Courses to be Offered at RAMS

The curriculum will be designed over a 3-year period to meet the need for specialized STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) classes, to meet the needs of students enrolled at Northeast Iowa Community College, and for specialized training needed by business and industry.

The environment created at the RAMS facility provides an attractive setting where students can focus intently on challenging courses of study. Coursework, such as those listed below, may be a part of the final curriculum plan.

Project Lead The Way. A rigorous pre-engineering program that will prepare students for advanced college course work in any field of science and math, including any related engineering area.

A+ Computer Certification. Students would be able to take course work that would give training on computer software and equipment. Students would be well prepared to test for industry standard certification. This course would also prepare students for more advanced computer/technology training.

Advanced Course Work in Physics, Chemistry, and Bio-Science. Working together with Northeast Iowa Community College, we will offer advanced course work for students in the two-plus-two program to allow these students to get a jump start on their college education while offering them a relevant and rigorous curriculum in high school

Talented and Gifted (TAG). The regional academy is an opportunity to get our younger students excited about learning and about careers related to the areas of science and math.  We plan to host a number of TAG institutes for northeast Iowa students.

College Level Course Work in a Variety of Other Areas. This will help meet the needs of all students who are looking to enhance their high school years with a more challenging curriculum.

Advanced Course Work for Teachers of Math and Science. Specialized teacher education training for high school teachers looking to earn advanced degrees in the areas of Math and Science would be available at RAMS. This work could be done in the evenings, weekends and summer.

Ground Breaking

A ground breaking ceremony held on June 18, 2007 was well attended by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters.

The evening featured a virtual tour of the site and an artist's rendition of the completed facility. Dr. Wills, NICC President, spoke to the vision for this center and the impact it will have on educational services in northeast Iowa.

Curriculum Committee

Regional Team Work

In addition to educational collaboration, this project has also benefited from partnering with economic development leaders. This project links to other efforts to bring technology related jobs to our part of the state. Northeast Iowa is a beautiful and scenic area where we hope to attract business and industry that need a highly trained work force.

Facility

The architect developed a regional academy building to provide state of the art classroom space. Two large labs and six classrooms were designed around a center commons area.

Site

The location of the RAMS facility is south of the community of Oelwein on highway 150. Easy vehicle access is from the 4-lane highway or from within the city limits by street or bike/walking trail.