08/14/2026
“Like Oregon Trail, for plants”—check out more about Lauren Seybold’s game development and research. Link in comments.
We have the honor to celebrate the work of Lauren Seybold 🌿
A Lawrence native, Lauren has dedicated her undergraduate research experience here at to environmental science. She shared some of her thoughts with K-State today, stating, “Climate action starts with an education public,” a sentiment which is reflected in the creation of LeafSpan. 🍁
LeafSpan is a board game designed with the purpose of encouraging middle school-aged students to learn more about climate change. Specifically, the game focuses on the life of Kansas wildflowers 💐🌻🌸 Students are challenged in the game by facing the struggles these Kansas wildflowers face in real life. The goal is to survive just long enough to produce seeds - a goal of all wildflowers in Kansas and beyond.
Lauren developed the game by using data from the annual Wildflower Walk (which is held annually by Friends of the Konza Prairie).
We are also abundantly thrilled to share that Lauren is a dedicated Developing Scholar, which is a program we here at SDUR are proud to host. 💜
To learn more about Lauren’s work, please read the K-State Today article posted about her work, which was published on August 12th, 2027 by author Emily Boragine.
Congratulations on your hard work coming all this way, Lauren! 🎉