Coast + Environment

LSU and Louisiana lead the world in addressing pressing problems related to coastal land loss, sea level rise, and hurricanes. This is why LSU has 260 faculty actively working on coastal research. As a national Sea Grant university and through its extension services in every parish, LSU puts science to work for Louisiana communities.

Lee Stockwell

Securing Louisiana’s Energy Future

LSU petroleum engineering alumnus Lee Stockwell leads carbon capture and storage at Shell, shaping the nationwide development of one of the premier technologies for the ongoing transition toward energy sustainability for the world.

Col. Christian Patterson

Building Coastal Infrastructure for Communities and National Security

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is one of the world’s largest engineering, design and construction management agencies. Its methods and tools are researched and developed by the Engineer Research and Development Center, commanded by LSU Manship School of Mass Communication alumnus Col. Christian Patterson.

Wild pig mandala

LSU Develops Patent-Pending Bait to Fight the ‘Pigdemic’

Wild, invasive pigs cause more than $90 million in damage to Louisiana farms each year and pose a growing threat to the environment, people and other animals.

CERA flood modeling for Hurricane Ian

LSU, State Meet Growing U.S. Demand for Storm Surge and Flood Predictions

With support from the Louisiana Legislature, LSU is increasing the capacity of one of its most in-demand tools to protect coastal communities from flooding and storm surge while adding operational relevance to the science that supports it.

Home in Houma, but at what price?

Making Homes More Resilient and Affordable

LSU AgCenter’s LaHouse partners with builders and policymakers to protect residents and lower insurance costs.

Using LiDAR to measure red mangrove prop root systems

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Taps LSU Coastal Experts to Protect Military Infrastructure

The benefits of coastal wetlands are widely documented, but as the threats posed by rising sea levels and other coastal hazards come into ever-sharper focus, these multitasking landscapes may become something more—protectors of the nation’s military infrastructure.

AI-generated art of data streams in water

Better Storm Surge and Flood Predictions Enabled by AI

The LSU tool to predict storm surge and flooding during severe weather events—the CERA website—serves thousands of emergency managers and first responders to help protect people and infrastructure. Now, the tool will become even smarter and faster, thanks to artificial intelligence, or AI.

AI-generated art of a drone in a sugarcane field

LSU AgCenter Works to Give Sugarcane Farmers a Sweeter Deal Using AI, Drones

Ongoing LSU research collaborations with farmers across Louisiana is leveraging data science to grow more and better food and fiber despite great challenges.

Jyotsna Sharma

Cutting-Edge Technologies Safeguard Old and New Energy Sources

Merging multiple new technologies, LSU petroleum engineer and professor Jyotsna Sharma is collaborating with industry to make Louisiana’s oil and gas production safer and more sustainable.

John “Cal” Hendershot

“We Can Use Carbon Dioxide From the Air Instead of Fossil Fuels”

LSU chemical engineering student John “Cal” Hendershot develops solutions for Louisiana’s chemical companies, which are closely tied to oil and gas, to allow them to stay true to 2050 carbon neutrality commitments but remain operational and profitable along the way.

Traci Birch

“I Fight Harder for This Place Because It Is So Unique”

Meet Traci Birch, assistant professor of architecture and managing director of the LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio, who works on large, interdisciplinary projects to help Louisiana communities protect themselves from flooding and environmental disasters.

Colin Anderson

Army Tapped LSU to Understand Deltaic Change, Future-Proof U.S. National Defense

When the U.S. Army needed to understand how climate change will affect the so-called “critical zone”—the thin land surface layer comprised of vegetation, soils, and sediments—to improve their own planning and secure people, equipment, and infrastructure, they turned to LSU.

Perfect pink house surrounded by pollution

Healing Louisiana with LSU “Living Library” of 11,000 Microbes for Bioremediation

In 2020, LSU licensed access to a vast library of bioremediation microbes to the environmental services firm Cameron-Cole. The library was developed by Professor Emeritus Ralph Portier over almost 40 years as he and LSU helped private companies as well as local, state, and national government organizations mitigate a wide range of environmental hazards.

Soybean plant

Science of the Super-small Helps Soybean Growers and the Environment

LSU Professor Cristina Sabliov is creating nanotechnologies for more targeted delivery of agrochemicals to crops to protect plants and the environment while also reducing waste for farmers.

Ships at Port Fourchon

Expanding Protection of Port Fourchon, Louisiana’s Energy Industry Hub

Port Fourchon in Lafourche Parish serves 90% of the Gulf of Mexico’s deepwater oil and gas activities, housing at least 250 companies.