Bridging Research and Community: Senior Isaiah Cruz’s KEEP Experience in Malawi

SPHIS rising senior Isaiah Cruz participated in the KEEP Program, which focuses on environmental health sciences and provides students with focused 10 week summer research activities, including mentored research, seminars, stats introductory training and support for poster prep. 

Cruz traveled to Malawi this summer for his research project with Rochelle Holm, PhD, Associate Professor, Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute. Cruz, along with other UofL students, assisted with the annual Girls Science Day, a service learning and community outreach event that introduced students to public health concerns surrounding viruses, wastewater and sanitation. 

Through an interactive lesson with test strips, Cruz showed that appearances can be deceiving when it comes to water quality, reinforcing the importance of safe drinking water.

Dr. Holm said, “Science camps and hands-on learning opportunities such as this are uncommon for many children in Malawi, making it a valuable opportunity for students to explore scientific concepts beyond the classroom and better understand their connection to community health.” Around 250 girls attended from the local schools in the Mzuzu area. 

They also completed data collection from 300 survey respondents focused on mental health and stress, along with 15 wastewater and pit latrine sludge samples that will be analyzed for associated biomarkers.

During this trip, they took some time for cultural activities to reinforce One Health concepts outside of the classroom. They volunteered at an Elderly and Vulnerable Feeding Program, where they helped prepare a traditional (vegan) meal consisting of beans, green vegetables and nsima (a maize-based staple). They also visited an integrated farm to see how livestock, aquaculture and crop production can work together to support sustainable agriculture and community health.