The Latham Science Engagement Initiative (LSEI) is a two-course fellowship program offered through the Iowa Sciences Academy that promotes science communication and outreach. Each spring, students in LATH:3001 create outreach projects such as podcasts, books, Instagram accounts, brochures and other projects to share with the community.  The projects are presented at the end of the year at the annual Latham Project Engage Showcase which was on on April 26, 2025. This year, 53 people attended the event.

The projects below were presented by the 14 students in the class. Each student created an individual project and contributed to a group project. This year's projects included illustrated children's books, informational brochures and workshops, magazines, podcasts, high school outreach in STEM, and interactive Instagram accounts.

Aasiya Ali is created a series of podcasts about women in science, called “Her Science, Her Story.”  Podcast Link and @hshs.podcast Instagram Link
Natalie Kehrli created a series of podcasts called “Stories from the Lab” to help students better understand how to get involved in research!  Podcast Link
Kelsey Martin created a three-episode podcast series called “STEM is Not a Straightforward Path” sharing the stories of successful individuals in the STEM field with a focus on their struggles, their journeys to where they are today, and their research/work. Podcast Link
Andrea Medina created a podcast called “Future Research in the Making (FoRIM)” about how people got involved in research and their struggles and accomplishments, with advice for undergraduate students. Podcast Link and @forim_2025 Instagram Link
Bailey Wollesen created an Instagram account with information about genetic counseling. Follow her posts @the_social_dna!
Chidera Mitchell wrote and produced a magazine called "On Your Mind: Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia, and Grief," aimed at family members of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's and discusses care, finances, respect for the patient's personhood, and current research.
Avery Wilson wrote and illustrated a children's book called "The Big Sneeze: A Protein's Journey."  The book is available on Amazon.com!
Yamam Hussien wrote and illustrated a children's book called "Zara and Zane's Discoveries of Female Scientists," in both English and Arabic.  The book included textured elements on each page to allow students to interact with the book in a hands-on way.
Ahmed Baig created and conducted a workshop called "Unwind and Empower: Navigating Stress and Generalized Anxiety" to spread awareness about differences between stress and GAD and current research about best practices for personal mental health wellbeing and stress management.
Krishna Bharadwaj wrote and illustrated a children's book called "Who is the Biggest Dinosaur?" to educate children about broad scientific topics and careers through captivating information about dinosaurs, to accompany a website he also developed.
Lydia Karr created a brochure called "Basics of Infant Sleep" with the goal of educating new parents on the importance of sleep for their child's development.
Eduardo Sandoval wrote and illustrated a children's book called "El Universo en Tus Manos (The Universe in Your Hands)," to portray the importance of physics, its relevancy to everyday life, and the future of the discipline.
Lily Schaefer created a podcase series called "Counsel the Code" to promote the field of genetic counseling and to inspire and inform students who might want to consider genetic counseling as a career. Podcast Link
Sabrina Vlk created and presented lesson plans called "Interactive STEM Activities and Lesson Plans for Middle School." The plans were presented to middle school students and included activities such as a strawberry DNA extraction lab, and LED circuit lab, a spaghetti tower building competition, and a match escape room.
"VacciNATION Magazine" was created as a group project by Aasiya Ali, Ahmed Baig, Yamam Hussien, and Eduardo Sandoval. The magazine is meant to inform immigrant parents about the vaccinations their child will receive including how the vaccines are made and the components found within the vaccines. The magazine was translated into English, Spanish, Arabic, and French.
The "Campus Care Collective" was a brochure created as a group project by Krishna Bharadwaj, Andrea Medina, Lily, Schaefer, and Bailey Wollesen. The goal was to provide clear and accessible information on common illnesses and health challenges for college students.
"Science Fiction of the Real World" was a group project created by Chidera Mitchell, Kelsey Martin, and Avery Wilson. The SFRW delivered real world science articles to students for discussion, who were then prompted to write fiction based on the science in the articles.
"High School Outreach for Careers in Research" was a group project created by Lydia Karr, Natali Kehrli, and Sabrina Vlk. The goal was to engage high school students in learning about different careers related to research in psychology, neuroscience, and related fields.