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Welcome to the Iowa Science Phenomena website! The goal of this website and service is to create, curate, collect and share a growing collection of user-generated, media-based, standards aligned, science phenomena resources for use in Iowa classrooms, as well as support Iowa teachers as they continue to implement phenomena-based and place-based teaching practices.

There are several ways you can be involved in this project:

Questions? Please contact us at phenomena@iowapbs.org.

Mississippi River Flood of 2019

Weather forecasting helps people prepare their homes and businesses and remain safe during natural disasters.

Raw Milk Separation

Milk is collected from cows and, after a while, the milk forms two different layers. They look somewhat similar but, when poured out, the layer on top is thicker than the layer below.

Different Sky View at the Same Time

Two photos, taken at the same moment but in different parts of the world, show different views of the sky.

Dry Run Creek Designed to Prevent Floods

Dry run creeks are a strategically placed design solution for flood mitigation.

Fog in Iowa

Fog is visible at the bottom of a hill on a summer evening.

Rebuilding After a Natural Disaster

The Eastern Iowa tornado of March 2023 demolished a century farm. The rebuilding process included balancing several constraints.

Retention Ponds Designed for Flood Protection

Retention ponds are artificial structures designed to retain and treat contaminated stormwater runoff.

Comparing Edible and Inedible Plants

Humans are able to safely eat some plants but not others.

Lures of Varying Shapes and Colors Attract Fish Species

Many species of freshwater fish are attracted to colored lures or baits, and will often mistake them for food.

Invasive Exotic Bush Honeysuckles

Exotic bush honeysuckles are invasive, perennial deciduous shrubs which prefer sunny sites such as forest edges, pastures, roadsides, and open woodlands.

Cooking Pasta “Al Dente” for Nutrition

“Al dente” means “to the tooth” in Italian and refers to the ideal consistency of pasta when cooked. Besides a more appealing taste, cooking pasta “al dente” provides inherent nutritional value.

Urban Run-Off After Rain Event

Urban run-off is the trash run off that occurs after each major rain or wind storm, and in Iowa results in millions of pounds of trash being washed into Iowa waterways.

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