Interested in Earning an Honorary Distinction for Undergraduate Research? Enroll Today!

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Purpose

The LSU Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher designation recognizes the achievements of outstanding LSU undergraduates who participate in a track of educational and research activities leading to a final and public presentation or publication of a faculty-mentored undergraduate scholarly project. An LSU Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher is a student who has demonstrated outstanding ability as an advanced student researcher in their discipline. Distinguished Researchers will be honored at a special medal ceremony in their graduating semester and the designation will be noted on their transcripts.

Awardee Degree Mentor(s)
Lauren Betzer Communication Sciences and Disorders Dr. Julie Schneider
Claire Brescher Biochemistry Dr. Patrick DiMario
Anang Duniya Bungwon Microbiology Dr. Antoineta Guerrero-Plata
Anna Guidry Biological Engineering Dr. Philip Jung
Haley Marcotte Biological Engineering Dr. Basel Abuaita, Dr. Crystal Johnson
Nekita Pitts Mechanical Engineering Dr. Hunter Gilbert

 

 

Process

  1. Verify you meet the program eligibility requirements.
  2. Attend an orientation session.
  3. Submit an enrollment form.
  4. An LSU Discover staff member will review your enrollment form and then add you to the Distinguished Researcher Moodle.
  5. Submit materials for each activity through the Moodle portal before the due dates.
  6. Submit final portfolio in graduating semester.
  7. LSU Discover will review all documentation and portfolio.
  8. The Distinguished Undergraduate Research distinction is awarded in your graduating semester only. Medal ceremony will occur 1-3 days before graduation.

Carefully review all of the eligibility requirements and next steps below to learn how to join the program.

Requirements to earn the distinction:

Students must complete all activities listed in the following categories and meet all standards (GPA, etc) in order to earn the Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher medal and transcript notation.

Past Award Winners

Summer 2023 Awardees

Awardee Degree Mentor(s)
Jacob Lofton English Dr. Sadie Wilks
Seija Meaux Geology Dr. Matthew Loocke

 

Spring 2023 Awardees

Awardee Degree Mentor(s)
Collin Aupied Biological Sciences Dr. Bret Eldred
Mary Grace Beck Biochemistry Dr. Jason Collier
Allison Brannon Psychology Dr. Kelly Clark
Abigail Brien Psychology Dr. Julie Schneider
Allie Brooks Biological Engineering Dr. Dorin Boldor and Dr. Bailey Houghtaling
Ryan Clancy Civil & Environmental Engineering Dr. Aly Mousaad Aly
Alexandra Marie Clay Kinesiology Dr. Robert Newton and Dr. Christopher Pattillo
Anne D'Armond Chemistry & Biochemistry Dr. Megan Macnaughtan
Macallister Davis Chemistry Dr. Victor Garcia-Lopez
Madeline Fryer Coastal Environmental Science Dr. Mark Benfield
Christine Goodermuth Animal Sciences Dr. Sita Withers
Parker Mark Hannan Biological Engineering Dr. Yong-Chan Kwon
Chloe Heitmeier Biological Engineering Dr. Yong-Chan Kwon
Tab Henry Biological Sciences & History Dr. Karen Maruska and Dr. Evannana Gleason
Hunter Holliday Political Science Dr. James Stoner
Kameelah Hollis Coastal Environmental Science Dr. Brian Snyder
Jason Huang Biological Sciences Dr. Fatima Rivas & Dr. Taotao Ling
Olivia Hurley Coastal Environmental Science Dr. Tracy Quirk and Dr. Austin Lynn
Corrine Michelle Hutchinson Biochemistry Dr. Grover Waldrop
Aubry Hymel Chemical Engineering Dr. Bhuvnesh Bharti
Zachary Kelly Psychology & Biological Sciences Dr. Melissa Beck
Evan Leonhard English Dr. Michelle Zerba
Kara Liimatta Biological Sciences Dr. Elizabeth Martin
Natalie Lim Biochemistry Dr. Stephania Cormier
Cale Locicero Chemistry Dr. Lori Martin
Grant Lopez Geology Dr. Carol Wilson
Abigail Anne Mechatto Microbiology Dr. Michael Stout
Jack Menard Biological Sciences Dr. Fatima Rivas
Katie Elise Miranda Natural Resource Ecology & Management Dr. Kevin Ringelman
Genesis Mize Animal Sciences Dr. Megan La Peyre
Walid Mohammed Biological Sciences Dr. Brian Faircloth & Dr. Robert Norland
Zahra Vafaei Naeini Biological Sciences Dr. SeYeon Chung
Christy Nhu-Kieu Nguyen Biological Sciences Dr. Alyssa Johnson
Kenny Nguyen Biological Engineering Dr. Philip Jung
Riley Kay Noble Biological Sciences Dr. Christine Lattin & Dr. Tosha Kelly
Oluwatobi Ojemakinde Biological Sciences Dr. Craig Hart
Aine O'Nuanain Coastal Environmental Science Dr. Michael Polito
Ayushi Patel Biological Sciences Dr. Christine Lattin
Tanisha Patel Biological Sciences Dr. Chen Chen
Zoe Patton Chemistry Dr. Justin Ragain, Dr. Isiah Warner and Dr. Amy Xu
Sophia Perkins Art History Dr. Allison Young
Ian James Henry Plunkett Anthropology Dr. Teresa V. Wilson
Rahul Ramaraju Chemical Engineering Dr. Krishnaswamy Nandakumar
Elizabeth Reich Biological Engineering Dr. Todd Monroe
Ruby Margaret Roberg Chemical Engineering Dr. Bhuvnesh Bharti
Andrew Schwartz Kinesiology Dr. Crystal Johnson
Emily Seighman Biochemistry Dr. Fatima Rivas
Carsyn Shirk Music Dr. Blake Howe
Aliz Siddiqui Computer Science Dr. Mark Wilde and Dr. Hwang Lee
Raven Symone Simmons Nutrition & Food Science Dr. Matt Frakes, Dr. Brian Irving, Dr. Neil Johannsen and Dr. Mark Keenan
Evan Threeton Psychology Dr. Julia Buckner
Judy Ngan Vu Biological Sciences Dr. Juhee Haam
Leora Wilson Geology Dr. Karen Luttrell, Dr. Peter Clift and Dr. Peter Doran
Adrienne Wyble Psychology Dr. Heather Lucas, Dr. Julie Schneider and Dr. Paul Soto

 

Fall 2022 Awardees

Awardee Degree Mentor
Abigail Baumgartner English Dr. Susan Weinstein & Dr. Roby Andermann
Kennedy Butler Biological Sciences Dr. Julie Schneider
Charity Cooper Biological Sciences Dr. Paul Soto
Alexa Gonzalez Microbiology Dr. Jeremy Brown
Sarah Jimenez Biological Engineering Dr. Elizabeth Martin
Devin Meche Chemistry Dr. Noémie Elgrishi
Khangng "Maddie" Pham Biochemistry Dr. Donghui Zhang
Hunter Stewert Biological Sciences Dr. Alexandr Noël & Dr. Crystal Johnson

Spring 2022 Awardees

Awardee Degree Mentor
Gideon Adeyemo Kinesiology Dr. Jan Hondzinski
Sanaa Alam Biological Sciences Dr. Alyssa Johnson
Mustafa Alam Biological Engineering Dr. Todd Monroe
Morgan Alston Biological Sciences Dr. Leanne Redman and Dr. Jenn Sones
Cecilia Aucoin Biological Sciences Dr. Huangen Ding
Piper Bordes Psychology Dr. Katie Cherry
Angelina Cantelli Psychology Dr. Katie Cherry and Dr. Thomspon Davis
Timothy Chen Biological Sciences Dr. James Moroney
Jacob Cheng Coastal Environmental Science Dr. John White
Jordyn Courville Biochemistry Dr. Matthew Calamia
Kaitlin Couvillion Microbiology Dr. Christine Lattin
Ashlan Derouen Psychology Dr. Paul Soto
Evan Dore Biochemistry Dr. Karen Maruska 
Morgan Doyle Biological Engineering Dr. Elizabeth Martin
Sarah Glass Chemical Engineering Dr. Kevin McPeak
Mia Goodson Psychology Dr. Paul Soto
Emily Halphen Animal, Dairy, & Poultry Sciences Dr. Mandi Lopez
Alejandra Ham Biological Engineering Dr. Elizabeth Martin
Casey Hanna Microbiology Dr. Gary King
Courtney Harding Biological Sciences Dr. ChristinLattinin
Christopher Hart Psychology Dr. Paul Soto
Peter Howard Chemistry Dr. Megan Macnaughtan
Tiffany Huynh Psychology Dr. Rachel Smith, Dr. Janet McDonald and Dr. Julie Schneider
Aaryana Jones Biological Sciences Dr. Alexandra Noel
Lukas Kim Chemistry Dr. Revati Kumar
Bailey Malveaux  Political Science Dr. Lori Martin
Georgette Metrailer Psychology Dr. Kelly Clark
Grayce Mores Microbiology Dr. Mark Batzer
Marz Newman Physics Dr. Matthew Penny
Calli Nguyen Biological Sciences Dr. Fatima Rivas
Katie Patterson Plant & Soil Systems Dr. Lauren Lazaro
Blaire Peterson Biochemistry Dr. Grover Waldrop
Elise Peyroux Biological Sciences Dr. Jennifer Brum
Anna Pham Psychology Dr. Raymond Tucker
Cara Ramos Biological Sciences & Music Dr. Alyssa Johnson & Dr. Adam Bohnert
Brianna Rogers Biological Sciences Dr. Jennifer Sones
Ignatius Semmes Biological Engineering Dr. Todd Monroe
Kennedy Simon Psychology Dr. Katie Cherry
Hannah Sutton Psychology Dr. Matthew Calamia and Dr. Melissa Beck
Analisa Taylor Biological Sciences Dr. Alyssa Johnson & Dr. John Kirwan
Trevor Thrasher Chemical Engineering Dr. Adam Melvin
Maia Williams Animal, Dairy, & Poultry Sciences Dr. Mandi Lopez
Hongjie Zhu Civil Engineering Dr Aly-Mousaada Aly

 

Fall 2021 Awardees

Awardee Degree Mentor
Jena Bordelon B.S. in Biological Sciences Dr. Chen Chen
Eve Gautreaux B.S. in Psychology Dr. Paul Soto and Dr. Christine Lattin
Parker Lawrence B.S. in Biochemistry Dr. Jennifer Brum
Brianna Robertson B.S. in Physics and B.S. in Computer Engineering Dr. Jin-Woo Choi
Noah Smith B.S. in Chemical Engineering Dr. Kevin McPeak and Dr. Adam Melvin
Kayla Spearman B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders Dr. Janna Oetting
Michelle Veillon - Bradshaw B.S. in Kinesiology Dr. Marc Dalecki
Kiara Warren B.S. in Psychology Dr. Alex Cohen

 

Spring 2021 Awardees

The Spring 2021 Distinguished Undergraduate Research awardees were honored during a ceremony held via Zoom. These students worked very hard during a challenging year and LSU Discover congratulates them on achieving so much during such a difficult time.

WATCH THE SPRING 2021 AWARDS CEREMONY HERE!

Awardee Major Mentor
Kiersten Barnette English and Sociology Dr. Rafael Orozco
Samantha Beekman International Studies and Mass Communication Dr. Leonard Ray
Gaurangi Das Psychology Dr. Don Zhang
Lexie Duhon Psychology Dr. Matthew Calamia
Madison Gilbert Psychology Dr. Paul Soto, Dr. Jason Harman, and Dr. Janet McDonald
Megan Guilbeau Biochemistry Dr. Maheshi Dassanayake
Peter Issa Biological Sciences Dr. Bret Elderd
Haley Jeneske Animal, Dairy & Poultry Sciences Dr. Kenneth McMillin and Dr. Janet McDonald
Henry Kantrow Chemical Engineering Dr. Kevin McPeak
Lebogang Kgoadi Chemistry Dr. Noemie Elgrishi
Paulette Kourouma Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies Dr. Bailey Houghtaling and Dr. Janet McDonald
Alexander Landry Biochemistry and Pre-Professional Chemistry Dr. Steven Hand
Gabrielle Langlois Environmental Engineering Dr. Samuel Snow
Layni LeBlanc Animal, Dairy & Poultry Sciences Dr. Sabrina Taylor
Alexis Nguyen Animal, Dairy & Poultry Sciences Dr. Richard Cooper
Matthew Nguyen Biological Sciences Dr. Daniel Swale
Sahana Padumane Biological Engineering Dr. Yongchan Kwon
Keyla Pruett Natural Resource Ecology & Management Dr. Rodrigo Diaz, Dr. Ian Knight, and Dr. Sabrina Taylor
Sarah Reviel Communication Disorders Dr. Janna Oetting
Victoria Rittell Biochemistry Dr. Jennifer Brum, Dr. Carrie Elks, and Dr. Jacqueline Stephens
Tyler Scott Geography and Sociology Dr. Heather O'Connell
Horatio Traylor Psychology Dr. Rachel Smith
Han-Hsuan "Michael" Wu Physics Dr. Mohammae Saghayezhian and Dr. Jiandi Zhang
Jennafer Zimmerman Industrial Engineering Dr. Isabelina Nahmens

 

Fall 2020 Awardees

On Thursday, December 17, the 2020 Fall Distinguished Undergraduate Research awardees were honored during a ceremony held via Zoom. These students worked very hard during a challenging year and LSU Discover congratulates them on achieving so much during such a difficult time.

Watch the Fall 2020 Award Ceremony here!

Awardee  Degree(s) Mentor(s)
Kendal Brome Coastal Environmental Sciences (B.S.) Dr. Kristin DeLong
Corey Cooper Biological Sciences (B.S.) Dr. Alyssa Johnson
Alexusus Crawford Communication Sciences and Disorders (B.A.) Dr. Geoffrey Coalson
Josef Schuster Natural Resource Ecology and Management (B.S.) Dr. Mike Dance, Dr. Steve Midway, Dr. Mike Kaller, and Dr. Greg Lutz
Ashlyn Suchand Psychology (B.S.) Dr. Christopher Cox
Jordan Wall Biological Sciences (B.S.) Dr. Alyssa Johnson

 

Summer 2020 Awardees

On Thursday, August 6, the 2020 Summer Distinguished Undergraduate Research awardee, Jackson Green, was honored during a ceremony held via Zoom. Family and staff joined in as we celebrated the accomplishments of this outstanding undergraduate researcher.

Awardee Degree Mentor(s)
Jackson Green Economics (B.S.) Dr. Julia D. Buckner, Dr. Barton Willage and Dr. Roger Laine

 

Spring 2020 Awardees

On Thursday, May 14, the 2020 Spring Distinguished Undergraduate Research awardees were honored during a ceremony held via Zoom.  Family, friends, and faculty mentors joined in as we celebrated the accomplishments of these outstanding undergraduate researchers. 

Watch the Spring 2020 Award Ceremony Here!

Read the Spring 2020 Award ceremony program

Awardee Degree(s) Mentor(s)
Ryan Agsunod Biological Sciences Dr. SeYeon Chung
Philip Brahana Coastal Environmental Science Dr. Michael Polito
Bridget Cadigan Chemical Engineering Dr. Les Butler
Abigail Caffey Kinesiology Dr. Marc Dalecki
Kathryn Davis Natural Resource Ecology and Management & Spanish Dr. Sabrina Taylor
Senea Diaz  Communication Disorders Dr. Geoffrey Coalson
Sarah Dunn Industrial Engineering Dr. Laura Ikuma
Annalies Fanguy  Microbiology Dr. David Vinyard
Eden McMillin Gallegos Biochemistry Dr. Marcia Newcomer and Dr. Nathaniel Gilbert
Hayden Guidry Biological Sciences Dr. Adam Bohnert
Megan Guidry Biological Sciences Dr. Morgan Kelly
Quintrelé Jones Psychology Dr. Emily Elliott
Yasme Kawji Biochemistry Dr. Morgan Kelly
Timothy King, Jr.  Biological Engineering Dr. Elizabeth Martin
Breonana Leonard  Physics Dr. Isiah Warner
Jun Lin  Computer Science and Mathematics Dr. Kyuminin Lee, Dr. Peter Wolenskiki
Stephen Lopez Kinesiology Dr. Alyssa E. Johnson
Austin Chunfeng Lu Landscape Architecture Dr. Robyn Reed, Dr. Haley Blakeman, and Dr. Brendan Harmon
Mark Maier Biological Sciences Dr. Karen Maruska
Hunter Meyer Physics Dr. Thomas Kutter
Quyenen Nguyen Psychology Dr. Anna Long
Victoria Pfeifer English Literature & Philosophy Dr. Sharon Weltman, Dr. Richard Godden, and Dr. Mary Sirridge
Kris Plunkett  History & French Dr. Gaines Foster
Jane Ainsley Rothschild  Biological Sciences Dr. Steven Hand and Dr. Michael Brilynski
Hayden Scott  Physics Dr. Kip Matthews
Jourdan Staffier  Biological Sciences Dr. Melissa Erickson
Abigail Vinson  Biological Sciences Dr. Christine Lattin

 

Fall 2019 Awardees

Awardee Degree(s) Mentor(s)
Maryn Cavalier  Biological Engineering Dr. Elizabeth Martin
Meggie Lam  Biological Engineering Dr. Elizabeth Martin
Rebecca Krueger  Biochemistry Dr. Alyssa Johnson
Ariana Buckner  Information Systems & Decision Sciences Dr. Reg Tucker
Anna Lucchesi  Biological Sciences Dr. Michael Hellberg
Dwayne Hinton  Anthropology, Journalism, Interdisciplinary Studies Dr. Heather McKillop
Lauren Vidrine Anthropology, English Dr. Irin Shport

 

Summer 2019 Awardees

Awardee Degree Mentor
William Arata Kinesiology Dr. Marc Dalecki

 

Spring 2019 Awardees

Awardee Degree(s) Mentor(s)
Michael Brands Biological Sciences Dr. Isiah Warner
Dominique Carr Psychology Dr. Don Zhang
Sarah Cohen Biochemistry & Sociology Dr. Grover Waldrop
Joseph Decorte Biochemistry & Mathematics Dr. Samithamby Jeyaseelan
Amber Depoy Microbiology Dr. Gary King
Logan Hart Mathematics Dr. Frank Neubrander
Ryan Hoffman Biological Sciences Dr. Fernand Galvez
Elizabeth Joseph Psychology Dr. Don Zhang and Dr. Amanda Staiano
Tabitha Kearns Biological Sciences Dr. Gary King
Jeffrey Lemoine Computer Science & Biochemistry Dr. Michal Brylinski
Carly Moore Psychology Dr. Matthew Calamia
Serena Nguyen Psychology Dr. Paul Soto
Charity Ringel English Dr. Michael Bibler
Connor Rouillier Anthropology & Religious Studies Dr. Gregory Johnson
Corey St. Romain Biological Sciences & Chemistry Dr. Mark Batzer
Sadie Thompson Biological Sciences Dr. Gary King
Amy Turner Kinesiology Dr. Guillaum Spielman

Please email any questions or concerns to lsudiscover@lsu.edu