ESAL sat down to chat with Liz Snyder, a PhD turned co-founder turned Alaska state representative. Snyder uses her interest in environmental public health to lead initiatives that fortify Alaska's food systems at the state level. Snyder discusses how her education has impacted her long-term goals and career choices as well as her current projects.

HPREP or the Health Professional Recruitment and Exposure Program provides a platform to encourage students to pursue careers in science. Executive director Harim Won discusses the program's aim to eliminate educational disparities and increase representation of underrepresented and disadvantaged groups in related professions.

On July 15th, 2021, ESAL had a panel of STEM educational experts, including the executive director of the SciTech Institute, a leader of CodeSciLab, a global nonprofit director of STEM education, and a Philadelphia STEM educator that fight for STEM education access throughout the U.S. Each panelist brought forth a unique perspective on how local funding, policies, and environmental factors impact students’ educational experiences.

ESAL interviewed material scientist Omar Gowayed about his journey to becoming a laser researcher and science activist. We discuss how identity and interests come together to motivate efforts that focus on bridging connections between the public and evidence-based research.

The SciTech Institute is using its powers to enable students astute in STEM to take up leadership roles and impact communities within the state of Arizona. Since its launch, the institute's Chief Science Officer program has extended its reach to ten states and four countries outside the U.S. Learn more about the inspiration for creating SciTech and what is in store for the future.

On May 20,2021, there was a discussion between professionals centered around the intersection of equity and local civic engagement. Perspectives and personal anecdotes were shed light on to discuss how they have tackled the issue of equity in communities.

On April 28, 2021, ESAL discussed with professionals in the field about plastic waste and science-informed efforts to mitigate the harmful effects of it.

ESAL interviewed Louis Abramson, an astrophysicist and current Carnegie Fellow in Astronomy at the Carnegie Observatories. He helps tackle problems related to homelessness and food relief in Los Angeles, as an elected member of the Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council.

As she attended machine learning conferences, Savannah Thais realized her interest in creating more intelligent models that can address on-Earth problems like opioid abuse and COVID-19 vaccine distribution.