News By Date
LSU Breaks Record on Number of Students Awarded Prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships
A record high of 11 LSU students have been selected for the highly competitive National Science Foundation, or NSF, Graduate Research Fellowship this year, including Benjamin Farmer, a doctoral student in the LSU College of the Coast & Environment. He is modeling the spread of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease in the U.S. Virgin Islands and researching the connectivity of important fish species in the Mesoamerican Reef region.
Nancy Rabalais Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
LSU College of the Coast & Environment Professor Nancy Rabalais is among the 120 newly elected National Academy of Sciences members recognized for her distinguished achievements in original research. She is also among the 59 women who have been elected, the most women elected in a single year to the National Academy of Sciences.
LSU College of the Coast & Environment Joins Global Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative
Mark Benfield, a professor in the LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, within the College of the Coast & Environment, is partnering with the United Nations Environment Programme, National Geographic Society, the University of Georgia (UGA), and Baton Rouge's Office of the Mayor-President and others as part of the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative's, or MRCTI's, mission to combat plastic pollution along one of the world's most vital waterways.
LSU Coast & Environment Graduate Student Awarded Eleanor Earle Memorial Scholarship
On April 24, Kelli Moran, a PhD student in the LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, or DOCS, was one of two graduate students awarded the Eleanor Earle Memorial American Association of University Women, or AAUW, Scholarship from the Baton Rouge Chapter. AAUW is a national nonprofit organization that promotes equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research.
CC&E's Spring Academic Programs Update
One of our greatest joys is welcoming new students to our college. Our undergraduate program continues to be one of the fastest-growing majors at LSU. With the launch of our new online master’s program in environmental sciences, this year we have welcomed 51 new online graduate students to our CC&E family. The Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences has also started developing an online undergraduate certificate program to continue the expansion and enrichment of our education programs. In Fall 2021, we will welcome the first recipient of the Callais Scholarship for the Advancement of Louisiana Coastal and Marine Industries. The recipient of this, as well as our other scholarship recipients, will be revealed on Friday, April 16.
CC&E's Spring Research Programs Update
I want to congratulate our faculty for their outstanding efforts in forging ahead on current research projects as well as ramping up efforts to bring in new research dollars to the college during these challenging times. These funds are vital for providing educational and research opportunities for our undergraduates and graduate students and clearly highlighting the college as a research leader in Louisiana, across the Gulf, and around the world.
LSU CC&E Professor Awarded at 13th International Symposium on Biogeochemistry of Wetlands, Students Present Research
On March 22-25, the LSU Wetland and Aquatic Biogeochemical Laboratory, or WABL, housed within the LSU College of the Coast & Environment, or CC&E, hosted and sponsored the 13th International Symposium on Biogeochemistry of Wetlands. This virtual scientific symposium was designed to bring together stakeholders who are actively engaged in applying principles of biogeochemistry to solving environmental and social problems. John R. White, associate dean of research for CC&E and director of WABL, served as this year's conference chair.
CC&E Associate Dean One of Three Provost's Fellows Appointed for Academic Affairs
Sibel Bargu Ates, associate dean in the LSU College of the Coast & Environment, or CC&E, has been appointed one of three Provost's Fellows for Academic Affairs alongside Jacqueline Bach in the College of Human Sciences & Education and Jason Hicks in the College of Humanities & Social Sciences.
A Dire Future for Coastal Wetlands
A new study, "Coastal Wetland Resilience, Accelerated Sea-Level Rise, and the Importance of Timescale," addresses conflicting results of recent studies as to whether coastal wetlands can keep up with current and future sea-level rise. The research suggests that wetland extent will shrink considerably under high rates of sea-level rise. The report is co-authored by John Day of the LSU College of the Coast & Environment, Torbjörn Törnqvist of Tulane University, Donald R. Cahoon of US Geological Survey, and James Morris of the University of South Carolina.
Undocumented Flounder Population Decline Discovered
Louisiana Sea Grant-funded research has identified a previously undocumented southern flounder population decline that spans the entire species’ range. Southern flounder are an important recreational and commercial coastal flatfish species common to South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico states. However, lead researcher Steve Midway, an assistant professor in the LSU Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, discovered there were few flounder to be found.
Blight May Increase Public Health Risk from Mosquito-borne Diseases
LSU researchers recently published findings that the presence of blight is leading to an increased abundance of disease carrying mosquitoes in low-income Baton Rouge neighborhoods. Rebeca De Jesus Crespo is the lead author and an assistant professor in LSU’s College of the Coast & Environment.
Coast & Environment Assistant Dean Earns LSU Staff Stripes Award
On February 26, Leah Courville, assistant dean of the LSU College of the Coast & Environment, received a Staff Stripes Award from LSU Staff Senate. This award recognizes staff for their exceptional work and dedication to LSU. Courville has worked for LSU for 25 years, spending the past 11 years at the College of the Coast & Environment.
LSU CC&E Professor Named Everyday Hero by Keep Louisiana Beautiful
On February 9, LSU College of the Coast & Environment Professor Mark Benfield was named one of eight 2020 Everyday Heroes by Keep Louisiana Beautiful, or KLB. Benfield was honored with the Golden Can Award, which recognizes a public servant who displays a deep commitment to KLB’s mission in their daily work by going above and beyond the call of duty.
Transcending Boundaries in Louisiana Watershed Management
Scientists in LSU’s College of the Coast & Environment are analyzing Louisiana’s patchwork of regulations to get a big picture view of how they are influencing current conditions in the coastal watershed. This research is part of the Louisiana Watershed Initiative, or LWI, and will assess how to improve deficiencies in Louisiana’s approach to floodplain management and community planning across all levels of government.
LSU Coast & Environment Dean Leads DEI Collaboration with Gulf States
More than 50 participants from the Gulf States met virtually on January 28, 2021 as part of the Gulf of Mexico University Research Collaborative's, or GOMURC's, diversity, equity, and inclusion workshop. This DEI workshop was facilitated by GOMURC Chair Chris D'Elia, who is a professor and dean of the LSU College of the Coast & Environment. Its purpose was to exchange ideas regarding the development of a strategy to enhance the diversity of doctoral graduates in the physical and environmental sciences.
CC&E Celebrates International Day of Women and Girls in Science
The United Nations has declared February 11 the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. On this special occasion, we take time to reflect and celebrate the accomplishments of the women students, faculty, and staff of LSU’s College of the Coast & Environment, or CC&E.
Cleaning Up the Mississippi River
LSU College of the Coast & Environment Boyd Professor R. Eugene Turner reconstructed a 100-year record chronicling water quality trends in the lower Mississippi River by compiling water quality data collected from 1901 to 2019 by federal and state agencies as well as the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board. The Mississippi River is the largest river in North America with about 30 million people living within its watershed. Turner focused on data that tracked the water’s acidity through pH levels and concentrations of bacteria, oxygen, lead and sulphate in this study published in Ambio, a journal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Restoring Wetlands around Sacred Sites
Louisiana’s coastal wetland loss problem affects the entire state, but it disproportionately impacts indigenous coastal tribes who stand to lose sacred burial sites and other culturally significant places. A collaboration between the Lowlander Center, a nonprofit advocacy and education organization dedicated to supporting lowland people and places, and LSU's College of the Coast & Environment aims to stop and potentially reverse part of the coastal wetland loss problem with support from the National Estuary Program.
Leading the Way on World Wetlands Day
Each year, World Wetlands Day is celebrated internationally on February 2 to raise awareness of the significance of wetlands in our global environment. Located right along the banks of the Mississippi, it makes sense that LSU’s College of the Coast & Environment, or CC&E, would house the largest group of wetlands experts under one roof in Louisiana. In fact, more than a fourth of CC&E’s faculty have a primary focus on wetlands research, and four of the top 10 published wetlands scientists in the U.S. work at CC&E, according to Web of Science. Their work leads to a better understanding of the complex causes of wetlands loss, potential methods for restoration, and ways to better manage these systems.
WATCH: From the Lab of Brian Snyder, PhD: Modelling Energy Use in Human Populations
In this video, Dr. Brian Snyder, assistant professor in the LSU Department of Environmental Sciences, discusses how we study energy as the underlying cause to a lot of the problems our society faces. He also demonstrates energy consumption and movement by idealized societies in modelling software Net Logo.
WATCH: What To Do With CO2?
The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere sets new records each year. Today, it’s the highest it’s ever been since there were people on the planet. Here's how LSU and the College of the Coast & Environment are helping to solve the "defining problem of the 21st century."
Putting the Carbon Genie to Work
Recognized as the main driver behind global warming and climate change, the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere sets new records each year. The effects are clear in Louisiana and in coastal communities around the world, where higher temperatures and sea level rise lead to stronger storms, more frequent flooding, and other costly and sometimes life-threatening problems. LSU researchers in several colleges are now merging science, technology, engineering, law, and environmental and coastal sciences to help find solutions to what Assistant Professor Brian Snyder in the LSU College of the Coast & Environment calls “the defining problem of the 21st Century”—curbing CO2 emissions while also actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere through new, innovative technologies and by setting a price on carbon, the most basic building block for all life on Earth—at the center of today’s energy politics.
U.S. Army Taps into LSU Coastal and Engineering Expertise to Augment Resilience
BATON ROUGE – The U.S. Army has turned to LSU experts to help make military operations better prepared and more resilient to climate-induced hazards with more than $9.3 million in funding over the next four years. Military operations, personnel and infrastructure including buildings, bridges, roads and flood protection structures can be impacted significantly by flooding from intense precipitation events, subsidence and rising seas. Anticipating Threats to Natural Systems, or ACTIONS, is a collaboration among the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Environmental Laboratory, or ERDC-EL, LSU and the University of Delaware.
National Academy of Inventors Selects LSU Coast & Environment Professor Emeritus as 2020 Fellow
Ralph Portier, professor emeritus of the LSU College of the Coast & Environment is one of two LSU professors who have been named 2020 National Academy of Inventors Fellows, or NAI. Election to NAI Fellow status is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors, and Portier is one of only eight LSU professors to receive it in the history of the program. Portier was selected for demonstrating "a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society."
Tiger Profile: Mark Benfield
As the number of COVID-19 positive cases grew in the state of Louisiana, so did the calls for citizens to wear masks. At the same time, LSU CC&E Professor Mark Benfield noticed new pollution in his neighborhood -- used personal protective equipment, what he is calling “waste PPE.” This sparked the idea for a global research project to track the PPE littering neighborhoods.