University of Iowa, Kirkwood Community College, and Grant Wood Area Education Agency officials broke ground Friday afternoon for a 100,000-square-foot STEM education center slated to open in the UI Research Park in Coralville by fall 2015.

The Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa, as the facility will be called, will provide K-12 students courses, experiences, and support to pursue college degrees and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields, with help and input from area employers.

Speakers at the event included UI President Sally Mason and Provost P. Barry Butler; Kirkwood President Mick Starcevich and trustee Lois Bartelme; Stephen Murley, superintendent of the Iowa City Community School District; and Joe Crozier, chief administrator of the Grant Wood AEA.

More information is available here.