Students who participate in the ISU Science Bound program gathered on campus. The Science Bound program will receive a $400,000 gift from DuPont Pioneer. Larger image. Photo courtesy of Science Bound.
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University today announced a $400,000 gift from DuPont for the university’s Science Bound program, which encourages youth in the state’s urban communities to consider careers in agriculture and science.
The grant will help the ISU Science Bound program to increase the number of ethnically diverse Iowa students pursuing careers in agriculture, science, technology, mathematics and engineering. The gift, funded through the company's seed business DuPont Pioneer, is expected to impact more than 500 Iowa students over the next five years.
“We are so pleased that DuPont Pioneer, an early and strong supporter of Science Bound, has expanded their commitment with their most recent and very generous gift,” said Connie Hargrave, Science Bound director and an ISU associate professor of education. “This will make a tremendous difference to our state and nation by increasing the number of young people who are contributing to our nation's needs in agriculture and industry.”
“Building tomorrow’s leaders in science, food and agriculture must begin today,” said Paul Schickler, president of DuPont Pioneer. “Science Bound identifies the students who will provide the imagination, creative thinking, and enthusiasm needed to feed the world.”
DuPont Pioneer is a lead supporter of Science Bound and first became involved with the program in 1999 through the establishment of an endowment. The latest gift will be announced at Science Bound’s Des Moines-area graduation ceremony today at the Pioneer campus in Johnston.
Science Bound began more than 20 years ago as a way to draw students from middle and high schools in Des Moines, Denison and Marshalltown toward careers in agriculture, science and technology. The program currently has 378 students enrolled.
The DuPont Pioneer grant will go toward two of Science Bound’s major efforts:
-- The Learn & Earn program is a four-week summer experience offered to Science Bound students as high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors. The program polishes and sharpens math, language arts and science skills for students who participate.
-- The George Washington Carver Summer Internship program is offered to high school and undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds to gain real-life research experience in a professional work environment.