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In Memoriam: James H. Cowan, Jr.
The LSU College of the Coast & Environment mourns and honors the memory of the late James “Jim” Cowan, Jr., Professor & Abraham Distinguished Professor of Louisiana Environmental Studies in the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences (DOCS). He died unexpectedly of natural causes on August 11, 2021.
Congratulations to CC&E's Summer Class of 2021!
On August 13, the LSU College of the Coast & Environment awarded degrees to 16 graduates whose hard work and persistence culminated in the day's celebrations.
‘Dead Zone’ Researchers Complete 35th Gulf of Mexico Research Cruise
LSU researchers completed their 35th research cruise this year to collect data on the “Dead Zone” in the northern Gulf of Mexico. LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences Professor Nancy Rabalais led a research team that mapped the bottom area of low oxygen in Louisiana coastal waters west of the Mississippi River, which is commonly known as the “Dead Zone,” from July 25 – July 31. LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences Assistant Professor Cassandra Glaspie joined the research team as co-chief scientist. The data the team collected suggest that the zone is 6,334 square miles, or 16,400 square kilometers. This is larger than the 4,760 square miles, or 12,330 square kilometers, the researchers had forecasted based on river discharge and nutrient loads in May.
CC&E Alumnae Joins CPRA as a Member of the Master Plan Team
Mady LeBlanc is from Sunshine, Louisiana, and studied Coastal Environmental Science at LSU where she was a Louisiana Service and Leadership (LASAL) Scholar. She recently joined the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) as a member of the Master Plan team.
Coastal Champion: Nancy Rabalais is unstoppable in her pursuit to protect the Gulf of Mexico
For more than three decades, LSU Professor Nancy Rabalais has studied the hypoxic zone, a large region of water in the Gulf of Mexico where oxygen levels are so low that marine organisms cannot survive in it. As a marine ecologist and professor in the LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, Rabalais’ collaborative research has documented and tracked the links between deoxygenation, or hypoxia, in the Gulf of Mexico and agricultural practices that are increasing the amount of harmful nitrogen and phosphorus in the Mississippi River. Her findings have led to federal legislation concerning the diminished water quality.
Three CC&E Students Named Knauss Fellowship finalists
Three graduate students at Louisiana State University (LSU) and one from Loyola University have been named 2022 Knauss Fellowship finalists. At LSU in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Nazla Bushra is a doctoral student who will graduate in August; Elsa Gutierrez is a master’s student who will graduate in May 2022; and Allyson Kristan is a master’s student who will graduate in August.
Protecting Port Fourchon, Louisiana's Energy Industry Hub
LSU College of the Coast & Environment scientists pinpoint how to manage sediment to prevent land loss and improve hurricane preparedness
LSU CC&E Professor Works With Coast Guard On Hurricane Preparedness
In early 2020, LSU Civil and Environmental Engineering Assistant Professor Navid Jafari received a $180,000 National Science Foundation grant to work alongside Texas A&M University researchers Anand Puppala and Surya Congress and LSU College of the Coast & Environment Professor Nina Lam and students Volodymyr Mihunov and Kejin Wang to find a way to quickly gather infrastructure data after a natural disaster strikes and help emergency operations centers (EOCs) make data-driven decisions that could save lives.
NASA looks at Louisiana delta system, eyes global forecasts
LSU CC&E Professor Robert Twilley and NASA are using high-tech airborne systems combined with sampling in the field to analyze where Louisiana's dwindling deltas have the best hope of recovery and where best to focus restorative resources.
CC&E Student's Internship Experience Featured in 'Fathom' Documentary on Apple TV+
Maggie Knight, an Ogden senior and LASAL Scholar studying coastal environmental science in the College of the Coast & Environment and marine biology the College of Science is a part of a new feature documentary on Apple TV+. Fathom follows Dr. Michelle Fournet and Dr. Ellen Garland as they seek to decipher the complex communication of humpback whales and uncover a culture in the oceans older than humankind. The documentary presents a deeply intimate portrait of science in action.
Scholarship, Stewardship, and the Sea
Charles “Mike” Callais (Business, ‘84) is the product of the great men who came before him. The Callais Scholarship for the Advancement of Louisiana’s Coastal and Marine Industries combines his love of education, desire to serve his community, and respect for the sea—values that were instilled in him by his father and his grandfather. The scholarship will perpetuate his goal to assist his home state in flourishing academically, environmentally, and economically.
Alumni Spotlight: Katie Bowes, Environmental Specialist, Martin County Board of County Commissioners
LSU's College of the Coast & Environment, or CC&E, serves as a critical source for employers throughout Louisiana and the world to recruit knowledgeable and passionate scientists and employees that are in high demand. Katie Bowes (LSU '18) developed an exceptional understanding of the connectivity of wetland and marine science as a result of multiple hands on opportunities she took advantage of while earning her degree from CC&E.
LSU College of the Coast & Environment Celebrates World Oceans Day
The United Nations has designated June 8, 2021, as World Oceans Day, a time to celebrate our oceans and raise awareness of the current challenges they face. While the world celebrates the oceans on this special day, the LSU College of the Coast & Environment, or CC&E, works every day to provide exceptional insights into our oceans that transform research and education on a global stage.
The LSU College of the Coast & Environment Unveils New Leadership in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award
This year the LSU College of the Coast & Environment has unveiled a new award, the Leadership in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award. This award recognizes faculty or staff member or a graduate student who provides leadership and outstanding contributions in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion at the College of the Coast & Environment. Linda Hooper-Bùi, a professor in the LSU Department of Environmental Sciences, was the inaugural recipient.
LSU College of the Coast & Environment Joins Global Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative
For several years, Mark Benfield, a professor in the LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, within the College of the Coast & Environment, has studied this explosion in plastics in our waterways and its impact on the environment. Most recently, he has partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme, National Geographic Society, the University of Georgia--or UGA--and Baton Rouge's Office of the Mayor-President and others as part of MRCTI's mission to combat plastic pollution along one of the world's most vital waterways.
LSU Coast & Environment Professor Receives Lifetime Recognition
LSU Professor Nancy Rabalais LSU Professor Nancy Rabalais is the 2021 recipient of the Wes Tunnell Lifetime Recognition for Gulf Science and Conservation by the Gulf of Mexico University Research Collaborative, or GOMURC, and the second member of the College of the Coast & Environment to receive it. Dean Christopher D'Elia was the inaugural recipient who received it in 2019 at the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference. Notably, last year's recipient, Chuck Wilson, worked at LSU for many years and formerly served as the chair of the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences. These three coastal scientists highlight LSU's many contributions to the greater health and prosperity of the Gulf of Mexico.
LSU CC&E Student's Coral Research Earns Prestigious NSF Fellowship
Benjamin Farmer, a doctoral student in the LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, has received a 2021 Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation, or NSF, for his research studying stony coral tissue loss disease, a mysterious and fatal coral disease, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
CC&E Congratulates the Spring Class of 2021!
This semester, the College of the Coast & Environment would like to recognize the persistence, hard work, and commitment of our latest group of graduates.
Coastal Environmental Science Students Awarded at LSU Discover Day
Donated by the College of the Coast & Environment, these awards recognize students with outstanding undergraduate research presented at LSU Discover Day 2021. This year's winners are: • First Place: Jacob Cheng, Can Newly Created Engineered Marshes Help Improve Water Quality in Barataria Bay? • Second Place: Danielle Soileau, The Effect of Pulsed and Chronic Salinity on the Plant Community Dynamics of an Intermediate Marsh • Third Place: Allison Benelli, Decomposition Rates of Spartina alterniflora (Smooth Cordgrass) in Natural and Created Marshes in Coastal Louisiana
The College of the Coast & Environment Congratulates the 2021 Lipsey Scholarships and Awards Recipients
Congratulations to 2021 Lipsey scholarships and awards recipients Danielle Soileau, Gabrielle Carpenter, Megan Arias, and Matt Hiatt. Soileau and Carpenter are graduate students in the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, Arias is a graduate student in the Department of Environmental Sciences, and Hiatt is an assistant professor in Oceanography & Coastal Sciences. Soileau has been awarded the Joseph Lipsey Senior Memorial Scholarship; Carpenter and Arias have been awarded the Richard A. & Joseph Lipsey, Jr. Graduate Student Scholarship Incentive Award; and Hiatt has been awarded the Joseph Lipsey, Jr. & Richard A. Lipsey Excellence in Teaching Award.
CES Student Eva Coman Earns Andrew L. "Drew" Wilbert Memorial Scholarship
This year's recipient of the Andrew L. "Drew" Wilbert Memorial Scholarship is Eva Coman, one of 13 undergraduates from the College of the Coast & Environment who have earned this prestigious scholarship throughout the years. This scholarship recognizes a sophomore, junior, or senior in the Coastal Environmental Science program with greater than a 3.25 GPA.
Announcing the 2021 Recipients of the William H. Patrick, Jr., Scholarship for Wetlands Expertise
The College of the Coast & Environment would like to congratulate Jay Merrill and Benjamin Farmer, the 2021 recipients of the William H. Patrick, Jr., Scholarship for Wetlands Expertise. This award recognizes students in the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences who are studying wetlands and have greater than a 3.5 GPA.
College of the Coast & Environment Graduate Student Symposium Winners Announced
Each semester, the LSU College of the Coast & Environment hosts a graduate student symposium in which students present their research conducted toward the fulfillment of a degree within the college and compete for prizes. This spring, fourteen graduate students participated and first, second, and third place winners were announced. • First Place: Emily Shallow • Second Place: Nazla Bushra • Third Place: Zoë Shribman
Four Coastal and Environment Students Earn Candace Chun Memorial Scholarship
Congratulations to the 2021 recipients of the Candace Chun Memorial Scholarship: graduate student in the Department of Environmental Sciences Ruth Daniel and undergraduate Coastal Environmental Science students Madeline Fryer, Olivia Hurley, and Aine O'Nuanain.
Congratulations to Simone Sale, Tiger Twelve Recipient
Undergraduate Coastal Environmental Sciences senior Simone Sale (Little Rock, Ark.) has been named a member of the Tiger Twelve Senior Recognition Class of 2021. This prestigious honor is awarded to just 12 students each spring by the Office of the Dean of Students for their positive contributions to LSU and the greater community. She is the second CC&E student to be named one of the Tiger Twelve, the first being Brandon Champagne who earned a coveted spot in 2018.