The Ames Lab at Iowa State University is supporting a new initiative of the U-S Department of Energy to bolster math and science education in young kids. Steve Karsjen, spokesperson for the lab, says it’s a seven-step program called STARS, for Scientists Teaching and Reaching Students, and it’s designed to get more students interested in a science and math career. He says each of the seven steps tries to pique the interest of kids. One step is updating a webpage on science and math. Another is a career day that brings professionals to schools, another is a science appreciation day that brings young students into laboratories. The Ames Lab is run by ISU for the Department of Energy. Karsjen says the lab has a vested interest in seeing kids get interested in science and math. He says education is such an important part of the lab — with 20-percent of the workforce consisting of undergraduate and graduate students. He says they’re also involved in several outreach programs for middle school and high school.