Sustainable Development Research
SAVE THE DATE:
Friday, September 5
FACULTY, STAFF & STUDENT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH SUMMIT
8:00am - 3:00pm (TBD) LITE Center
New Round #4 Call for Proposals:
Click Here for the Call for Proposals
Click Here to Submit a Proposal for Round #4 of the Sustainable Development Research Awards
Proposal submission portal opens - April 15, 2025
Proposals DUE - June 4, 2025
Awards announced - Around August 1, 2025
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 Human Wellbeing, Environmental Protection or Economic Growth - and to 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative was a collaboration between 5 campus entities: Faculty Affairs (Dianne Olivier & Kiwana McClung), the Graduate School (Mary Farmer-Kaiser and Philip de Mahy), the Office of Sustainability & Community Engagement (Gretchen Vanicor), the Office for Research, Innovation & Economic Development (Ramesh Kolluru) and Brian Bolton, Professor of Finance and the Dwight W. Andrus, Jr. / BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Finance.
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 Presentations 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 Presentations are also posted below.
In Round #3 in Spring-Summer 2024, we selected 46 projects for awards worth a total of $90,600. We had 126 proposals submitted and we were able to award 46 projects (to 53 people), thanks in part to matching funds from the Office of the Vice President for Research, Innovation & Economic Development. This portfolio of 46 projects includes 17 Faculty projects, 19 Graduate Student projects, 4 Staff projects and 6 Undergraduate Students projects. In addition, the 4 faculty advisors of the 6 Undergraduate projects received a $5,000 Advance Research Support Grant. 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
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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
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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
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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
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Gretchen Vanicor, Director, Office of Sustainability
Kiwana McClung, Professor of Architecture
Amy Pousson, Graduate Student, Master of Architecture
Universal Design for Universities: Identifying Barriers to Accessibility, Inclusion & Sustainability
FACULTY
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Lauren Auverset van Gerwen, Assistant Professor of Communications, College of Liberal Arts
Enhancing Neurodiverse Student Retention and Success Through Belonging, Inclusiveness & Self-Determination
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Virgile Beddok, Associate Professor of English, College of Liberal Arts
Settling St. Malo - The Movie
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Ignatius Cahyanto, Associate Professor of Management, College of Business
Regenerative Rural Tourism in Bali: Community Capitals and Vulnerabilities
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Hsiu-Yueh Hsu, Associate Professor of Computing & Informatics, College of Engineering
Advocating Responsible Artificial Intelligence
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Mohammad Jamal Khattak, Professor of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering
Development of Green Construction Material Using Locally Available Rice and Sugarcane Industrial Byproducts
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Jennifer Lemoine, Professor of Nursing, College of Nursing
Incorporating Pregnancy Intention and Sexual Health Assessment Screening into an Urban Primary Care Setting
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Craig McClain, Professor of Biology, College of Sciences
Conserving Louisiana's Estuarine Bays: Monitoring Benthic Ecosystems and Food Webs
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Nathan Rabalais, Associate Professor of Modern Languages, College of Liberal Arts
Cultiver Notre Jardin: Rethinking 'Traditional' Cajun and Creole Foodways
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Clancy Ratliff, Professor of English, College of Liberal Arts
Saving Species, Saving the Climate: Poetic Inquiry and Environmental Advocacy Rhetoric
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Maria Seger, Associate Professor of English, College of Liberal Arts
Black Criminalization & Carceral Labor in the New South
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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
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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
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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
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Ayodeji Adeyemo, Master, Informatics, College of Sciences
Identification of Sex of Megafauna (Killer Whales) in a Population Using Artificial Intelligence
Michael Totaro, faculty reference
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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
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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
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Morteza Bodaghi, PhD, Systems Engineering, College of Engineering
A Multimodal Intermediate Fusion Network with Manifold Learning for Stress Detection
Raju Gottumukkala, faculty reference
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Kirsten Cases, Master, Architecture, College of the Arts
Indoor Environmental Quality in Educational Facility: Enhancing the Health and Comfort for Students in UL Lafayette
Mehdi Ghiai, faculty reference
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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
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Sherbaz Khan, PhD, Systems Engineering, College of Engineering
Performance Evaluation of Hybrid Hot Mix Asphalt Mixtures for Durable Louisiana Roads
Jamal Khattak, faculty reference
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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
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Hisham Mahmood, Master, Business Administration, College of Business
AI-Powered Sustainable Marketing: Catalyst for Economic Expansion
Geoff Stewart, faculty reference
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Md Nahin Mahmood, PhD, Petroleum Engineering, College of Engineering
Carbon Dioxide Storage in Marine Gas Hydrate Reservoirs Using Geothermal Energy
Boyun Guo, faculty reference
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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
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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
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Amy Pousson, Master, Architecture, College of the Arts
Mendenhall Meadery and Apiary
Corey Saft, faculty reference
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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
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Jennifer Raabe, PhD, Environmental & Evolutionary Biology, College of Sciences
Using Valvometry to Study Eastern Oyster Behavior in Response to Low Salinity and Toxigenic Cyanobacteria
Beth Stauffer, faculty reference
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 advisor
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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 advisors
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Bree Landry, Environmental Science, Digital Geography major, NASA/UL Lafayette Regional Application Center
Roaming with the TerraROVER
Brent Yantis & Courtney Chicola, faculty advisors
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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 advisor
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Billy Poirier, Water Resourses & Environmental Engineering major, NASA/UL Lafayette Regional Application Center
STELLA and Beyond
Brent Yantis & Courtney Chicola, faculty advisors
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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 advisors
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 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
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Dr. Dianne Olivier
- Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Office of Faculty Affairs
- Professor of Educational Foundations and Leadership
- dianne.olivier@louisiana.edu
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Kiwana McClung
- Professor of Architecture, SLEMCO / LEQSF Regents Professor in Art & Architecture II
- kiwana.mcclung@louisiana.edu
The Graduate School
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Dr. Mary Farmer-Kaiser
- Dean of the Graduate School
- Professor of History
- mary.farmer-kaiser@louisiana.edu
Office of Sustainability & Community Engagement
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Gretchen Vanicor
- Director of Sustainability & Community Engagement
- gretchen.vanicor@louisiana.edu
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.