MSU hopes new academy will lure rural students to sciences

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Missouri State University president Michael Nietzel wants to give rural high school students in the state a better chance at becoming scientists, mathematicians and engineers.

Nietzel is proposing to open an Innovation Academy that would bring rural and low-income students from across the state, with an interest in the sciences, to Missouri State for a three-week summer camp.

"We want to develop the abilities of kids, especially those from the rural area. We want them to think about science and technology as careers by using science, math and technology as the source for ideas," he said.

At the camp, students would study the sciences and develop business plans for products and ideas they come up with. They would work with scientists and researchers at Jordan Valley Innovation Center on their projects.

The state legislature still has to agree to an ongoing $150,000 annual funding amount for the camp to become a reality.

The funding request is included in Missouri State's overall budget request for fiscal year 2008 operating funds from the state. The program would also require $50,000 in gifts, grants and contracts to meet the total $200,000 cost estimate. Students would not have to pay to attend the camp.

They would spend time with Missouri State and JVIC researchers at seminars, lectures and examining case studies. They would develop a business plan for a product they would like to see produced as a result of their work at the academy.

"We're coming at this from the angle that if they see the potential economic impact of what they come up with that it will enthuse them a bit about the work," Nietzel said. "This is a long-term investment. We are taking high school kids and growing their capacity to be entrepreneurs."

Ryan Giedd, executive director of JVIC, said the corporate affiliates at JVIC asked about getting high school students involved. It was a way for them to develop homegrown talent, he said. Giedd said the academy would be for those students who don't receive a lot of science in school but would like to learn more.

The idea intrigues Alyssa Ausbury, a junior at Pleasant Hope High School who wants to become a doctor.

"I love science. I want more exposure to science. I want to get all the science I can," said the 16-year-old, who plans to attend Evangel University.

Her science teacher, Jim Flora, said while Ausbury might be looking at a medical career now, she might change her mind if she were to attend a camp like Nietzel has in mind. She might want to be a doctor now, but she may find that she likes chemical research.

The more information they have, they can make a better decision, he said.

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com