QCESC - Quad City Engineering and Science Council

05/19/2026

Click the link to learn about the upcoming SAME Banquet June 11th.

Reserve a place now to be a part of the June 11th SAME Rock Island June Post Meeting Annual Scholarship Banquet! We will be awarding nearly $40,000 in scholarships this year in addition to those already awarded at the QCESC banquet in February. This is another amazing group of future engineers and s...

05/19/2026

CORRECTION:

The Teacher STEM Night Out is Wednesday June 17th, not June 19th.

Email from Quad City Engineering and Science Council While routines shift for the season, QCESC continues connecting professionals, educators, students, and community partners.   QCESC May Newsletter

05/18/2026

🚣 Congratulations to all the teams that participated in the 2026 Cardboard Boat Regatta on Friday, May 8!

This year featured 21 teams from five high schools along with QC Elite — and every boat brought creativity, engineering, teamwork, and a whole lot of personality to the water. Some boats flew across the course, some tested the laws of buoyancy a little more dramatically 😄, but every team should be proud of their hard work and design skills.

🏆 1st Place Regatta Challenge
Pleasant Valley High School – Jetstream Jellyfish

🥈 2nd Place Regatta Challenge
Bettendorf High School – Bikini Bottom Boys

🥉 3rd Place Regatta Challenge
Pleasant Valley High School – Goon Lagoon Gooners

🚣 Most Innovative Boat
Sherrard High School – SHS Floaters

⭐ Tutman Award
QC Elite Team 648 Flaming Squirrels

A huge thank you to all the students, coaches, volunteers, and supporters who helped make the event such a success. These hands-on experiences are what make STEM learning memorable, exciting, and fun.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

05/18/2026

The May QCESC Newsletter is out: https://conta.cc/4eQ10Uw

Want to keep up with STEM events, student programs, engineering & science organizations, and community partnerships happening across the Quad Cities?

The Quad City Engineering & Science Council newsletter shares updates on:
🔹 STEM activities & competitions
🔹 Professional society news
🔹 Student opportunities
🔹 Community and industry partnerships
🔹 Upcoming events across the region

We’d love to have you join us!

Sign up for the newsletter here ⬇️
(Link in comments)

Email from Quad City Engineering and Science Council While routines shift for the season, QCESC continues connecting professionals, educators, students, and community partners.   QCESC May Newsletter

04/30/2026

🦖 Volunteers Needed – Cub Scout Day Camp!

Cub Scout Day Camp is looking for volunteers to lead a 30-minute lunch program during camp at Scott County Park.

📅 June 22–26
🦕 Theme: Jurassic Journey
👦 About 150 Scouts will attend

This is a fun and easy way to get involved—share a skill, hobby, or hands-on activity with an enthusiastic group of Scouts.

👉 This could be a great fit for those in biology or chemistry-related fields who want to connect their work to the Jurassic theme in a hands-on way!

Interested or know someone who would be a great fit? Reach out to Tami Marshall, Illowa Cub Scout Day Camp Director at: [email protected]

04/27/2026

American Chemical Society needs Volunteers for the Putnam Palooza on May 9th.

Volunteers are needed for the Putnam Palooza on Saturday, May 9, for 2 hour periods from 10 am to 4 pm at the Putnam Museum & Science Center in Davenport, IA. The American Chemical Society (ACS) Illinois-Iowa Section will have a booth with assistance from participants in the "Igniting Chemistry" program sponsored by the Section. The program gave high school students the opportunity to learn chemistry by preparing to present chemistry demos.

Volunteers are needed to help run dry ice film canister rockets and hand out Alka Seltzer rocket packets as a take home demo for attendees. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the form at this link: https://lnkd.in/grcFwcCS

If you aren't able to volunteer, continue coming to the Putnam Palooza. The Igniting Chemistry students will be presenting demos at 10 am. For more information about the event, visit the Putnam's website https://lnkd.in/gMfhte57

For more info about the ACS Illinois-Iowa Section, go to https://lnkd.in/gBVCyCpE

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04/21/2026

Looking for something a little different to do in May? 🌙✨

Our friends at the Cedar Amateur Astronomers are hosting a one-of-a-kind astronomy weekend May 15–17—and it’s open to the public!

What caught our attention: ⭐ A FREE lecture on May 16

⭐ Family-friendly activities (“Track 2”) designed for all ages
⭐ A chance to explore the night sky and connect with others who love science

This is a great opportunity for students, families, educators—or anyone who’s ever looked up and wondered what’s out there.

Take a look and help spread the word:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GezJ4ZTrw/⁠

Sometimes the best STEM experiences happen outside…under the stars. ✨

Updated Feb 2 2026

04/13/2026

🚀 HackAugie 2026 – Judges & Networking Opportunity

Augustana College is hosting its first-ever 24-hour hackathon, HackAugie 2026, on April 18–19, bringing together students from across the Midwest to build innovative projects in areas like healthcare, fintech, sustainability, gaming, and more.

We are currently looking for judges for our Hardware Special Challenge, and we would love to invite professionals with experience in engineering, hardware systems, or related fields to participate. This is a great opportunity to support student innovation, connect with emerging talent, and engage with the local tech community.

We also warmly welcome anyone interested in networking with students and fellow professionals to join us during the event!

📍 Location: Augustana College, Rock Island, IL
📅 Dates: April 18–19 (Judging on April 19, ~12–2 PM)

For more details, including the full event timeline, please visit our website:
🌐 https://www.hackaugie.com/

If you're interested in judging or attending for networking, please reach out or sign up here: [email protected]

03/28/2026

Spring = sunshine, fresh air… and flying eggs 🥚😂

The Trebuchet Egg Toss is back, and it’s one of the most fun (and slightly chaotic) STEM events of the year!

Students design and build their own trebuchets and then compete to see whose launch is the best — distance, accuracy, and sometimes survival of the egg 😄

📅 April 10, 2026
🌸 Theme: Spring Fling
⏳ Register by April 3

This is a great opportunity for:
✔️ Middle & high school students
✔️ Homeschool groups
✔️ Hands-on learners who like to build and experiment

👉 Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCq9y987J0L39VqmM0TFjol6gKjspmWJr7GCnbr3SqvrAHeg/viewform?usp=publish-editor
📄 Rules & Waivers: https://docs.google.com/document/d/0BxON1_qSV4WPbkZPZkNUQ0cxVzg/edit?resourcekey=0-HrtdGu5CxjAAkfY6FNoAIg =h.gjdgxs

Come see what happens when learning gets a little messy (in the best way).

KWQC TV6 News WQAD Local 4 News WHBF TV Quad-City Times

03/21/2026

Congratulations to Quad Cities, Jason Ryan for winning the prestigious Woody Flowers award! Well deserved for his tireless support of youth in FIRST

Congratulations Coach Jason Ryan, winner of the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award at Central Illinois Regional!!!! This award is the highest honor a FIRST mentor can recieve. Jason puts in countless hours working with our students and spreading the message of FIRST. Thank you for choosing 648 to mentor and helping set up the QC STEM Alliance center.