Sustainable Development Research
SAVE THE DATE: APRIL 12, 2024
for the GRADUATE STUDENT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH SUMMIT
DOWNLOAD THE FULL SCHEDULE OF THE MARCH 8, 2024 FACULTY RESEARCH SUMMIT
The 2024 Graduate Student Sustainable Development Research Award Recipients:
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
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 high 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
22. 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
2024 FACULTY SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH SUMMIT
MARCH 8, 2024
The LITE Center at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
DOWNLOAD THE FULL SCHEDULE OF THE MARCH 8, 2024 FACULTY RESEARCH SUMMIT
Includes detailed information about this Research Program, the Faculty Researchers, Future Award Programs and the 22 Graduate Student Research Award Recipients
Sustainable Development Research Awards Programs - Overview
In Spring 2023, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette awarded $40,000 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 5 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) 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.
In the initial phase in Spring 2023, we rewarded 19 faculty projects. We identified 4 "Ambassadors," or senior faculty who will take on additional responsibilities of leading this work going forward and 15 "Fellows." All 19 faculty are required to (a) submit their research to the committee members, and (b) present their research at a to-be-determined research seminar open to the entire UL Lafayette community. The winning faculty members and their projects are listed below.
This initial phase is the first of several, anticipated to last for at least 3 years. Phase 2, which was launched on December 1, 2023, seeks to recognize and reward graduate student research on Sustainable Development. Applications are due by January 31, 2024 and the winning projects & students will be announced around February 1, 2024. We expect to award another $30,000 to $40,000 to 15-25 graduate student projects. After that, we expect to have 2-4 more rounds of grants for faculty, graduate students and all members of the UL Lafayette community. Learn more about Phase 2 for graduate student research.
Sustainable Development Research - Faculty Ambassadors - Spring 2023
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James Albert - Professor - Biology, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
“Documenting Body-Shape in Riverine Fishes”
Sustainable Development Goals: 6, 15
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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
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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
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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
Sustainable Development Research - Faculty Fellows - Spring 2023
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Stephanie Arceneaux - Senior Instructor - LHC Group - Myers School of Nursing
Education of Nursing Students on Human Trafficking Improves Knowledge”
SDGs: 5, 11
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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
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Ling Fei - Assistant Professor - Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
“A 3D-Printed, Freestanding Si/Carbon Composite Lattice for Li-Ion Batteries”
SDGs: 7, 11
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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
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Randy Gonzales - Associate Professor - English, College of Liberal Arts
“Filipino Food, Louisiana Ingredients”
SDGs: 2, 12
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
The Graduate School
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Dr. Mary Farmer-Kaiser
- Dean of the Graduate School
- Professor of History
- mary.farmer-kaiser@louisiana.edu
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Dr. Philip de Mahy
- Assistant Dean of the Graduate School
- philip.demahy@louisiana.edu
Office for Campus Diversity
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Kiwana McClung
- Chief Diversity Officer
- Professor of Architecture, SLEMCO / LEQSF Regents Professor in Art & Architecture II
- kiwana.mcclung@louisiana.edu
Office of Sustainability
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Gretchen Vanicor
- Director of Sustainability
- 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.