Introductory science courses serve a population of students in the major (i.e., chemistry) as well as those students outside the discipline (i.e., premed, biology, engineering). In an effort to help this diverse population of students connect personally with the content of the course, we sought ways to include student-centered activities, provide opportunities for active learning, and draw frequent connections between chemistry and other areas of study. Through the iElement project, each student assumed the role of an element for a semester in an introductory chemistry course. As the course progressed, each student engaged in discussions and problem solving related to their particular element during class, culminating with a final video describing the essential chemical information through the lens of their element. Although initially introduced in a chemistry course, this project could certainly be adapted for use in other courses (i.e., iVirus, iEquation). Incorporating active learning, such as the iElement project, is one approach to increasing student engagement in a science course.