RAC Students Win Sustainable Development Research Awards

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 Social Inclusion, Environmental Protection or Economic Growth - and to the 17 United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative was a collaboration between 6 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), Brian Bolton, Professor of Finance and the Dwight W. Andrus, Jr. / BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Finance and the Office for Research, Innovation & Economic Development.

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 Slide Deck 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 Slide Deck are also posted below.

In Round #3 in Spring-Summer 2023, we selected 46 projects for awards worth a total of $90,000. We had 126 proposals submitted and we were able to select 46 recipients, thanks in part to matching funds from the Office of the Vice President for Research, Innovation & Economic Development. This portfolio of 46 projects includes 18 Faculty projects, 18 Graduate Student projects, 4 Staff Projects and 6 Undergraduate Students. 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:

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 references

Bree Landry, Environmental Science, Digital Geography major, NASA/UL Lafayette Regional Application Center
Roaming with the TerraROVER
Brent Yantis & Courtney Chicola, faculty references

Billy Poirier, Water Resourses & Environmental Engineering major, NASA/UL Lafayette Regional Application Center
STELLA and Beyond
Brent Yantis & Courtney Chicola, faculty references

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 references