MOSCOW, Jul 22, 2010 (The Lewiston Morning Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The message from the University of Idaho and Micron Technology Wednesday was stark and simple: The state is quickly falling behind in science, technology, engineering and math.

The causes behind the decline in these so-called "STEM" areas will be the focus of a four-year, $1.2 million UI research initiative funded by the Micron Technology Foundation.

"We have real concerns, not only in the state of Idaho but nationally, about the number of young people that are tracking into STEM disciplines," said UI President Duane Nellis.

The study won't only look for causes, but solutions that will help attract students to science and engineering fields, Nellis said.

Idaho and federal agencies have tried various programs over the past several years to spur elementary- and college-student interest in math, science and related subjects. The i-STEM and Idaho Math Initiative programs run by the State Department of Education, the NASA Space Grant program and the UI's own STEM programs are examples.

Jim Gregson, the university's statewide STEM coordinator, said the new initiative will complement and enhance those programs through the sharing of data. That will hopefully help the related but separate entities calibrate their future efforts with eyes wide open, he said.

"It's going to help us identify and better understand in a really sophisticated way the complex root problems associated with STEM, rather than just focusing on the related symptoms," Gregson said by phone from Boise.

After the four-year study has run its course, the university will publish the results, Gregson said. There may also be opportunities to share data along the way, he added.

The study will partly consist of focus groups and interviews statewide with citizens, teachers, parents, students and school administrators to discover each community's attitude toward the STEM disciplines, the UI said in a news release.

That should help identify the challenges teachers and students face, and help formulate programs that "engage and excite students to succeed," according to the release.

Micron Technology Foundation Executive Director Dee Mooney said re-energizing science and technology education is key to keeping her company competitive in an ever-expanding global marketplace.

"We always are interested in making sure there is that pipeline and pool of qualified engineers and excellent math and science students," Mooney said from her Boise office.

And Nellis said that pool is in danger of shrinking to a dangerous size.

"I think this is a problem that's kind of crept up on us," Nellis said. "And then all of a sudden it's accelerated as we've seen the emergence of investment in places like China, India and throughout Europe in the sciences at a time when we've begun to fall behind."

The problem has been worsened by declining funding for higher education, he said.

There are many theories that the study will test, Gregson said. But one prevalent idea is people are unable to connect science and technology education to their everyday lives.

"Many students, and perhaps their parents, have not always found it relevant to their own particular context," Gregson said. "But when STEM is focused in our back yard, I think it generates greater interest among communities, as well as students."

He said things like the economic recession and water use issues can be used in an educational context to make that connection.

"Understanding water in our back yard isn't a global, abstract issue."

Mills may be contacted at jmills@lmtribune.com or (208) 883-0564.

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