Iowa IRT Training

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Justin Chatman, assigned to the 307th Civil Engineer Squadron, prepares a retaining wall stone for movement at Woodbine, Iowa, June 16, 2023. Chatman and more than 40 other 307th CES helped build a new regional STEM center as part of a Dept. of Defense Innovative Readiness Training mission. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Justin Moore)

Iowa IRT Training

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Ryan Collier and Tech. Sgt. Clarence Chambers, both assigned to the 307th Civil Engineer Squadron cut through a retaining wall stone in Woodbine, Iowa, June 16. 2023. The retaining wall is part of a regional STEM center built for Ignite Pathways, a local non-profit education group serving southwest Iowa. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Justin Moore)

Iowa IRT Training

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Shane Baumann and Senior Airman Mitchell Terrell, both assigned to the 307th Civile Engineer squadron build a retaining wall for a regional STEM center in Woodbine, Iowa, June 16. 2023. The building was a Dept. of Defense Innovative Readiness Training mission for Ignite Pathways, an education nonprofit group. IRT missions help communities and nonprofits while providing essential training for U.S. military personnel. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Justin Moore)

Iowa IRT Training

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Alex Smith and Senior Airman Ryan Collier, both assigned to the 307th Civil Engineer Squadron work a retaining wall for a new regional STEM Center in Woodbine, Iowa, June 16, 2023. The effort was part of a Dept of Defense Innovative Readiness Training mission. The new STEM center is a project of Ignite Pathways, an education non-profit group based in Woodbine. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Justin Moore)

Iowa IRT Training

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Alex Smith and Senior Airmen Marcos Villatoro, both assigned to the 307th Civil Engineer Squadron, discuss a plan of action while building a regional STEM Center at Woodbine, Iowa, June 16. 2023. The Airmen took part in a Dept. of Defense Innovative Readiness Training mission designed to help local communities while providing training opportunities for U.S. military personnel. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Justin Moore)

307th CES Helps Iowa Educators Touch the Future

Published June 20, 2023
By Airman 1st Class Justin Moore
307th Bomb Wing

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --

Iowa is known for vast corn fields and small towns, but if you look closely, in the middle of all that lies a state-of-the-art STEM center that could revolutionize how students learn.

Members of the 307th Bomb Wing Civil Engineer Squadron traveled to Woodbine, Iowa, to partner with the Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training program and the IGNITE Pathways program to help construct a new 45,000 square foot STEM education building designed to serve students throughout the state's southwestern region.

The IRT program supports local communities and nonprofits that need more human resources to complete the tasks. IRT is also one of the tools that DoD engineers and medical personnel use to help with training effectively preparing them to deploy.

"They need something finished, built, or remodeled. And we want to send our troops there to allow them to get experience, and it gives them hands-on, real-world training," said Chief Master Sgt. Kenneth Bennett, IRT Project Manager.

The 307th CES members received essential training while furthering the construction of the STEM building. Members from multiple CE backgrounds all had tasks to complete during their time in Woodbine.

"This project helps us to check off core tasks for our upgrade training that we need," Senior Airmen Ryan Collier said. "At the same time, it helps us to know that we are a part of something bigger that will help the generations to come."

The Ignite Pathways program spawned from the mind of Justin Wagner, Woodbine School District superintendent.

Wagner, who also serves in the Iowa Air National Guard, has spent 27 years in education and wanted a new way to help students experience hands-on learning that integrated STEM and core subjects into the curriculum.

So, three years ago, he consulted with many community leaders and educators about his idea to create the program. To date, the Ignite Pathways has helped hundreds of Iowa students prepare to advance their education by giving them job-ready skills.

The program is set to expand to more than 80 programs in areas like marketing, agriculture, child care, and construction.

"It's offering things that students just wouldn't get the opportunity to be offered in rural communities," Wagner said, "It's been a game changer."