materials and issues that landfills handle each week is an exceptional educational experience that holds many lessons for students and communities.
Adam Hietbrink, a math teacher at Red Oak Community School District worked at the Iowa DNR at Lewis. During the externship, Hietbrink assisted with fisheries research focusing on monitoring blue catfish populations. He participated in electrofishing surveys, where he helped collect, identify, measure, and record blue catfish to support population monitoring. He also assisted with aging blue catfish by preparing and examining aging structures and organizing the resulting data. His contributions provided accurate field and laboratory data that supports fisheries research, population assessments, and science-based management decisions while giving him valuable hands-on experience.
Hietbrink said he wanted to participate in the STEM externship because he was interested in getting real-world experience outside of the classroom and seeing how science is actually used in a career.
“Working with the Iowa DNR gave me the opportunity to learn more about fisheries, wildlife management, and how biologists collect information to make decisions about Iowa’s fish populations. I was especially interested in getting hands-on experience with fish sampling and learning how data can tell us more about the health and age of a fish population,” Hietbrink said.
Hietbrink added that the biggest thing he will bring back to the classroom is the importance of collecting accurate data and using that data to answer questions.
“During the externship, I helped collect data on fish such as bluegill and blue catfish. We used electrofishing, or “electroshocking,” to temporarily stun the fish so they could be safely collected, identified, measured, weighed, and recorded before being released,” commented Hietbrink.
Hietbrink added there were a number of things he enjoyed about partaking in the experience this summer.
“What I enjoyed most was being outside and actually doing the science instead of just learning about it from a textbook. Getting to work alongside Iowa DNR fisheries biologists and participate in electrofishing was a really unique experience. It was interesting to see the different species of fish we caught, especially bluegill and blue catfish, and then collect measurements and other data on each fish,” stated Hietbrink. “I also enjoyed seeing how all of the individual measurements and observations we collected could be put together to give biologists a better understanding of the fish population. The experience showed me that science involves a lot of hands-on work, careful observation, accurate data collection, and teamwork. It was a great opportunity to see what a career involving STEM can look like in the real world.”
The Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program creates meaningful, two-way partnerships between educators and local workplaces. These collaborations create long-term school-business relationships that strengthen the local talent pipeline and help students understand the opportunities available in their own communities.
This year, the program was supported through state-appropriated funds and investments by Iowa business, industry and community partners.