Science, tech initiative targeting Mass. 6th-graders
A new nonprofit initiative will dispatch professionals from the worlds of science, engineering, and technology to sixth-grade classrooms around the state. The volunteer visitors’ goal: to persuade students to consider careers in the fields.
The initiative, DIGITS, will be unveiled today at the sixth annual STEM Summit in Sturbridge, which explores ways to improve science, technology, engineering, and math education. Joyce Plotkin, a longtime industry leader now president emerita of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, will speak about the new initiative and debut a theme song written by Tezz Yancey, an alumnus of the Boston Conservatory.
While Massachusetts students perform well on standardized tests related to math and science, they do not seem drawn to careers that rely on those skills: This year, 22 percent of students who took the SAT test in Massachusetts said they planned to pursue a STEM career, compared to 28 percent nationally.
Plotkin says she has raised $260,000 in grant funding for the new program from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.
Plotkin says the program will focus on sixth-graders because her research has shown that by seventh grade, “kids were already negative on careers in math and science. But sixth-graders weren’t. We’re trying to counteract the nerd image by introducing them to people who actually work in these fields.’’
The DIGITS initiative will roll out next month with a focus on central Massachusetts, but Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray will be part of the inaugural classroom session next week, at a Worcester County school.
Plotkin says that nearly 50 companies, including Raytheon Co., iRobot Corp., and Google Inc., have agreed to support the new initiative by encouraging their employees to volunteer.
Scott Kirsner can be reached at kirsner@pobox.com. 
