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Sustainable Development Research

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH AWARDS

Congratulations to All Round #3 Award Recipients - See Below for Details

 


Sustainable Development Research Awards Programs - Overview

In Spring 2023, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette awarded $40,800 in faculty research grants related to Sustainable Development - that is, research related to Social Inclusion, Environmental Protection or Economic Growth - and to the 17 United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative was a collaboration between 6 campus entities: Faculty Affairs (Dianne Olivier), the Graduate School (Mary Farmer-Kaiser and Philip de Mahy), the Office of Campus Diversity (Kiwana McClung) the Office of Sustainability (Gretchen Vanicor), Brian Bolton, Professor of Finance and the Dwight W. Andrus, Jr. / BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Finance and the Office for Research, Innovation & Economic Development.

This program has several key goals: (1) to celebrate the amazing research being done across the UL Lafayette campus, (2) to show how vital research on sustainable development is for Southern Louisiana and the Gulf Coast Region, and (3) to create a platform to share research and to encourage collaborations where faculty can help solve some of society's greatest challenges. This Program is expected to have at least 4 rounds of research and awards.

In Round #1 in Spring 2023, we rewarded 19 faculty projects. We identified 4 "Ambassadors," senior faculty who will take on additional responsibilities of leading this work going forward and 15 "Fellows." All 19 faculty presented their research at the 2024 Faculty Sustainable Development Research Summit on March 8, 2024. The full list of faculty award recipients and their research projects is provided below; links to the Summit Program and Slide Deck are also posted below.

In Round #2 in Winter 2023-Spring 2024, we rewarded 22 graduate student projects with $2,000 each, for a total of $44,000 in awards. These 22 graduate students represent both Doctoral and Master programs from 13 different graduate programs across campus. All 22 students presented their research at the 2024 Graduate Student Sustainable Development Research Summit on April 12, 2024. The full list of graduate student recipients and their research projects is provided below; links to the Summit Program and Slide Deck are also posted below.

In Round #3 in Spring-Summer 2023, we selected 46 projects for awards worth a total of $90,000. We had 126 proposals submitted and we were able to select 46 recipients, thanks in part to matching funds from the Office of the Vice President for Research, Innovation & Economic Development. This portfolio of 46 projects includes 18 Faculty projects, 18 Graduate Student projects, 4 Staff Projects and 6 Undergraduate Students. All recipients will get to present their work at a to-be-determined event during the 2024-2025 academic year. 


The 2024 Round #3 Sustainable Development Research Award Recipients:

    STAFF

  1. Blair Begnaud, Assistant Director, Office of Sustainability
    Gretchen Vanicor, Director, Office of Sustainability
    Jonathan Brown, Coordinator, Office of Sustainability
    Data Informed Decision Making: Making the Case for Bicycle & Pedestrian Infrastructure Improvements Around the UL Lafayette Campus
     
  2. Jonathan Shirley, Program & Operations Manager, Louisiana Entrepreneurship & Economic Development Center (LEED), Graduate Student, EdD, Educational Leadership
    Kevin Guillory, Operations & Community Engagement Coordinator, Louisiana Entrepreneurship & Economic Development Center (LEED
    Educating & Cultivating the Heart of an Entrepreneur
     
  3. Liz Skilton, Associate Director of Research, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center & Associate Professor of History
    Elevating Coastal Community Solutions: Southwest Louisiana Nonstructural Modification Projects & Their Impact on Communities
     
  4. Gretchen Vanicor, Director, Office of Sustainability
    Kiwana McClung, Chief Inclusion Officer, Office of Campus Inclusion
    Amy Pousson, Graduate Student, Master of Architecture
    Universal Design for Universities: Identifying Barriers to Accessibility, Inclusion & Sustainability


    FACULTY
     
  5. Lauren Auverset van Gerwen, Assistant Professor of Communications, College of Liberal Arts
    Enhancing Neurodiverse Student Retention and Success Through Belonging, Inclusiveness & Self-Determination
     
  6. Virgile Beddok, Associate Professor of English, College of Liberal Arts
    Settling St. Malo - The Movie
     
  7. Ignatius Cahyanto, Associate Professor of Management, College of Business
    Regenerative Rural Tourism in Bali: Community Capitals and Vulnerabilities
     
  8. Jeanne Cartier, Professor of Nursing, College of Nursing
    Increasing Students' Understanding of the Complexities & Challenges of Living in Poverty Through an Experiential Learning Activity: The Community Action Poverty Simulation
     
  9. Beenish Chaudry, Assistant Professor of Computing & Informatics, College of Engineering
    How Well Do Clinical Terminologies Represent Climate-Related Illnesses of Low Socio-Economic Communities: A Gap Analysis
     
  10. Sebnem Cilesiz, Professor of Education, College of Education & Human Development
    Emily Sandoz, Professor of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
    When the Going Gets Tough: Examining Perspectives on Resilience Across University Stakeholders
     
  11. Md Tanvir Rahman Faisal, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering,College of Engineering
    Machine Learning Based Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Surrogate for Hip Fracture Risk Assessment & Visualization
     
  12. Mehdi Ghiai, Assistant Professor of Architecture, College of the Arts
    Indoor Environmental Quality in Educational Facility: Enhancing the Health and Comfort for Students in UL Lafayette
     
  13. Hsiu-Yueh Hsu, Associate Professor of Computing & Informatics, College of Engineering
    Advocating Responsible Artificial Intelligence
     
  14. Mohammad Jamal Khattak, Professor of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering
    Development of Green Construction Material Using Locally Available Rice and Sugarcane Industrial Byproducts
     
  15. Jennifer Lemoine, Professor of Nursing, College of Nursing
    Incorporating Pregnancy Intention and Sexual Health Assessment Screening into an Urban Primary Care Setting
     
  16. Craig McClain, Professor of Biology, College of Sciences
    Conserving Louisiana's Estuarine Bays: Monitoring Benthic Ecosystems and Food Webs

     
  17. Nathan Rabalais, Associate Professor of Modern Languages, College of Liberal Arts
    Cultiver Notre Jardin: Rethinking 'Traditional' Cajun and Creole Foodways

     
  18. Clancy Ratliff, Professor of English, College of Liberal Arts
    Saving Species, Saving the Climate: Poetic Inquiry and Environmental Advocacy Rhetoric

     
  19. Maria Seger, Associate Professor of English, College of Liberal Arts
    Black Criminalization & Carceral Labor in the New South

     
  20. Meng Ru Shih, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, College of Liberal Arts
    The Impact of Witnessing Street Violence on Immigrant Youth: The Issue of Inequality Among Immigrants

     
  21. Robyn Zerebecki, Assistant Professor of Biology, College of Sciences
    Investigating How Tidal Inundation and Plant Composition Influence Black Mangrove (Avicennia Germinans) Growth) and Survival to Inform Coastal Restoration Practices

     
  22. Rui Zhang, Associate Professor of Geosciences, College of Sciences
    Monitoring Ground Water Level by Turning the Fiber Optical Network on UL Lafayette Campus into a Distributed Acoustic Sensor (DAS)


    GRADUATE STUDENTS

     
  23. Ayodeji Adeyemo, Master, Informatics, College of Sciences
    Identification of Sex of Megafauna (Killer Whales) in a Population Using Artificial Intelligence
    Michael Totaro, faculty reference

     
  24. Abdullah Al-Musayeb, Master, English, College of Liberal Arts
    The Loss of Land, and Biodiversity in Louisiana’s Chitimacha Landscape: An Eco-critical Analysis of Stouff’s Losing Home: A Native Waters Compendium
    Laurel Ryan, faculty reference

     
  25. Wilbur Bennett, PhD, Applied Language Speech Sciences, College of Liberal Arts
    Maintaining Our Voices: Collaborative Preservation of Cajun and Creole Dialects for Individuals with Neurodegenerative Diseases

    Christine Weill, faculty reference
     
  26. Morteza Bodaghi, PhD, Systems Engineering, College of Engineering
    A Multimodal Intermediate Fusion Network with Manifold Learning for Stress Detection
    Raju Gottumukkala, faculty reference

     
  27. Jenita Jahangir, PhD, Mathematics, College of Sciences
    The Interplay Between Multiple Control Mechanisms in a Host-Parasitoid System: A Discrete-Time Stage-Structured Modeling Approach
    Amy Veprauskas, faculty reference

     
  28. Sherbaz Khan, PhD, Systems Engineering, College of Engineering
    Performance Evaluation of Hybrid Hot Mix Asphalt Mixtures for Durable Louisiana Roads
    Jamal Khattak, faculty reference

     
  29. Waseem Akhtar Khan, Master, Civil Engineering, College of Engineering
    Evaluating Louisiana’s TIM and Analyzing Factors Impacting Crash-Related Incidence Clearance Time
    Milhan Moomem, faculty reference

     
  30. Hisham Mahmood, Master, Business Administration, College of Business
    AI-Powered Sustainable Marketing: Catalyst for Economic Expansion
    Geoff Stewart, faculty reference

     
  31. Md Nahin Mahmood, PhD, Petroleum Engineering, College of Engineering
    Carbon Dioxide Storage in Marine Gas Hydrate Reservoirs Using Geothermal Energy

    Boyun Guo, faculty reference
     
  32. Sydney McDermott, PhD, Environmental & Evolutionary Biology, College of Sciences
    Long Term Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Hard Substrate Deep-Sea Communities
    Craig McClain, faculty reference

     
  33. Tarikul Islam Milon, PhD, Earth & Energy Sciences, College of Sciences
    Development of TSR-based Method for Probing Interaction Between Drug and Target Protein
    Wu Xu, faculty reference

     
  34. Amy Pousson, Master, Architecture, College of the Arts
    Mendenhall Meadery and Apiary
    Corey Saft, faculty reference

     
  35. Nicole Pyke, Master, Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
    Sober and Serene: The Mediating Role of Psychological Flexibility in the Relationship Between Substance Use Recovery and Posttraumatic Growth
    Emily Sandoz, faculty reference

     
  36. Jennifer Raabe, PhD, Biology, College of Sciences
    Using Valvometry to Study Eastern Oyster Behavior in Response to Low Salinity and Toxigenic Cyanobacteria
    Beth Stauffer, faculty reference

     
  37. Araf Mim Ahmed Smrity, PhD, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
    Optimizing Stability and Efficiency of Hybrid Nanofluids: A Molecular Dynamics Approach for Sustainable Economic Growth and Environmental Protection
    Solomon Yin, faculty reference

     
  38. Diana Alejandrina Taj, PhD, Earth & Energy Science, College of Sciences
    Understanding the Influence of Acute Saltwater Intrusion Events on Methane and CO2 Fluxes from Freshwater Wetland Vegetation Patches
    Jorge Villa Betancur, faculty reference

     
  39. Mohammad Tajdin, EdD, Educational Leadership, College of Education & Human Development
    Understanding Issues Related to Mental and Physical Well-Being of Doctoral Students
    Sebnem Cilesiz, faculty reference

     
  40. Kevin Torgensen, PhD, Environmental & Evolutionary Biology, College of Sciences
    Highlighting Global Conservation Priorities for Freshwater Fishes Using New Methods of 3D Photogrammetry
    James Albert, faculty reference



    UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
     
  41. Gabrielle Hoffpauir-Rosatto, Creative Writing major, College of Liberal Arts
    Zeta McCaskill, Journalism major, College of Liberal Arts
    Kaori Rodney, History major, College of Liberal Arts

    Southwest Louisiana LGBTQ+ Archive at the Guillbeau Center
    Marissa Petrou, faculty reference
     
  42. Joseph Kolb, Environmental Science major, NASA/UL Lafayette Regional Application Center
    Urban Heat Island Effect: A Comparative Analysis of Household Income and Land Surface Temperatures
    Brent Yantis & Courtney Chicola, faculty references
     
  43. Bree Landry, Environmental Science, Digital Geography major, NASA/UL Lafayette Regional Application Center
    Roaming with the TerraROVER
    Brent Yantis & Courtney Chicola, faculty references
     
  44. Gracie Latiolais, Nursing major, College of Nursing
    Haneen Muthana, Health Services Administration major, College of Nursing
    Evaluating Interprofessional Education and IPE Readiness with Nursing and Health information Management Students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
    Tierney Beebe, faculty reference
     
  45. Billy Poirier, Water Resourses & Environmental Engineering major, NASA/UL Lafayette Regional Application Center
    STELLA and Beyond
    Brent Yantis & Courtney Chicola, faculty references
     
  46. Hayden Smith, Environmental Science major, NASA/UL Lafayette Regional Application Center
    Vanishing Marshes, Fading Redfish: Louisiana's Dual Ecological Crisis
    Brent Yantis & Courtney Chicola, faculty references

 


The 2024 Graduate Student Sustainable Development Research Award Recipients:

DOWNLOAD THE FULL SCHEDULE OF THE APRIL 12, 2024 GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH SUMMIT

Jahidul Alam     English (Ph.D.)

     Francis Bacon and Early Modern Environment: Exploring How Salomon’s House Refutes His Anthropocene
     SDGs 6, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
    Faculty Reference: Clancy Ratliff

Leticia Andrus     Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)
     Diversity Beyond Borders: A Literature Review of the Representation of International Students in Diversity Discourses in American Universities
     SDGs 4, 8, 16, 17  
     Faculty Reference: Sebnem Cilesiz

Bipin Bastakoti     Environmental Resource Science (M.S.)
     Soil Health Degradation in the Vermilion-Teche Basin of Louisiana
     SDGs 2, 8, 13, 15  
     Faculty Reference: Durga Poudel

Presious Batubo    Earth and Energy Science (Ph.D.)
     Analyzing Sedimentary Deposits to Reconstruct Medium-sized Paleo-Tsunami Using Deep Neural Networks
     SDGs 9, 11   
     Faculty Reference: Gabriele Morra

Katarina Brankovic    Francophone Studies (Ph.D.)
     Building a Culture of Inclusivity, Diversity, and Accessibility: Advancing Sustainability at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
     SDGs 4, 11, 16   
     Faculty Reference: Carol Landry

Markashia Brown    Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)
     What do we already know about the Financial Literacy of Women & First-Generation African-American Women Students
     SDGs 4, 5, 8, 10   
     Faculty Reference: Amanda Mayeaux

Redeemer Buatsi    Communication (M.S.)
     Reporting Rape in the United States-A Content Analysis of Media Coverage of Rape in the State of Louisiana 
     SDGs 3, 5, 16   
     Faculty Reference: Patricia Holmes

Kirsten Cases     Architecture (M.Arch)
     Reacclimating Neglected Infrastructure Through Stabilizing Carbon Dynamics
     SDGs 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17
     Faculty References: Corey Saft & Olivia Pontiff
     Link to Kirsten Cases' project on Adaptive Reuse

Allison Comeaux    Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)
     How Do Post-Secondary Disability Service Accommodations in the U.S. Impact Educational Attainment
     SDGs 4, 16   
     Faculty Reference: Amanda Mayeaux

Anamika Das     English (M.A.)
     Application of Natural Semantic Metalanguage in Cross-Cultural Meaning Analysis: Comparing the Usage of Bangla Happy Greetings with American English
     SDGs 4, 10, 16, 17  
     Faculty Reference: Mark Honegger

Shayan Ebrahimi    Systems Engineering (Ph.D.)
     Accelerating Decarbonization through Digital Twinning
     SDGs 7, 9, 12   
     Faculty Reference: Farzad Ferdowsi

Kubiat George     Engineering: Chemical (M.S.)
     Synergistic effect of UV and Condensation on the Degradation of Carbon Black Reinforced EPON-IPD Thermosets with With Enthalpy Storage of Shape Memory
     SDGs 2, 6, 9, 11   
     Faculty Reference: William Chirdon

Holly Heafner     Environmental Resource Science (M.S.)
     Environmental Inequities and Lead Toxicity: A Geospatial and Demographic Evaluation of Soil Contamination in Lafayette, LA
     SDGs 3, 4, 10, 11, 16  
     Faculty Reference: Anna Paltseva

Atif Khan     Engineering: Civil (M.S.)
     Utilization of Sugarcane Bagasse Ash and Rice Husk Ash in Sustainable Construction Bricks
     SDGs 7, 8, 9, 11, 12  
     Faculty Reference: Md. Jamal Khattak

Farooq Azam Khanzada    Systems Engineering (Ph.D.)
     Does Automated Enforcement at Signalized Intersections Truly Enhance Safety?
     SDGs 11    
     Faculty Reference: Xiaoduan Sun

Deepak Jain Veerendra Kumar    Systems Engineering (Ph.D.)
     Advancing Soiling Loss Predictions in PV Systems with Enhanced Models
     SDGs 7, 13   
     Faculty Reference: Terry Chambers

Tyrell Lassair     Earth and Energy Science (Ph.D.)
     Urban Agriculture as a Strategy to Increase Food Access and Alleviate Food Insecurity
     SDGs 2, 3, 4   
     Faculty Reference: Anna Paltseva

Lillian Mambiri     Systems Engineering (Ph.D.)
     Bio-fabrication via Stereolithography of 4D Polycaprolactone-based Scaffolds for Osteogenesis, Angiogenesis and Tumor Mechanobiology
     SDGs 1, 3, 10, 12   
     Faculty Reference: Dilip Depan

Mahpara Mashiyat    Earth and Energy Science (Ph.D.)
     Observations of Structural and Functional Changes in Mineral and Organic Soil Wetlands Caused by Saltwater Intrusion Events in Louisiana
     SDGs 13, 14, 15   
     Faculty Reference: Jorge Villa

Tasnima Supty     Biology (M.S.)
     Impact of Childhood Adversity on Neuroinflammation: Exploring the Connections & Implications
     SDGs 3, 4, 8, 11, 16  
     Faculty Reference: Karen Smith

Jon-Patric Veal     Psychology (M.S.)
     How Variations in Perspective Taking Can Mediate the Effects of Empathy on Implicit Racial Bias
     SDGs 10, 16   
     Faculty Reference: Emily Sandoz

Renee Vincent     English (Ph.D.)
     When DNR Means 'Do Not Rescue': Hurricane Katrina and Medical Inequity within Disaster
     SDGs 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17 
     Faculty Reference: David Squires


The 2023 Faculty Sustainable Development Research Award Recipients:

DOWNLOAD THE FULL SCHEDULE OF THE MARCH 8, 2024 FACULTY RESEARCH SUMMIT

DOWNLOAD THE FULL SLIDE-DECK OF THE MARCH 8, 2024 FACULTY RESEARCH SUMMIT (in PDF)

Faculty Ambassadors:

James Albert - Professor - Biology, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
    Documenting Body-Shape in Riverine Fishes
    Sustainable Development Goals: 6, 15

Emad Habib - Professor - Civil Engineering, College of Engineering
    Fostering Flood-Resilient Communities: Integrating Hydrodynamic Modeling, Socio-Economic Risk Assessment, and Inclusive Communication
    SDGs: 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16

Liz Skilton - Associate Professor - History, College of Liberal Arts
    The Sustainability of Coastal Restoration: Tracking Community Understandings of Restoration Projects at 5 or More Years
    SDGs: 8, 11, 13, 14, 15

Heather Stone - Associate Professor - Educational Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education & Human Development
    Isle of Memories: Stories of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw
    SDGs: 4, 10, 16"
    Link to Dr. Stone's film on this topic

Faculty Fellows:

Stephanie Arceneaux - Senior Instructor - LHC Group - Myers School of Nursing
    Education of Nursing Students on Human Trafficking Improves Knowledge
    SDGs: 5, 11

Emily Blosser - Assistant Professor - Sociology, College of Liberal Arts
    Food for Thought: Exploring the Impact of Food on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals Using a Podcast
    SDGs: 2, 3, 5, 10, 12, 13, 15

Ling Fei - Assistant Professor - Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
    A 3D-Printed, Freestanding Si/Carbon Composite Lattice for Li-Ion Batteries
    SDGs: 7, 11

Tori Flint - Associate Professor - Educational Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education & Human Development
    Literacies Beyond Bars: (Re)claiming and (Re)imagining Identities Through Multimodal Family Literacy Practices
   SDGs: 4, 16

Randy Gonzales - Associate Professor - English, College of Liberal Arts
    Filipino Food, Louisiana Ingredients
    SDGs: 2, 12

Liane Hancock - Associate Professor - Architecture, College of the Arts
    Serving the Under-served: Building Resiliency for Manufactured Homes across the Coastal South
    SDGs: 1, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17

Emily Kane - Assistant Professor - Biology, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
     
You’ll Never Look at a Roadside Ditch the Same After This! Small, Boring Fish Make a Big Impact on Pest Control
     SDGs: 3, 5, 6, 11
     Link to Dr. Kane's video on this research

Do Kyun David Kim - Professor - Communication, College of Liberal Arts
   
Measuring the Duration of Flood Risk Perception and Recommendations for Sustainable Development: Climate Change, Natural Disaster, and Community Education for Preparation
   SDGs: 4, 10, 11, 13

Manyu Li - Assistant Professor - Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
    Cultivating a Sense of Belonging for Inclusive and Equitable Education: From Research to Application
   SDGs: 4, 10, 16

Nathan Roberts - Professor - Educational Foundations & Leadership, Education & Human Development
(with Marietta Adams, Aimee Barber & Amanda Mayeaux)
   
Lactation Policies and the K-12 Teacher Workforce:  A Law and Policy Analysis to Determine a Model Policy to Encourage and Support the Recruitment and Retention of Female Teachers
   SDGs: 3, 4, 5, 8

Emily Sandoz - Professor - Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
    Promoting Appetitive Learning of Consensual, Empowered Vulnerability: A Contextual Behavioral Conceptualization of Intimacy
    SDGs: 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, 17

David Squires - Assistant Professor - English, College of Liberal Arts
   
‘Proof That We Ever Was’: Exhibiting the Ernest J. Gaines Center Collections
   SDGs: 4, 10, 16

Yu Wang - Assistant Professor - Chemistry, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
   
Development of Novel Water Purification Materials for the Removal of Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)
   SDGs: 6, 11

Christine Weill - Associate Professor - Communicative Disorders, College of Liberal Arts)
(With Ryan Nelson & Holly Damico)
   
Investigating Our Legacy: Twenty Years of Language and Literacy Projects in Southwest Louisiana
   SDGs: 1, 4, 10

Yung-Hsing Wu - Professor - English, College of Liberal Arts
   
‘Reading Race with Oprah’: A Conference Panel
   SDGs: 4, 5, 8, 16


Contacts:

Office of Academic Affairs

  • Dr. Dianne Olivier
    • Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Office of Faculty Affairs
    • Professor of Educational Foundations and Leadership
    • dianne.olivier@louisiana.edu

The Graduate School

Office for Campus Diversity

  • Kiwana McClung
    • Chief Diversity Officer
    • Professor of Architecture, SLEMCO / LEQSF Regents Professor in Art & Architecture II
    • kiwana.mcclung@louisiana.edu

Office of Sustainability

Brian Bolton (brian.bolton@louisiana.edu)

This page is maintained by Brian Bolton, Professor of Finance and the Dwight W. Andrus, Jr. / BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Finance at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.