Research News

What Makes Some More Afraid of Change than Others?
Scientists have discovered significant differences in how the brain works in two distinct personality types: those who act fearless and those who seem afraid of new things.

Nancy Rabalais Inducted into the National Academy of Sciences
LSU College of the Coast & Environment Professor Nancy Rabalais was inducted as a member of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. on April 29. She is among the 120 elected members - and the only one from Louisiana - recognized for her distinguished achievements in original research in 2021.

Octo-Tiger Awarded Access to the World’s Fastest Supercomputer
Researchers who recently developed “Octo-Tiger,” a breakthrough astrophysics code that simulates the evolution of star systems, have been granted access to the supercomputer Fugaku in Tokyo.

LSU Student Receives NSF Grant to Study Water Management and Resiliency in the Netherlands
LSU student Kelli Moran is one of 14 in the nation to receive a National Science Foundation Grant that supports graduate student study in the Netherlands. Moran is a doctoral candidate in the College of the Coast & Environment.

LSU Biologist Examines Animal Resilience To Stress
As humans continue to impact the world around us, often resulting in the destruction of wildlife and their habitats, LSU researcher Christine Lattin believes better understanding how some animals thrive while others fail to adapt will allow us to better understand human and animal stress.

LSU to Embed Ethics in the Development of New Technologies, Including AI
Deborah Goldgaber, director of the LSU Ethics Institute and associate professor in the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies, has received a $103,900 departmental enhancement grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents to begin to reshape LSU’s science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum around ethics and human values.

2022 Louisiana Survey Shows Polarization Over Abortion Grows While Support for Legal Access Increases Substantially among Democrats
Research from the Public Policy Research Lab at LSU Manship School of Mass Communication’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs shows polarization over abortion has grown while support for legal access has increased substantially among Democrats.

Carol Friedland brings a fresh perspective to LaHouse
Carol Friedland has been appointed as director of the LSU AgCenter LaHouse Home and Landscape Resource Center.

LSU Professor John R. White Earns 2022 National Wetlands Award
LSU Professor John R. White will be awarded the 2022 National Wetlands Award in the scientific research category at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C. on May 19. White, who serves as associate dean of research for the LSU College of the Coast & Environment, is the fifth member of the college to receive this award

2022 Louisiana Survey Shows Cost of Service Primary Reason More Lack Broadband at Home
Research from the Public Policy Research Lab at LSU Manship School of Mass Communication’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs shows three-quarters of Louisiana adults have high-speed internet service in their home. Those without broadband cite availability and cost of service as the reasons why they do not.

Two LSU Faculty Awarded Carnegie Fellowships
LSU Manship School of Mass Communication Associate Professor Joshua P. Darr and LSU Department of Geography & Anthropology Professor Andrew Sluyter are the first Carnegie Fellows at LSU.

2022 Louisiana Survey Shows Most Residents Confident in State, but Parties Disagree Over Restrictions on Voting
Research from the Public Policy Research Lab at LSU Manship School of Mass Communication’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs shows residents are more confident about ballot access, but political parties tend to disagree over restrictions on voting and the public has a mixed view on its political efficacy. Trust in news organizations is also declining both nationally and locally.

2022 Louisiana Survey: Louisiana Residents Who Filed Insurance Claims for Damage to Homes in Past Two Years Split on Satisfaction with Handling
Research from the Public Policy Research Lab, or PPRL, at the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs shows policy holders who have filed a claim for property damage are evenly split between those who are satisfied and those who are dissatisfied with how claims are handled.

2022 Louisiana Survey Shows Most Residents See Danger of Land Loss for Coastal Areas, Future Generations; Fewer Expect to be Affected Themselves
Researchers in the Public Policy Research Lab (PPRL) at LSU’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs in the Manship School of Mass Communication found most Louisianans believe land loss will cause harm to residents of the state’s coastal areas and Louisiana’s coastal land loss poses a threat to future generations. Additionally, most state residents believe hurricanes are more frequent and stronger than in the past.

2022 Louisiana Survey Shows Pessimism Growing About Direction of State
Researchers in the Public Policy Research Lab at LSU’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs in the Manship School of Mass Communication found state residents are most worried about the economy, infrastructure and education. Confidence in the state government to solve these problems dropped to its lowest point since 2004.