When Rafael Rodriguez read the criteria for the GTE Focus grant proposals, one word caught his attention, the word was elementary.

Rodriguez, Minority Student Affairs director, was asked to brainstorm proposals for the GTE grant, a two-year, $30,000 grant to support “programs involving partnerships with a community college and/or secondary or elementary school and innovative use of technology,” in hopes to teach traditionally under-represented students, he said.

Rodriguez said the word elementary stood out to him and made him ask, “How do we reach the students at an earlier age?”

Older students, especially females and minorities, have already “selected themselves out” and many decide they cannot do well in math and science, Rodriguez said, and he wanted to find a way to get them involved in math and science earlier on in their educations.

Collaborating with the Science Bound program and Des Moines Public Schools, a proposal was formed for a new program called, Science Bound: The Younger Generation.

Science Bound: The Younger Generation is one of 15 university-based programs in the United States to receive a 1996 GTE Focus grant, which will be presented to ISU in the next few weeks.

Now that it has funding, concrete plans for Science Bound: The Younger Generation are in the works. A planning committee will meet next week to determine which Des Moines elementary schools will be involved in the program and to identify instructors to help develop criteria for which students will participate in the pilot program.

The program will focus on elementary schools with high populations of African American and Latino students, Rodriguez said. Des Moines School District data showed that these two groups are the most under-represented in math and science fields, he said.

The program will target fourth-graders because, Rodriguez said, that is “the age when they start exploring,” and they have developed the skills to read alone and do math problems.

“What we’re trying to do is start interesting students in science and math at an early age so that they’re aware of the many wonderful opportunities that are available to them and how important an understanding of math and science is to our society,” said Jackie Manatt, Science Bound program manager.

Science Bound: The Younger Generation is building on the Science Bound program started in 1989 for minority students eighth through 12th grades to get involved in math and science.

Of the 10 students who stayed with the Science Bound program from its start to their graduation last May, all of them went on to college and eight attend ISU, Manatt said.

Rodriguez said he hopes the program will receive further funding for follow-up programs until the students reach eighth grade and are eligible for the Science Bound program.

The new program will begin this summer with students attending a summer enrichment program with scientific and mathematical activities with some Science Bound students serving as mentors for the younger students.

Throughout the year, students will go on field trips to places such as the Botanical Center, Blank Park Zoo and the Science Center of Iowa.

He also said he hopes to develop a strong parent component to the program, including workshops suggesting ways for parents “to make students more eager to learn in school.”

Plans are still sketchy, Manatt said. “We need the planning meeting [next week] to put everyone’s goals and dreams together and see what we can accomplish,” she said.