An ISU program aimed at expanding opportunities for minority and disadvantaged high school students in the math and science fields has received part of a $1.2 million grant from NASA.

Science Bound is a program with the goal of supporting the achievements of minority students in Des Moines Public Schools.

This grant money will help expand the program, said program coordinator Anita Rollins.

Rollins said Science Bound hopes to expand to other Iowa communities and a pilot program is planned to begin next year in Marshalltown.

The grant will also be used for a new program called “NASA at ISU,” which will allow ISU faculty to develop programs to allow middle and high school students to participate in research.

“Students will get some educational experience working with NASA-funded professors hands-on,” Rollins said.

Students should be able to participate in research with the professors in person or online, she added.

The grant was awarded to Science Bound’s parent program PIPELINES — the Program to Increase the Pursuit of Education and Learning in Engineering and Science. It is a joint program between Iowa State and the historically black college Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, La. PIPELINES has been partially funded by NASA through grants for the past three years.

Iowa State approached Southern University three years ago about a partnership with PIPELINES, said Diola Bagayoko, director of PIPELINES at Southern University and A&M College.

“Six or seven students involved in the program have gone to Iowa State for undergraduate or graduate studies,” he said.

The program is divided into several different sections devoted to increasing science activities for K-12 students and teachers.

This is the first time Iowa State has received the NASA grant. In the past, Southern University and A&M College received the grant and Iowa State was a subcontractor. PIPELINES received a $3 million NASA grant in 2001, Bagayoko said.

Iowa State has been involved with the Science Bound program for 15 years. The program was originally designed to help minority students in Des Moines Public Schools get more in-depth education in science and math.

Rollins said approximately 200 students grades eight through 12 are involved in the Science Bound project this year.

“There have been about 30 science bound students on campus,” Rollins said. “Twenty-six students have graduated from Iowa State.”

Funding for Science Bound comes from grants, other outside sources and Iowa State.