The Journey of Stem Cells

The Journey of Stem Cells is the second book in a children’s book series created by VISTA Scholars at Louisiana Tech University.  The Journey book series features the journey of Louisiana Tech alumni who have gone on to successful careers in science, engineering, and medicine (The Journey of Dr. John Stewart IV was published Fall 2019) as well as some of the research taking place on Louisiana Tech’s campus.  These books will inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and clinicians who strive to make the world a better place.  The funding obtained to print this particular book about stem cells will facilitate the distribution of the book and engage children in thinking about a critical area of biology and medicine that they will be a part of in the future.  In addition, these books help to raise awareness for the opportunities at Louisiana Tech University.

The project directly benefits students as they are the ones creating these books.  The Journey of Stem Cells is authored by Molecular Science and Nanotechnology graduate student, Rebecca Hodnett, and illustrated by Studio Art and Graphic Design major, Maddie Dearman.  Together this interdisciplinary student team is creating unique educational material that will engage children in learning more about stem cells and the different ways that they can become a part of this growing area of research and medicine.  The creation of the book and having it published adds to the experiential learning students have access to at Louisiana Tech University.  In addition, the completion of this book paves the way for more opportunities like this in the future where different teams of art and science students can work together to communicate critical information to the community.