Research/Faculty Resources

Research and scholarly activity are fundamental to the role of the faculty and essential to the attainment of the university’s goals of academic excellence and national prominence. Research is a crucial part of graduate instruction and has profound effects upon the currency and vitality of undergraduate education. This exploration of the boundaries of knowledge is undertaken by faculty in the various departments and by the research units included in this section.

Office of Research & Economic Development

Center for Computation & Technology

The Center for Computation and Technology was created in response to a funding initiative created by Governor Mike Foster and the Louisiana Legislature to invest in university research and teaching programs as engines of economic development.

The center draws on the established areas of faculty expertise at LSU in engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, biological sciences, mass communication, oceanography and coastal sciences, information systems and decision sciences, art, digital media arts and engineering, and experimental music. By uniting researchers from diverse disciplines, ideas and expertise are disseminated across the units at LSU to foster knowledge and invention. Likewise, this interdisciplinary research relationship invigorates computational and data science and technology, providing essential tools and resources to accelerate discovery.

CCT supports advanced cyberinfrastructure, high-performance computing, advanced data storage and analysis, high-speed networks, and hardware and software development for both the university and the state of Louisiana in academia and industry.

The center also looks to create new areas of research excellence in order to provide the state and nation with graduates who are equipped to handle the growing technology infrastructure.

Center for Energy Studies

The Center for Energy Studies is an interdisciplinary research institute providing analysis, research, information, and technology transfer on energy and environmental issues that are important to Louisiana. The center is composed of divisions for Policy Analysis, Energy Information and Data, Minerals Processing Research, Research and Development, and is home to the Louisiana Geological Survey and the Radiation Safety Office.

Neither the center nor its associated units have academic programs, but do employ undergraduate and graduate research assistants, teach and lecture in a variety of courses offered across the University’s curiculum, and work with staff or faculty from other academic units to promote and facilitate the University’s energy-related research and educational efforts.

The center, created by the Louisiana Legislature in 1982, is the state’s only officially recognized energy studies center for public higher education. The center, and all of its component divisions and units, conducts, encourages, and facilitates energy-related research and analysis concerning problems and issues affecting Louisiana’s economy, environment, and citizenry. Whether conducted by its faculty, affiliate faculty, or staff, the center’s goal is to provide a balanced, objective, and timely treatment of issues with potentially important consequences for Louisiana. The center provides information and analysis, and sponsores a variety of outreach and educational events, that respond to the needs of the legislature, public agencies, the media, and business and civic groups.

Louisiana Geological Survey

Founded officially in 1934 by Act 131 of the Louisiana Legislature, the Louisiana Geological Survey (LGS) is the premier geological research institution in the state of Louisiana which had its beginnings in 1869. Always housed on the campus of Louisiana State University (LSU), the LGS was originally part of the Louisiana Department of Conservation, and later was a division of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. It was transferred by the Louisiana Legislature’s HB 2353 to LSU in 1997 and now reports through the Executive Director of the Center for Energy Studies to the LSU Vice President for Research & Economic Development.

The LGS carries out applied and fundamental geologic research in the areas of Louisiana’s surface and subsurface geology, coastal geology and processes, petroleum geology, alternate energy resources (geopressured-geothermal), environmental geology, mineral resources, and ground water. LGS does statewide geologic mapping, producing maps and reports designed to encourage both economic development and environmental protection. The LGS also studies geologic hazards, including active faulting, producing maps and reports designed to identify such hazards and to minimize their impacts. Earth science educational materials are provided to school teachers when requested. The LGS works cooperatively on research grants and contracts with several state and federal agencies including the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Transportation & Development, the Office of Emergency Preparedness, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Basin Research Energy Section of the LGS includes stratigraphic research laboratories; a computer/plotting laboratory; petrographic laboratories equipped for thin-section preparation and carbonate and siliciclastic studies; and conference rooms and storage space. A separate well-log library, a core storage facility with a work lab equipped with saws, and other core processing and photographic equipment are located nearby on campus. The LGS core repository and well log library (called the LGS Resource Center) are an integral part of the Louisiana Museum of Natural History. Access to other laboratory facilities for geochemical, isotope, SEM, EM, XRD, sedimentology, and paleontological analyses is available in the nearby Department of Geology & Geophysics.

The LGS has a well-recognized Cartography Section that produces maps, atlases, illustrations, slides, LGS publications and exhibits, both in support of LGS research and for other LSU departments and state agencies. The LGS cartography section, well equipped with computer equipment, plotters, and GIS facilities, has produced several maps, including the official state map of Louisiana, an oil and gas map, and a Louisiana Shoreline Change map, 1937-2000. Several maps designed and produced by the LGS Cartographic Section have won national awards.

The Water and Environmental Section works primarily on modeling and geologic characterization of the various aquifers in the state, on projects requiring analysis of water from various locations, and effects of major amounts of water withdrawals from the aquifers for industrial and other purposes.

The LGS is the only institution in the state which currently does Geologic Mapping of the State. Derivative maps from geologic maps are utilized by industry for various purposes. This work is carried out by the Geologic Mapping and Mineral Resources Section. LGS reviews permits for drilling wells in the coastal and wetland areas of the state in order to reduce environmental impacts associated with drilling and this work is done by the Geologic Review Section of LGS.

In performing its applied mission and tasks, the LGS is also charged with effectively transferring geological information to the citizens of the state through the production of maps, bulletins, reports, newsletters, sponsored short courses, professional presentations, and publications. The LGS receives and answers a large number of inquiries from the public related to geologic matters, and its publications are available for sale at nominal prices.

Minerals Processing Research Division

The Minerals Processing Research Division, supported by funds from federal and state agencies and private organizations, was established at LSU in 1979. The division conducts research on minerals processing, related business and legal issues, and environmental matters.

This research is directed at the chief minerals in the state and region: oil and natural gas, sulfur, salt, and lignite. These mineral resources are among Louisiana’s most valuable assets.

Radiation Safety Office

The Radiation Safety Office, under the direction of the Radiation Safety Committee and the administration of the Center for Energy Studies provides regulatory-mandated guidance and support for academic activities in teaching, research, and clinical services involving the use of sources of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation at Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College (LSU). The Radiation Safety Office also actively engages in these academic activities at the University. Authorization for LSU to possess, store, and use radioactive sources is stipulated in a System-wide, broad-scope Radioactive Material License issued by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, which has vested authority from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission within the State of Louisiana. This broad-scope license allows the university maximum flexibility to accomplish legitimate and realistic research, teaching, and clinical objectives through the operation of a mandatory radiation protection program carried out by the Radiation Safety Office. Administrative authorization from the university is contained in Permanent Memorandum-30 (PM-30). The Radiation Safety Office is responsible for developing and implementing radiological control policies and procedures in order to be in full compliance with the federal and state regulations as well as to assure individual well-being and the integrity of the university.

Approval of the Radiation Safety Office must be obtained for all procurement of licensed radioactive materials, radiation producing equipment, and Class 3B and 4 lasers. Approval is also required for all teaching and laboratory uses, research and development projects, clinical activities, and contracts and grant proposals involving sources of radiation. In addition, all personnel who will directly use sources of radiation, all facilities, construction, outfitting, and renovation involving sources of radiation, and any other activities with potential radiological hazards must contact the Radiation Safety Office for approval.

The radiation protection program is conducted in such a manner so that radiation exposure to faculty, staff, students, the general public, and the environment will be maintained as low as reasonably achievable and that no radiation exposure will be received without societal benefit. Professional health physicists equipped with a full spectrum of radioanalytical instrumentation as well as irradiation and activation facilities are available for consultation and research development to support a broad range of radiation applications.

Stephenson National Center for Security Research & Training

The Stephenson National Center for Security Research & Training (SNCSRT) has been established to coordinate efforts in security research and training. The university is currently a leader in providing training on anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism techniques and regularly supports projects initiated by state and federal law enforcement agencies. The purpose of the center is to:

• establish a coordinated, university-based system to promote interaction and collaboration toward the common objectives of safety and security;
• coordinate the activities of existing units that focus on security and emergency preparedness;
• create a collaborative structure that incorporates faculty expertise; and
• partner with private and public entities.

National Center for Biomedical Research & Training

LSU’s National Center for Biomedical Research and Training (NCBRT) provides high-quality training to emergency responders throughout the world. Committed to “reducing threats to human safety, security and critical infrastructure,” NCBRT offers more than 20 years of experience in helping America prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from acts of domestic and international terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and high-consequence events. NCBRT focuses on influencing, developing and delivering specialized training and education thereby providing the skills necessary to prepare for and respond to complex threats and high-consequence events. 

The NCBRT is part of the Stephenson National Center for Security Research and Training (SNCSRT). Additionally, it is a founding member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC), recognized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the principal vehicle through which its National Training and Education Division (NTED) identifies, develops, tests, and delivers training to federal, state, local, and tribal emergency responders.

Stephenson Disaster Management Institute

The mission of LSU’s Stephenson Disaster Management Institute is to save the lives of people and animals by continuously improving the practice of disaster management through leadership in applied research and executive education. Founded in 2007 in response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, SDMI is a part of the Stephenson National Center for Security Research and Training at LSU. SDMI is hosted by the E. J. Ourso College of Business for enhanced collaboration with the private sector community.

The center’s goals include:

• bringing business principles and research to bear on disasters;
• producing applied research and disseminating best practices to the business and practitioner communities;
• building partnerships between academic scholars, emergency management practitioners, and the private sector

The institute enhances LSU’s ability to focus its existing programs and research capacity on the particular problems of disaster management. SDMI’s projects create a collaboration between the public and private sectors to reduce the consequences of disasters by building community resilience.

Carrol L. Herring Fire & Emergency Training Institute

The Carrol L. Herring Fire & Emergency Training Institute (FETI) is Louisiana’s leading agency in providing basic, advanced, and specialized training to fire fighters and emergency service providers. Training centers in Baton Rouge and Minden, combined with a regional staff, enables FETI to deliver nationally recognized courses to individuals, municipalities, the Department of Defense, and private industries in all areas of the state. Courses include instruction in aircraft, structural, marine, and OSHA-approved industrial firefighting, hazardous materials mitigation, and various specialized command and control courses developed at the National Fire Academy. The rescue program offers advanced courses in Urban Search and Rescue, basic rope, confined space rescue, and other specialized technical rescue courses.

Because of the increasing demand for pre-hospital emergency medical care, FETI’s Emergency Medical Services Program has course offerings from basic emergency medical care to advanced cardiac life support, pediatric advanced life support, and paramedic refresher courses. Courses are offered to emergency services personnel as well as the general public.

The Firefighter and Emergency Responder Certification Program offers certification for career, volunteer, and industrial emergency responders at all levels based on the National Fire Protection Association Professional Qualification Standards. The certification procedure, which involves a practical and written evaluation process, is offered throughout the state. The Certification Program is accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) and the International Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (Pro Board).

Additional information about the programs at FETI can be found on feti.lsu.edu

National Center for Disaster Fraud

The National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) was established in 2005 as the Katrina Fraud Task Force with members from 19 federal agencies. Due to the high volume of disaster activity, the Katrina Fraud Task Force became the National Center for Disaster Fraud in 2007. Starting in September 2009, the NCDF added call center support for the Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Inspectors General Hotlines for the following agencies:

• Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General
• Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General
• Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General
• Architect of the Capitol Office of Inspector General
• US Department of Justice (Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill)
• Department of Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General

The NCDF is funded through a Cooperative Agreement between LSU and our federal agency partners for a Fiscal Year 2018 funding level total of $2 million.

Law Enforcement Online/INFRAGARD

Law Enforcement Online/InfraGard, at LSU, supports programs for law enforcement and private partner information sharing. It was formed in 1995 through a cooperative agreement between LSU and the FBI to provide an advanced technological resource to enhance law enforcement communications capabilities. 

Coastal Studies Institute

Coastal Studies Institute (CSI) was established as an interdisciplinary and field-oriented research organization in 1952 to address the US Navy’s needs, with long-term funding from the Geography Programs of the Office of Naval Research. Over the years, we have broadened our sources for research support, and CSI has received research funding through competitive grants and contracts from a wide range of federal and state agencies and industrial partners. CSI was expanded and reorganized in 2012, with support from the LSU Office of Research and Economic Development. CSI is now a central organization and point of contact at LSU that focuses on interdisciplinary coastal science and engineering, spanning the expertise of faculty in multiple colleges and schools. We actively promote coastal activities at LSU to state and federal agencies.

Our research is interdisciplinary, including coastal geology, engineering, and oceanography, emphasizing deltaic, shelf, and slope sedimentary environments. Our research capabilities include a wide range of field operations, physical and numerical modeling, and laboratory facilities, from deep-ocean moorings to beach monitoring, wave tanks, physical models, high-performance computing, and biogeochemical analyses. Our primary research goal is to develop scientific knowledge, engineering principles, and planning tools to facilitate a resilient human presence and renaissance on deltaic coasts, which are threatened worldwide by land loss and declining water and sediment supplies. An additional broader goal is to enhance LSU research efforts in coastal and shelf-sea processes and products around the world.

CSI recognizes that sustaining human presence on deltaic coastlines is essential to healthy coastal societies and economies. Accordingly, CSI scientists and engineers work closely with the Coastal Sustainability Studio and other LSU units and faculty with coastal research in social science and economics to foster a fully integrated LSU approach to the study, conservation, and growth of coastal communities and environments.

Office of Innovation and Technology Commercialization

The mission of LSU’s Office of Innovation and Technology Commercialization is advance innovation by serving the faculty, supporting the research enterprise, and partnering with entrepreneurs and businessses to commercialize inventions that enhance the economy and benefit the public. This includes obtaining patents and copyrights and seeking licensees and business partners in the U.S. and worldwide to commercialize that technology for the benefit of society, the university, and the inventors. 

Intercollege Environmental Cooperative

The mission of the Intercollege Environmental Cooperative is to facilitate collaborative relationships that span traditional college and disciplinary boundaries and enhance the research, teaching, and public outreach that is necessary to address effectively today’s complex second and third generation environmental stakeholders, decision makers, and research sponsors throughout the state, region, and nation.

The Intercollege Environmental Cooperative provides a platform for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration among LSU researchers and their partners, improves communication and exchange of ideas among environmental researchers and educators across traditional departmental and college/school boundaries, and works to establish ties with industrial organizations that can benefit from increased interaction with LSU on environmental issues.

Institute for Advanced Materials

The role of the Institute for Advanced Materials (IAM) is to foster discovery, innovation, and education in materials research at LSU by building interdisciplinary bridges between departments and colleges. IAM will enable development of advanced materials needed for a broad variety of life-transforming applications. The objective is to make sure that LSU is a major player in materials research and education for the 21st century. The institute enlists over 100 faculty involved in Materials Science and Engineering on the LSU campus, committed to enhancing the quality of LSU MS&E programs. The educational component of IAM is associated with the “Graduate Certificate in Materials Science and Engineering,” which provides our graduate students with an opportunity to receive specialized interdisciplinary education and training in contemporary MS&E topics.

J. Bennett Johnston, Sr. Center for Advanced Microstructures & Devices

The J. Bennett Johnston, Sr. Center for Advanced Microstructures & Devices (CAMD) is an experimental facility for science and engineering that is centered on a 1.3 GeV electron storage ring. This electron accelerator produces a broad spectrum of electromagnetic radiation from the infrared to X-rays. This synchrotron radiation is used for developing advanced materials for new energy technologies, for evaluating environmental issues and remediation, for biomedical applications including new drugs and cancer therapy, and for producing microstructures that are at the heart of new miniaturized devices.

Life Course and Aging Center

By the year 2020, more than 20 percent of the population is expected to reach the age of retirement. With the increase in the number of older adults living in Louisiana, there will be a greater need to ensure the successful aging of the population of our state. The Life Course and Aging Center (LCAC) recognizes that successful aging begins at birth and continues through the rest of our lives. Therefore, its researchers are committed to identifying the keys to successful aging and educating the public about these important issues.

The mission of the LCAC is to engage in multidisciplinary partnerships promoting healthy development and aging across the lifespan. To accomplish this the LCAC develops education programs and curriculum aimed to improve the quality of life across the life span, and the LCAC collaborates with child and senior service organizations throughout the state. LCAC faculty members represent more than 10 schools, departments, and programs at LSU. Areas of research include cognitive processes and aging, early childhood development, education across the lifespan, interpersonal relations across the lifespan, lifespan development and public policy, physical processes and aging, and sociological aspects of aging.

Louisiana Space Grant Consortium

The Louisiana Space Grant Consortium (LaSPACE), supported by funds from the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA), the Louisiana Board of Regents, and administrative support from Louisiana State University, is a group of Louisiana institutions of higher education working with the two state educational boards, three community colleges, business/industry, nonprofit organizations, and a local government partner.

The goal of LaSPACE is to enhance space and aerospace related research, technology, education, and public awareness throughout the state and to promote mathematics and science education, workforce development of aerospace professionals, diversity, and economic development. This goal is accomplished through competitive awards to researchers, fellowships for graduate students, mentored research assistantships for undergraduates, outreach to K-12 teachers and students, and public awareness events. LaSPACE is Louisiana’s contribution to the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, a congressionally mandated federal/state partnership that is administered by NASA. This national program encompasses every state in the nation plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

Louisiana Sea Grant College Program

The Louisiana Sea Grant College Program is part of the National Sea Grant College Program, a congressionally mandated federal/state endeavor that is administered by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The national program network includes 33 lead institutions and consortia, based in coastal and Great Lakes states, involving more than 330 U.S. colleges, universities, laboratories, and private entities in research, training/education, technology transfer, and advisory service activities focused on coastal and marine issues.

The Louisiana Sea Grant College Program is responsible for administering all activities approved by NOAA for Sea Grant funding in Louisiana. The mission of the Louisiana program is to provide knowledge, trained personnel, and public awareness needed to wisely and effectively develop and manage coastal and marine areas and resources in a manner that will assure sustainable economic and societal benefits. This goal is pursued by supporting and developing selected capabilities in the Louisiana university community and, as appropriate, drawing on those in the national program network. The work requires:

• designing and conducting research, technology transfer, extension, and educational activities involving a broad range of natural science, engineering, economic, legal, public policy, and sociological expertise, and
• extensive cooperation with pertinent federal, state, business, and citizen groups. Providing a base of fundamental research and bringing the results to the market by enhancing existing businesses and growing new businesses are key program elements.

The Louisiana Sea Grant NOAA-funded core program supports individual projects at universities throughout Louisiana. These projects typically support graduate students, as well as provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to work on research-related activities. There is also an annual, national competition for approximately 50 Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships that provides selected graduate students a unique opportunity to spend a year working in host offices of the U.S. Congress and federal agencies located in the Washington, D.C. area. Core program activities are supplemented with projects funded by various federal and state agencies that have mutual goals and interests. Private sector support for the program is exemplified by the John P. Laborde Endowed Chair for Sea Grant Research and Technology Transfer.

In 1978, LSU was named a Sea Grant College, the 13th university in the nation to be so designated and the highest classification attainable in the program. This status was reaffirmed by national performance evaluation teams in 2015. LSU is currently one of only a handful of universities in the U.S. designated as a land-grant, space-grant, and sea-grant institution.

Sponsored Programs

The Office of Sponsored Programs, an administrative unit of the Office of Research & Economic Development, provides advice and support to the LSU community in the acquisition and administration of externally funded projects to further the instruction, research, and public service mission of the university. The office provides institutional endorsement for proposals, negotiates terms and conditions of awards with sponsors, executes agreements on behalf of the institution, and prepares and negotiates subawards. The office also conducts seminars and workshops on federal, state, and institutional requirements; proposal development; and project management.

Office of Academic Affairs

Center for Community Engagement, Learning & Leadership (CCELL)

The Center for Community Engagement, Learning & Leadership (CCELL) promotes service-learning and civic engagement designed to advance learning outcomes, to develop leaders with the highest sense of civic responsibility, and to address societal needs through community-university partnerships.

CCELL facilitates service-learning courses in which students take part in credit-bearing, organized service activities that simultaneously meet learning objectives and community needs. Approximately 4,000 students participate in service-learning courses each year.

CCELL, working with Campus Life, has implemented the Engaged Citizens Program, a distinction that undergraduate students can pursue if they are interested in achieving the highest levels of civic responsibility. Students who complete at least seven credit hours of service-learning courses, log a minimum of 100 hours of community service with approved organizations, and complete a paper connecting these activities with LSU’s Commitment to Community will be awarded the Engaged Citizen distinction, which will appear on their transcript.

CCELL endeavors to meet the needs of our constituents through pertinent programming. For example, CCELL works with CxC and LSU faculty each fall to offer eligible LSU seniors and first year graduate students a workshop series to assist them in applying for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. CCELL also offers support to our community partners through workshops and opportunities to engage with students, faculty, and staff.

CCELL provides a number of services to faculty who are engaged in service-learning, including but not limited to: consulting with faculty in course development, desigining syllabi, teaching the scholarship of engagement, and functioning as a liaison between faculty and community partners. Additionally, CCELL offers two competitive faculty development opportunities: The Service-Learning Faculty Scholars program is a 10-week seminar in which faculty learn to integrate service-learning into a new or existing course, and The Community Engaged Research Scholars program is intended for veteran service-learning faculty who wish to create a piece of scholarship from their engaged work.

The Community Engagement Advisory Council articulates and promotes the objectives of CCELL. The council develops strategies and provides leadership to advance service-learning and civic engagement and assists CCELL in selecting the annual recipient of the Service-Learning Outstanding Faculty Award. CCELL also recognizes the outstanding engagement work of students, community partners, staff, and faculty through the annual Happy Awards program.

Communication Across the Curriculum (CxC)

LSU Communication across the Curriculum (CxC) is a nationally recognized academic enhancement program designed to help undergraduate students of all majors advance their written, oral, visual, and technological communication skills. CxC programming and policies are developed and regularly reviewed in collaboration with LSU faculty, students, staff, administrators, and community partners.

CxC provides the following services for all undergraduates:

• Individualized coaching on communication assignments, including writing and oral presentation projects
• Access to communication technologies, including audio, video, and 3D visualization tools
• Guidance in creating public digital portfolios for post-graduation success
• Workshops and experiential learning opportunities focused on communication skills-building
• Recognition on transcripts of completion of discipline specific communication-intensive courses
• Mentoring for students pursuing the LSU Distinguished Communicator Certification

CxC provides the following services for all faculty:

• Individualized consultations on syllabus, assignment, and assessment design
• Workshops and interdisciplinary learning communities focused on advancing communication-intensive learning and teaching
• Supplemental instruction resources for certified communication-intensive courses
• Assistance with writing grants and scholarships related to advancing students’ communication skills and communication pedagogy across all disciplines

Gordon A. Cain Center for Scientific, Technological, Engineering & Mathematical Literacy

The Cain Center for Scientific, Technological, Engineering & Mathematical Literacy provides support for Louisiana educators who are working to prepare citizens who are literate in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines to support 21st century economic and societal needs. The center fosters cross-disciplinary collaborations made possible through its joint sponsorship by the Colleges of Human Sciences and Education, Engineering, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Science.

The goals of the center include:

• providing leadership for interdisciplinary research and development in the teaching and learning of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines at all educational levels;
• disseminating research and practice that leads to high student achievement, especially in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines;
• creating opportunities for collaboration across disciplines and with K-12 educational practitioners in investigating, developing, and implementing strategies for enhancing teaching and learning in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines; and
• influencing policy concerning the teaching and learning of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines.

LSU Museum of Art

The LSU Museum of Art is a dynamic venue located on the fifth floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts in downtown Baton Rouge. The museum’s 5,000+ work collection is one of the largest university-affiliated art collections in the South, featuring Louisiana fine and decorative arts from the 18th century to the present, including landscape and portrait paintings, New Orleans made silver, the arts and crafts of Newcomb College, and contemporary paintings and sculpture. The Museum also hosts annually a diverse selection of changing exhibitions from different times and cultures. The LSU Museum of Art is a gateway connecting the University and the community at large to a diverse artistic and cultural range of styles and periods. The Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday; and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission fee is $5 and free to museum members and LSU students with ID. It is closed on major holidays. The Museum offers free admission on the first Sunday of each month.

LSU Libraries

The LSU Libraries includes Middleton Library, the adjacent Hill Memorial Library, and the Cartographic Resource Center. Together, the libraries contain more than four million volumes and provide additional resources such as expert staff, technology, services, electronic resources, and facilities that advance research, teaching, and learning across every discipline.

Middleton Library

Middleton Library is the main library. Centrally located on the quad, it is an active and energetic part of academic life at LSU. Students and faculty find a great variety of academic support and resources for research available through the library. It is the only twenty-four-hour study location on campus, offering resources and services to faculty and students in all departments. Subject specialists are available to students and faculty in person and online for personalized research consultations, copyright support, and help in navigating our world-class collections and resources. The library facilities include individual and group study areas, a graduate reading room, a math lab, the Shell Tutorial Center, computers, wireless access, and a coffee shop.  Middleton Library administers an oral history center, a digital scholarship lab, equipment checkouts for students, and interlibrary borrowing services. Hundreds of thousands of books and journals are also available online through the library website, including textbooks for many LSU courses. The Libraries is an essential campus partner for learning, teaching, and research.

Hill Memorial Library

The Special Collections division in Hill Memorial Library, provides access to historical, cultural, and artistic treasures and research materials in fields ranging from the humanities and social sciences to the natural sciences, agriculture, aquaculture, the fine arts, and design. Special Collection includes the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collection (LLMVC), the Rare Book Collection, and the E.A. McIlhenny Natural History Collections, in addition to more than a dozen smaller specialized collections. The LLMVC contains rare and early imprints pertaining to the exploration and colonization of the region; books on Louisiana subjects and Louisiana authors from all eras; Louisiana newspapers on microfilm; the papers of Louisiana political figures; and more than 5,000 manuscript collections. Special strengths in other collections include natural history, especially ornithology and botany; 18^th century British literature and history; and modern fine printing and book arts. Special Collections has contributed more than 50 collections of primary source materials to the Louisiana Digital Library and more than 200,000 pages of historical Louisiana newspapers to Chronicling America, both of which are freely available to the public.

LSU Online

LSU Online supports superior distance education programs that produce highly qualified graduates in accordance with LSU’s vision and mission of collaborative and innovative teaching and research to transform the lives of our students and graduates so that they are able to lead and succeed in future endeavors.

LSU Online provides the following services for all students:

• Fully online student introduction in collaboration with the Faculty Technology Center (FTC)
• Coordination with student support and administrative services on campus, such as
  • Auxiliary aids for students with disabilities through the Office of Disability Services
  • LSU Center for Academic Success (online resources)
  • LSU Libraries (online resources)
  • Academic Technology Services for LSU Online Moodle support and Help Desk support

LSU Online provides the following services for all faculty:

• Course development, instructional design, course structure, and teaching and learning guidance/support
• ProctorU and Examity services (for exam proctoring)
• Instructional Connections (academic coaches for large sections of courses)
• Collaboration with Academic Technology Services for LSU Online Moodle support and Help Desk support for technological support and professional development offerings/events
• Professional development opportunities including:
  • Online Learning Consortium (OLC—formerly Sloan Consortium) workshops
  • Webinars to support online teaching and learning (WCET, USDLA, Innovative Educators, Magma)
  • LSU Online Lunch and Learn Sessions
  • Fully online faculty orientation
  • In-person faculty orientation

LSU Online provides the following additional services for AP-affiliated 100% online programs:

• Program-specific marketing
• Enrollment and retention support
• Enhanced student support
• Partner support/consultation

Office of Assessment & Evaluation

The Office of Assessment & Evaluation (OAE) provides theoretical and practical measurement support to the university administration and community, including

• Administration and management of strategic planning and assessment reports in TaskStream
• Reviews and assessments associated with the General Education Component of Undergraduate Education, including course assessment, senior-level assessment, and assessment of college-level student learning outcomes
• Coordination of University Review and Assessment Council reviews of degree program assessment
• Consultation on tests, measurements, program evaluation, unit strategic plans, and assessment of student learning outcomes
• Administration of computer-based testing for LSU courses
• Administration of course placement and advanced-standing credit assessments
• Large-scale and localized test development, administration, statistical analysis and score reporting
• Electronic test scoring, statistical analysis, and reporting of data gathered via machine-scannable forms
• Custom survey design, production, statistical analysis and reporting in both scan and computer-based modes
• Development and implementation of experimental designs employing qualitative methodologies such as focus groups and group interviews
• Administration of programs for student teaching evaluations of faculty and courses
• Coordination of large-scale national surveys and assessments related to institutional assessment
• Computer-based testing for externally-based entrance and proficiency examinations

Rural Life Museum and Windrush Gardens

The Rural Life Museum, an outdoor museum complex, is located approximately five miles from campus on the university’s 450-acre Burden: Museum and Garden. Open daily, this unique outdoor museum is divided into three areas. The Barn contains hundreds of artifacts dealing with everyday rural life dating from prehistoric times to the early 20th century. The Plantation consists of a complex of buildings, commissary, overseer’s house, kitchen, slave cabins, sick house, school-house, blacksmith’s shop, sugarhouse, and grist mill, authentically furnished to reconstruct all the major activities of life on a typical 19th century sugarcane plantation. Louisiana Folk Architecture is exemplified in seven buildings, a country church, a pioneer’s cabin and corn crib, potato house, shotgun house, Acadian house, and a dogtrot house, whose divergent construction traits illustrate the various cultures of Louisiana settlers.

Adjacent to the museum are the Windrush Gardens, designed and planted by the late Steele Burden. This five acre expanse of semiformal gardens with winding paths and open areas is reminiscent of 19th century Louisiana gardens. The museum and gardens are open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is charged.

LSU Press & The Southern Review

LSU Press is a nonprofit book publisher dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge through the publication of quality books of scholarly, intellectual, or creative merit. For over 80 years, LSU Press has published significant works of scholarship as well as works that help to preserve Louisiana’s history and culture. Over half of the books we have published remain in print around the world. An integral part of LSU, the Press shares the university’s goal of the dissemination of knowledge and culture. LSU Press is one of the oldest presses in the South and among the outstanding publishers of scholarly books in the country. As member of the Association of American University Presses, the largest organization of scholarly publishers in the world, the Press upholds the Association’s standards for vetting and approving its books prior to publication. Publications must undergo rigorous assessment by outside scholars and receive the favorable recommendations of the University Press Committee, a group of distinguished faculty. As the largest publisher in Louisiana, LSU Press takes seriously its mission to promote the achievements of our state and region and educate readers about its history.

Founded in 1935 on the campus of Louisiana State University and distributed by LSU Press since 2011, The Southern Review publishes distinct literary voices from around the world that both evoke the innovation of its founders, Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brooks, and respond to the diversity of its contemporary readership. With each new issue, The Southern Review strives to discover and promote engaging, relevant, and challenging literature—including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry—and feature exciting visual art from across the South and around the globe. Recently, the journal has undertaken new initiatives, reaching a broader readership through digital subscription platforms that service schools and institutional libraries in addition to the print quarterly.

LSU students and employees receive discounts on books from LSU Press and subscriptions to The Southern Review.

Cox Communication Academic Center for Student-Athletes

The Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes (CCACSA) is comprised of four teams: academic affairs, student affairs, educational support services, and an executive team. Collectively, the purpose is to provide a student-centered support structure for all student-athletes from matriculation through graduation and life beyond in an effort to address the needs of student-athletes and remain amongst the premier support centers in the country. CCACSA, a recipient of the 2016 University Business Model of Excellence Award, is committed to the total development of student-athletes: academically, cognitively, personally, professionally, and through community engagement.

Information Technology Services

Technical Architecture

Technical Architecture consists of University Networking & Infrastructure (UNI), High Performance Computing (HPC), IT Security & Policy, Classroom Technology, and houses LONI, the state-wide Board of Regents

The unit is responsible for the security and integrity of campus network infrastructure and services (including telephony, eduroam WiFi), identity management, LSUMail, enterprise level support for Microsoft Windows server platforms including SQL servers, IIS, Exchange and Active Directory, and high performance computing to facilitate research efforts. LSU is a member of Internet2, SURAgrid, and the Louisiana Optical Networking Infrastructure (LONI), and has been designated a vBNS Authorized Institution by the National Science Foundation.

This unit houses the Network Operations Center (NOC) which monitors mainframe services and applications, campus network equipment and services, campus and LONI network traffic, network security systems as well as all external connections to the LSU network 24 hours a day, 365 days per year

Classroom Technology maintains and supports the STF funded computing labs, classroom multi-media, and distance education classrooms located throughout campus where faculty and students have access to both Windows and Apple computers, and instructor stations with the latest general use and discipline-specific software programs. TigerWare (tigerware.lsu.edu) is LSU’s online software warehouse, where faculty, staff, and students can download both freeware and institutionally licensed software

Data Architecture

LSU Data Architecture includes University Information Systems (UIS), Business Intelligence, Academic Technology, Central Support, and Production Support.

University Information Systems (UIS) includes the Mainframe Legacy Team and is responsible for maintaining critical legacy systems while also assisting with their full transition towards new environments as part of modernizing the IT infrastructure.

Business Intelligence is building out an enterprise data warehouse that will house all critical academic and administrative data utilized to build a robust reporting and analytical environment for LSU. 

Academic Technology is responsible for LSU’s Moodle course management system and all ancillary integrations within the environment.

Central Support serves as the primary technical and business process support team for the Executive and Central Administrative offices of the campus.

Production Support is responsible for the day-to-day support of the application systems in operation and includes the Application Development, Integrations, Database Administration, and Change Management teams.  

Service & Operations

Services and Operations houses IT financial operations, Portfolio Management Office, and Talent Management. In addition, it serves as the primary campus interface for information technology services at LSU through its Service Desk. Located in the Frey Computing Services Building,the Service Desk provides walk-up and telephone technical assistance to faculty, staff, and students. It includes the Faculty Technology Center (FTC) which is focused entirely on faculty IT support and training, a Print Desk (3rd floor of Middleton),Digital Imaging, and Field Support.  IT training and education opportunities are offered on a variety of introductory and advanced topics, in addition to customized training upon request. The GROK Knowledge Base (grok.lsu.edu) serves as an online repository of the latest campus technical information, as well as an FAQ of common computing questions and answers. 

College of Agriculture

Louisiana State Arthropod Museum

The Louisiana State Arthropod Museum (LSAM), located in the Life Sciences Building, is a part of the Department of Entomology and a component collection of the Louisiana Museum of Natural History. The LSAM is the largest repository of insects and related arthropods in Louisiana. It houses approximately 1.2 million specimens, including 1 million pinned specimens, 100,000 fluid-preserved samples, and 30,000 microscope slides. One of the main strengths of the collection is a nationally significant beetle collection. In addition to preserving examples of the non-marine arthropod fauna of Louisiana, the LSAM’s holdings include substantial numbers of specimens from elsewhere in the southern United States, Central and South America, and the Caribbean region.

The LSAM serves the research needs of Louisiana’s scientific community by conserving voucher specimens generated by projects in agricultural entomology, biodiversity, and conservation biology. It serves the needs of the public by providing identifications of insects and other non-marine arthropods and by providing information about their habits and life histories. Specimen loans are made to qualified researchers throughout the world. The LSAM is not open to the general public and no exhibits are maintained, but requests for identifications and related information are welcome. A diagnostic fee is charged for identification services.

LSU Textile & Costume Museum

The LSU Textile & Costume Museum offers changing exhibitions of regional, national, and international interest. Museum hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., weekdays. The scope of the museum’s more than 12,000-piece collection is global. Holdings include prehistoric and ethnic textiles and costume as well as contemporary high fashions and high-tech textiles. Types of items include apparel, accessories, household textiles, piece goods, books, patterns, and a variety of items related to textile and apparel production, use, and care. As part of the Department of Textiles, Apparel Design & Merchandising, the museum promotes conservation, research, teaching, and public service. Research includes studies of the technical, aesthetic, historic, and sociocultural significance of textiles and apparel. It is a component collection of the Louisiana Museum of Natural History at LSU.

The organization, Friends of the LSU Textile & Costume Museum, supports the goals and functions of the museum by providing funds for artifact purchases, exhibition mounting, educational workshops, and other activities throughout the year.

College of Art & Design

Coastal Sustainability Studio

The goal of the Coastal Sustainability Studio is to envision and design sustainable systems that reduce vulnerability associated with increased storm strength, land subsidence, habitat degradation, and global environmental change. The environmental and societal issues in coastal Louisiana mirror similar concerns in major river delta regions worldwide. At the same time, the specific problems facing the Mississippi River Delta are unique. To address these challenges, the CSS was conceived as a laboratory to develop new strategies that reduce risk to social, economic, and natural resources. The results of this design experimentation provide a sound basis for major policy decisions that focus on adaptation through more sustainable regional land-use planning, protection, and education.

Computer-Aided Design & Geographic Information Systems Research Laboratory

The Computer-Aided Design & Geographic Information Systems Research Laboratory (CADGIS) is dedicated to education, service, and research in computer-aided design, geographic information systems, remote sensing, image processing, and other computer applications in the areas of art, architecture, disaster sciences, geography, anthropology, interior design, and landscape architecture. This multidisciplinary laboratory, operated jointly by the College of Art & Design and the Department of Geography & Anthropology, provides specialized support to academic and research units at LSU, to state and federal agencies, and to nonprofit organizations.

CADGIS has two instructional laboratories, one research laboratory, and seminar rooms with IP-based video conferencing capabilities. A wide range of software is available, as well as plotting and printing services.

Glassell Gallery

The LSU School of Art’s Alfred C. Glassell Jr. Exhibition Gallery is an ultra-contemporary venue located on the ground floor of the architecturally-distinguished Shaw Center for the Arts in downtown Baton Rouge. The Glassell Gallery mounts exhibits of the highest caliber by contemporary artists from around the world and displays the professional work of our faculty as well as thesis exhibitions by graduate students in the School of Art. The gallery affords a dynamic setting for connections with the local and regional community. The gallery is open Tuesday-Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 PM. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call (225) 389-7180.

Office of Community Design & Development

The Office of Community Design and Development (OCDD) is an interdisciplinary community outreach center in the School of Architecture that connects students with Louisiana’s communities to improve the quality of the built environment and the lives of citizens across the state and beyond. Funded through grants and sponsored research, OCDD’s practice-centered pedagogy strengthens the efficacy of student learning through a comprehensive approach to professional education, undergraduate research, civic engagement, and service learning.

Research Office for Novice Design Education

The mission of the Research Office for Novice Design Education is to preserve, generate, and disseminate knowledge of theories and practices pertaining to novice design education. Its goal is to become a central resource for educators and scholars interested in novice design education.

The research office addresses salient questions regarding how one has taught, teaches, or should teach design to learners who are new to the field of study. Such questions inquire into issues such as the particular educational challenges faced by novice learners and educators and the impact of those challenges on the relationship of novice design education to the broader design disciples, the content and curricular structure of novice education, and the types of assignments and projects most suited for that content and structure. At their best, these questions, and the answers to them, implicitly or explicitly state a position on the status of knowledge, the means by which one transfers, acquires or constructs knowledge, and how one has used, uses or should use knowledge in the world.

To achieve its mission and goal, the research office is engaged in three ongoing initiatives.

1. Collect Existing Scholarship: The research office collects papers, books, or bibliographic reference material on novice design education. The purpose of this initiative is to develop a comprehensive reference archive for research on novice design education.
2. Scholarship: The research office produces and facilitates scholarship through the work of its directors and scholars who use its library.
3. Distribute Scholarship: The research office disseminates scholarship through this website, other publications, and open access to the scholarship it collects.

The research office is honored to house the past proceedings of the National Conference on the Beginning Design Student in searchable PDF format. Over the past 25 years, the participants of NCBDS have produced a remarkable body of knowledge on beginning design education. With this database, the NCBDS and the research office is pleased to make this rich body of knowledge available to scholars.

Research projects currently include investigations into: (1) the relationship between cognition and drawing, (2) film media as an alternative mode of representation in novice design education, (3) teaching critical reasoning in professionally oriented undergraduate design courses, and (4) the application of Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the everyday to novice design education.

Media and Site Technologies Lab

The Media and Site Technologies Lab is an effort initiated by the School of Landscape Architecture focusing on research in visualization, simulation, sensing, and site technologies. The lab provides facilities that include workspace for prototyping, high end visualization and video editing components, and display and projection technologies.

The lab provides a research resource for faculty and graduate students with collaborative projects and funding from a variety of private and governmental organizations. Current projects are focused on site technologies, responsive landscapes, visualization, and simulation. Project sponsors have included the McKnight Foundation, Louisiana Department of Homeland Security, CSS, and various foundations.

Urban Landscape Lab

The Urban Landscape Lab (ULL) is a research and service-learning center at the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture at LSU. The center’s mission is to design and build projects in urban areas that promote the development of innovative, healthy and environmentally sustainable landscapes and to provide hands-on learning opportunities for LSU students. The current focus within the lab is expanding the New Orleans Schoolyard Project.

New Orleans Schoolyard Project

The New Orleans Schoolyard Project is a collaborative effort to design and build healthy, educational, and sustainable schoolyards for public schools in New Orleans. Well-designed school environments promote learning, increase activity levels, and improve the overall health and well-being of students. This project focuses on developing innovative design solutions that make children more active in order to combat childhood obesity, develop environmentally sustainable campuses, and engage the school children in design exercises. The Prevention Research Center at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine has collaborated with the ULL to research the impact of schoolyard design on children’s health and activity levels. The New Orleans Schoolyard Project has worked with the Priestly School for Architecture and Construction and the Martin Luther King, Jr. School for Science and Technology and is currently partnering with KIPP New Orleans Schools.

Viet Village Urban Farm Project

The Viet Village Urban Farm project is located in east New Orleans, a Vietnamese-American community with long ties to this area of New Orleans. Over 90 percent of the pre-Katrina population has returned to this area. The Viet Village Urban Farm is an urban farming project on 21 acres of land located at the center of the community. The farm will support both household farming and producing crops for local consumption as well as commercial crops for distribution to local New Orleans restaurants. Educational and recreational activities are also incorporated into the design to create a project that will be the new center of this urban community. This project is being developed in collaboration with the City Center at Tulane University.

E. J. Ourso College of Business

Highway Safety Research Group

The Highway Safety Research Group (HSRG) is responsible for collecting, maintaining, storing, analyzing, and distributing crash related data captured from law enforcement and other agencies throughout the state of Louisiana. The HSRG has two primary functions: research and development. On the research front, the HSRG analyzes crash data obtained from a variety of sources to produce numerous published reports each year, including the annual “Louisiana Traffic Records Data Report.” In terms of development, the HSRG provides software creation and support for information innovations used by law enforcement agencies around the state. The LACRASH program is used to capture electronic crash reporting information in an accurate and timely manner. Business Intelligence, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Data Infographics are projects being developed at the HSRG to have the data more accessible, display the data in a more visual manner, and make the data more meaningful. These projects are made possible through a grant provided by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

Louisiana Business & Technology Center/ LSU Innovation Park

The Louisiana Business & Technology Center (LBTC) was created in 1988 as a joint venture of the university, the Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce, and the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority. Its purpose is to enhance economic development in the state through a job creation network. A community resource, LBTC assists new and small businesses by offering:

• Management and marketing expertise;
• Technology and technical assistance;
• 200+ acre university research park; and
• Incubator space and business services.

The intent is to develop and nurture small business growth as a means of diversifying the economy.

LBTC provides space for new business start-ups in the incubator at LSU Innovation Park. Companies located in the LBTC can concentrate on production and marketing, which affect success and profit. Day-to-day administrative details and overhead problems are left to the facility manager. The LBTC was named the 2005 National Business Incubator of the Year by the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA), as well as the 2009 U.S. Department of Commerce–Excellence in Economic Development and the 2013 Emerging Research Park of the Year by the AURP.

The LBTC was designated as an International Soft Landing Incubator by the InBIA. The LSU Innovation Park is designated as an “Innovation District” that fosters the commercialization of university research and research developed in federal laboratories.

LSU Small Business Development Center • A partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, this center serves small and new businesses in three areas: education, research, and outreach. Job creation and economic development are the main goals of the center.

Students work with entrepreneurs and small business clients to produce business plans, market studies, software programs, and accounting systems. The program provides students with real world experience and practical application of acquired knowledge.

Technology Transfer • The LBTC operates the Louisiana Technology Transfer Office at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, under a contract from the Louisiana Department of Economic Development. The office is a technology clearinghouse for Louisiana business and industry. Its purpose is to foster technology commercialization and economic development.

Goals of the Technology Transfer Office are:

• To broker technical requirements of Louisiana businesses with the federal agencies;
• To establish a process for matching Louisiana businesses with Small Business Innovation Research grant requests and for assisting businesses in applying for grants;
• To foster local and state economic development by accessing the federal labs for problem solving, innovation, and technology transfer;
• To represent LSU in the Federal Laboratory Consortium and at other national and international forums; and
• To provide access for state agencies, local government, and Louisiana businesses to conduct research and develop technologies.

Access LSU • The LBTC has established a program to be the gatekeeper for businesses needing access to LSU’s wealth of talent, expertise, equipment, and technology. Business owners call the LBTC with their problems and needs, and the LBTC researches the LSU System to find and connect the proper expert with the business.

Disaster Recovery • The LBTC was established as a Small Business Disaster Recovery Center immediately after the hurricanes of 2005. The LBTC has partnered with Louisiana Economic Development and others, including Shell and ExxonMobil to provide assistance to businesses and entrepreneurs in the hurricane parishes from Cameron to Calcasieu to St. Bernard and Plaquemines. The program provides one-on-one counseling, as well as workshops on procurement, business recovery, and business development.

Student Incubator • The LBTC student incubator is a 1,200 square foot incubator facility designed for student entrepreneurs interested in starting businesses prior to graduation in an attempt to “create their own job” after graduation. The Student Incubator provides space, equipment, furniture, business counseling, mentoring and access to capital to student entrepreneurs. All LSU students from freshmen through graduate school are encouraged to participate and pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. The LBTC staff and advisory board provide business support and training programs at no cost to students.

The LSU Innovation Park • LSU has developed a 200 acre-plus, premier research park four miles south of the campus on Highway 30 in Baton Rouge. The designated qualified research park offers tax incentives and credits to eligible businesses operating in the park. Companies located in the LSU Innovation Park must meet stringent requirements and have a strong relationship with the university in areas of expertise compatible with LSU’s research mission. The park provides faculty and students with a broader avenue for intellectual enrichment and technological discovery by partnering with scientific investigators from federal labs and industry. By helping researchers bring new technologies to market, the LSU Innovation Park creates high-quality jobs, benefits the community, and enhances the image of LSU and Louisiana.

Current partners at the LSU Innovation Park include The Emerge Center for Autism and other disorders, the Louisiana Army National Guard and Disaster Response Center, the National Center for Biomedical Research & Training, the LSU Stephenson Disaster Management and Cyber Security Office, the Louisiana Business Emergency Operations Center, the Louisiana Technology Transfer Office, and the Louisiana Business & Technology Center.

Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute

The mission of the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute is to promote and foster entrepreneurial practices through education, outreach, and research. We seek to inspire, innovate, integrate, and implement new ways of thinking, to positively impact students, the regional economy, the state of Louisiana, and the nation. We are a multidisciplinary institute that serves the University and the greater business community. We work closely with our partners to foster the entrepreneurial ecosystem, to assist in business development-related endeavors, and to support economic development.  

The institute sponsors, supports, and offers programs and activities to support our mission. Examples of such are as follows:

Programs

The institute offers a number of programs and events designed to promote innovative approaches to identifying needs and solving problems through an entrepreneurial view of opportunity, recognition, and realization.

• ​Entrepreneurship Fellows Program: The multidisciplinary Entrepreneurship Fellows Program is a year-long work/study program designed to encourage business and entrepreneurial practices in students. Fellows are selected through a competitive application process open to all full-time LSU students. Fellows interact with top executives and entrepreneurs through networking opportunities and a formal mentorship program. These experiences give Fellows an extra edge to create their own business opportunities, or to join an exciting organization.
• Entrepreneurship Research Distinguished Speaker Series: This series focuses on research and outreach to promote a republic of science at the university, where ideas can be exchanged freely, and useful knowledge will benefit the well-being of individuals and society. Our interests are to produce applied academic research on barriers to innovation and entrepreneurship in Louisiana and the region.​
• Entrepreneurship in Practice Distinguished Speaker Series: This series focuses on sharing thought leadership and best practices from successful entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and entrepreneurial organizations of all sizes.
• Fostering the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: The institute partners with a number of organizations to provide support for the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Such support includes: Sponsorship of LSU 100 event to celebrate the fasting growing Tiger businesses; Sponsorship of Junior Achievement events on campus to introduce young children to entrepreneurship and innovation; Partnership with LSU Innovation Park to support pitch events as well as local and national business competitions; Sponsorship of the Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week event; and many other activities and events.

Educational Offerings

The Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute administers and supports various programs that provide students with the experience and networking that are essential to entrepreneurship. Our vision is of a university community that embraces leadership in innovation, creative thinking, and development of the region to make it a better place to live and work. Our ultimate goal is to see that every individual at LSU, in any field of study, has the chance for education and experience in entrepreneurship.

Undergraduate students can enhance any major degree offered by LSU with a bachelor of science in entrepreneurship, which is offered by the The Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship and Information Systems . The B.S. Entrepreneurship degree, paired with another B.S. or B.A. degree, is only conferred as a second degree. Alternatively, students may earn an Entrepreneurship Minor , which offers hands-on experience and coursework in launching a business by professors who have been successful entrepreneurs. Flores MBA students can earn a specialization in global entrepreneurship. 

Research

The Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute supports scholarly and applied research in various fields of entrepreneurship across the LSU campus. We welcome and encourage interdisciplinary research collaborations between all LSU colleges and schools. 

Public Administration Institute

The Public Administration Institute (PAI) offers the master of public administration (MPA) to enhance career opportunities for those planning to enter public service; provide help for those currently employed in public service who want to acquire or extend their professional knowledge; offer service to those interested in the not-for-profit sector of the economy; and offer training for those in the private sector or who intend to work in the private sector and will deal with the public sector. Students from a social science, liberal arts, business, or physical science background are encouraged to apply.

The curriculum consists of coursework in the disciplines of finance, economics, political science, management, and statistics. The coursework focuses on analytical, quantitative, and management skills needed by today’s successful public or private manager. Core courses are taught by faculty in the PAI and supporting departments throughout the university. Classes are scheduled to accommodate career professionals, as well as full-time students. Challenging internships in government and non-profit agencies are available to qualified students.

Louisiana Real Estate Research Institute

The Louisiana Real Estate Research Institute was established in 1985 with funding from the E. J. Ourso College of Business and the Louisiana Real Estate Commission. Its purpose is to encourage, support, and conduct applied and basic research in real estate, with particular focus on real estate and related economic activity in Louisiana. The institute has sponsored nearly 200 research projects, ranging from the analysis of nonparametric location theory to investigation of the effect on housing markets of below-market financing bond issues. An integral part of the institute’s effort is to fund research grants for faculty and graduate students, as well as provide scholarship support for students.

The institute’s work is closely supported by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission Endowed Chair of Real Estate, the Latter & Blum Professorship of Business Administration, and the C. J. Brown Professorship of Real Estate. Continued funding for the institute has been provided by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission, the E. J. Ourso College of Business, the Commercial Investment Division of the Baton Rouge Board of Realtors, and various local and state private corporations.

College of the Coast and Environment

Earth Scan Lab

The Earth Scan Laboratory is a satellite receiving station and image processing facility for environmental data from six unique earth observing sensor systems. The laboratory specializes in real-time access to satellite imagery and measurements of the atmosphere, oceans, and coastal areas within the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, W. Atlantic, and E. Tropical Pacific Ocean. Satellite measurements are obtained directly from satellite transmissions many times each day. The mission of the laboratory is to support education, research, and state emergency response. During hurricane season, the laboratory supplies hurricane images every few minutes to the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Response. ESL’s comprehensive web page, www.esl.lsu.edu, provides daily imagery and animations of oceanic and atmospheric circulations both in real-time and as historic archives.

WAVCIS

The objective of WAVCIS (wave-current information system) is to provide real time oceanographic and meteorological data from offshore Louisiana including ocean wave height, period, direction of wave propagation, water level, storm surge, ocean current speed and direction at various depths of the water column.

WAVCIS manages offshore deployment of instrumentation on oil platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico in order to provide real time information at hourly intervals. Currently, the real time data are being provided to NOAA through GCOOS. 

Data from each station is transmitted by a solar powered cellular link to a base station at Louisiana State University where it undergoes quality control, post-processing and archiving in an online database. The information is then made available on the Web and is accessible to computers with an Internet connection and web browser. Various data displays are available for the real time information as well as a specified time history for archived data.

WAVCIS also provides weather forecast of the region with a meteorological model (WRF), updated continuously. Wave forecast is also provided and updated continuously. 

College of Engineering

Center for Gas Turbine Innovations & Energy Research

Since it was founded in 2001, the Center for Gas Turbine Innovations and Energy Research (TIER) has engaged in fundamental research, as well as R&D, related to gas-turbine technologies both for propulsion and energy generation applications with emphasis on clean energy technologies. In collaboration with other Louisiana Universities, its members co-founded the Clean Power and Energy Research Consortium (CPERC), which was active for over a decade since its establishment in 2002. Research areas of the Center include turbine blade heat transfer and cooling technologies, active control of film cooling flows, gas-turbine aerodynamics and combustion, alternative fuels for power production, combustion technologies, advanced thermal barrier coating development and the synthesis of associated materials, and materials synthesis for fuel cell applications. Most recently the Center has expanded its interests to additive manufacturing as related energy-applications. 

Center for Rotating Machinery

The Center for Rotating Machinery (CeROM), established in 2000, was created by an interdisciplinary research group led by faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in close collaboration with business and industry leaders. By providing cutting-edge technological innovations to solve complex problems in engineering systems, the center serves as an intellectual foundation to the industry with focus on long-range development.

The center fosters the development of the next generation of mechanical components, materials synthesis, and fabrication techniques, and serves the needs of the large industrial base in Louisiana and elsewhere in the nation. Current collaborations exist between researchers in the center and a number of industries as well as the Gulf South Rotating Machinery Symposium (GSRMS) Conference Steering Committee. Projects of note include research in the areas of tribology, materials synthesis, characterization, modeling, mechanical systems analysis, nondestructive testing, fatigue testing and analysis, and advanced sensing technology. The center is committed to maintaining a strong partnership with industry through stimulating technological innovation; facilitating commercialization of new research and development; serving as a magnet for attracting new industries to Louisiana; hosting workshops, symposia, and advanced specialty courses for training professional engineers; and providing graduate students with real-world, relevant experience to produce a high quality workforce for Louisiana and beyond.

Hazardous Substance Research Center

The Hazardous Substance Research Center/South and Southwest (HSRC) is a five-institution consortium consisting of LSU, as the lead institution, Georgia Institute of Technology, Texas A&M, Rice University, and the University of Texas. The consortium conducts research, outreach, and technology transfer activities on critical hazardous substance problems. These investigations focus on the following three categories:

• engineering management of contaminated sediments;
• hazardous substances problems of special interest to communities within EPA Regions 4 and 6; and
• hazardous waste site remediation and management.

Louisiana Transportation Research Center

The Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC) is a cooperative research, education, and technology transfer center jointly administered by LSU and the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development. The center was established in 1986 by the Louisiana Legislature with the goal of improving the state’s transportation system through basic and applied research, education, and technology transfer. The primary focus of the center is development of nationally recognized research and educational programs in transportation systems resulting in the implementation of more efficient design, planning, maintenance, operation, and construction practices as well as improved safety. LTRC also offers courses, seminars, and training sessions designed to enhance the professional capabilities of DOTD engineers and all transportation professionals. These courses are offered through LTRC’s Transportation Training and Education Center (TTEC) located adjacent to the LTRC building. TTEC has state-of-the-art classrooms and lecture facilities with advanced distance-learning capabilities. LTRC also publishes reports, brochures, and training materials. These publications are available to students in appropriate disciplines.

The Louisiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), a division of LTRC, is part of a national network dispersing the latest in transportation practices to local governing bodies by means of publications, seminars, workshops, and technical assistance.

Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute

The Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute (LWRRI) is federally mandated to perform a statewide function of promoting research, education and services in water resources. To support these activities, the federal government provides annual funding for research grants and to administer the grant program. The Institute also receives state funding, partially as a match for the federal funding. The Institute also engages in contract research independent of the federal program.

Specifically, the purpose of the Institute is to:

• Plan, facilitate and conduct research to aid in the resolution of State and regional water problems,
• Promote technology transfer and the dissemination and application of research results
• Provide for the training of scientists and engineers through their participation in research
• Provide for competitive grants to be awarded under the Water Resources Research Act

The Institute is a multidisciplinary center for addressing water issues in the state, drawing on faculty from multiple departments and Universities. In this regard, the Institute serves as a resource for state officials who want unbiased, scientifically defensible information on how to address the State’s water problems.

Gulf Coast Research Center for Evacuation & Transportation Resiliency

The Gulf Coast Center for Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency was established as a federal University Transportation Center (UTC) in 2008 under the support of the United States Department of Transportation. The center seeks to create and disseminate new knowledge to address a multitude of issues that impact transportation processes under emergency conditions. These are developed through the research, teaching, and outreach mission of the center and include topics such as evacuation for natural and man-made hazards and other types of major events as well as the need to develop and maintain the ability of transportation systems to economically, efficiently, and safely respond to the changing conditions and demands that may be placed upon them. Work within these areas has recently included the development of modeling and analysis techniques; innovative design and control strategies; and travel demand estimation and planning methods that can be used to predict and improve travel under periods of immediate and overwhelming demand. In addition to detailed analysis of emergency transportation processes, the center also provides support for the broader study of transportation resiliency. This has included research on key components of redundant transportation systems, analysis of congestion in relation to resiliency, and the impact of climate change.

Center for Geoinformatics

The Center for GeoInformatics (C4G) is a science and technology unit focused on high precision 3-D and 4-D Earth positioning.  The Center was established in 2001 and is now part of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, within the College of Engineering. The C4G is also home to the Louisiana Spatial Reference Center (LSRC), a research facility established by the National Geodetic Survey in 2002 dedicated to ensuring a highly accurate, precise and consistent geographic reference framework for the state. At its core is a state-wide network of reference stations that allow scientific and professional users to observe their exact position anywhere in Louisiana to the millimeter-scale. This infrastructure is the largest university-owned and operated positioning network in the world based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other satellite systems collectively known as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). 

This state-of-the-art infrastructure of Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) network has proven scientific, economic, and legal applications that are recognized by the state and nation as the official positioning reference system within Louisiana (R.S. 50:173.1).  The principle scientific research pursued by the Center is concentrated on monitoring and modeling land subsidence across coastal Louisiana, and broadening understanding of the physics that explain it. 

In 2007, the LSU Center for GeoInformatics (C4G) launched a Real-Time Network (RTN) utilizing special software that taps into the power of the Louisiana Spatial Reference Center’s Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) infrastructure offering subscribers a statewide Real Time Kinematic (RTK) Virtual Reference Station (VRS) service, or simply RTN (called C4Gnet). By using C4G’s RTN C4Gnet services, subscribers can save time and make better use of GNSS equipment with the benefit of being automatically tied into the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) and Louisiana’s Vertical Geodetic Control throughout the entire State while receiving Real-Time Network GPS/GNSS positions within the 3D error space of a golf ball.

Louisiana is, by virtue of its unique geology, geography, and cultural heritage, globally recognized as a “natural laboratory” for subsidence research. To address the inherent complexities and better understand the long-term consequences of subsidence in the State, the C4G at Louisiana State University (LSU) was created to pursue a comprehensive program of research, education, and outreach.

The C4G provides technological, intellectual, and practical leadership for contemporary subsidence and spatial research in the state.   This influence was recognized in June 2013, when the Board of Supervisors and Louisiana Board of Regents reauthorized the C4G as a Research Center at LSU.

Comprehensively, the principal goals of the C4G can be summarized as follows:

• Provide and ensure a highly accurate, precise, and consistent geodetic control as a service to our stakeholders and subscribers to the C4Gnet real-time network for accurate, precise, and consistent horizontal and vertical control in the State.
• Produce an exceptional level of research and service to the State for mitigating the hazards attributed to subsidence.
• Effectively communicates the challenges and science of subsidence facing our coastal communities so that practitioners and decision makers can provide for a sustainable future.

The center is a national force in expanding and strengthening the university, commercial, and public-sector geospatial communities within the state of Louisiana and the U.S. It provides the advanced geospatial information applications, products, training, and commercialization expertise that are required to support economic development and environmental stewardship.

College of Humanities & Social Sciences

Center for French & Francophone Studies

The Center for French and Francophone Studies is designated as a Center of Excellence by the French Embassy in New York.The mission of the Center is to federate and encourage the development of French and Francophone culture in its multifaceted aspects, with particular emphasis on literature and the arts.This mission can be visualized as a series of concentric circles growing larger and larger.

The first circle encompasses all members of the LSU community that have an interest in French: scholars who study French culture in all departments, International Programs, the Office of Research and Development, the LSU Rural Life Museum, LSU University Press. The second circle encompasses the Baton Rouge community, including the Friends of French at LSU, to which the Center proposes a series of events, the Louisiana Museum of Art, Whitney Plantation and other institutions. The third circle aims to federate French and Francophone culture interests in the State of Louisiana, including all its higher education institutions. Lastly, the fourth circle focuses on international relations with France, Canada, Francophone countries in Europe and Africa, and the French Antilles.

The Center will accomplish its goal by fully or partially sponsoring colloquia, lectures and events congruent with its mission. It will seek internal and external funding to support all of its activities on a continuous basis.

Southern Regional Climate Center

The Southern Regional Climate Center (SRCC), one of six regional climate centers serving climate information needs of the U.S., provides climate information services for Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. Housed in the Department of Geography & Anthropology, the SRCC is administered by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), an agency of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The SRCC receives a wide array of National Weather Service (NWS) data via the Internet and through an on-site NOAA port satellite receiver. We also receive observed and processed data and information from non-federal sources. These data are processed at the SRCC and merged with historical climatic archives to provide a comprehensive source of climate information. Providing more than an archive service, these operational data products enable the SRCC staff to monitor and assess the current state of the regional climate, provide value-added climatic information to decision-makers, promote regional economic development, provide information to promote environmental management and stewardship, and supply researchers with needed climate information to assist domain-specific research.

The SRCC works within the national RCC program to provide support for the U.S. National Climate Assessment, a periodic snapshot of the U.S. climate as it relates to climate change; provides weekly regional assessments of U.S. drought conditions for the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS); and provides monthly reports to NCDC on climate extremes across the SRCC region. More recently, the SRCC has begun plans to assume a larger regional scale that will include the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This expansion allows the SRCC to monitor a region that includes all Gulf of Mexico bordering states. We are expanding our reach into the coastal margins of the Gulf of Mexico in preparation for this responsibility.

Faculty, staff, and graduate students utilize SRCC climatic data and computing resources to perform applied and basic research on a variety of climate-related topics that include rainfall frequency analysis, regional flooding, drought, extreme weather and climate events, climatic impacts on agriculture, tropical storms and storm surge, and numerous issues related to climatic change and variability. SRCC is active participants in the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, a joint venture between LSU and the University of Oklahoma (OU), and have partnered with OU, Oklahoma State University, Texas Tech University, the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations of Oklahoma, and the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory to form the South Central Climate Science Center, a five-year project sponsored by the Department of the Interior. This research center focuses on ecological studies impacted by climate extremes and global climate change.

Louisiana Office of State Climatology

The Louisiana Office of State Climatology (LOSC) is recognized by the American Association of State Climatologists as the official climate office for the state, housing the Louisiana State Climatologist. It has been providing climate data services to the state’s public, private, industrial, and governmental sectors since the late 1970s. The LOSC is charged with maintaining historical climate data for the state, and then making these data available to the public. The State Climatologist monitors current weather impacts and trends for Louisiana, and is very active with local and regional media. The LOSC is supported in this activity by the Southern Regional Climate Center (SRCC) and the National Climate Data Center. Located within the Department of Geography & Anthropology, the LOSC is closely linked to the department’s SRCC and shares the SRCC’s data and computer resources.

Eric Voegelin Institute for American Renaissance Studies

The Eric Voegelin Institute for American Renaissance Studies, a humanities-social science research institute with no instructional program, was created as a unit within the College of Humanities & Social Sciences in 1987. The institute is named for perhaps the greatest scholar-teacher in the history of the university (1942-1958) and one of the original Boyd Professors, Eric Voegelin, of the Department of Government (renamed the Department of Political Science in the 1960s). The institute is devoted to revitalizing the teaching and understanding of the great books of Western civilization in comparison with other civilizational traditions, especially along lines embodied in Voegelin’s own massive scholarship.

Largely supported by private contributions and other external funding, the institute is principally involved in two activities: conferences conducted both in the U.S. and abroad in the fields of constitutionalism, individual liberty, and political philosophy; and publications (books and monographs) in these same interest areas. It is the principal editorial and financial support unit for the large edition titled The Collected Works of Eric Voegelin, University of Missouri Press, 34 vols., completed in 2009.

Manship School of Mass Communication

Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs

The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs, launched in 2000, is the focus of numerous projects and activities aimed at elevating the quality of civic discourse. The center is housed in the Manship School of Mass Communication but collaborates with other academic units.

The center supports cutting-edge scholarship on all aspects of media and public affairs. Topics range over a wide variety of issues, including news coverage of government and business, the impact of technology on foreign news coverage, the role of advocacy groups in reaching the electorate, public opinion analysis, and constituent building by public and private entities.

The center has a number of venues for making its research public and useful. It cooperates with LSU Press to publish an ongoing series of books. It also supports symposia, conferences, and a public policy fellows program for the discussion of media and public affairs issues. The John Breaux Symposium is held annually, bringing in outstanding scholars, journalists, public officials, and business and civic leaders. Symposia focus on state and national issues of pressing contemporary importance. Symposia are often published as reports and distributed nationally. The center manages the Manship School Research Facility, which houses the Public Policy Research Lab and the Media Effects Lab.

No degree is offered, but the center is tied to the PhD program in Mass Communication and Public Affairs, which offers fellowships to support doctoral candidates who assist faculty and the center with research. Work in the center provides valuable experience for students, thereby enhancing the quality of their education. The center also brings in visiting scholars to collaborate on projects and work with students.

The center’s public service arm directly assists media companies, industry, government, and nonprofit agencies by focusing the expertise of superior scholars on practical problems. Projects may include opinion surveys, communication plans, media training, and other special projects.

Public Policy Research Lab

Louisiana State University’s Public Policy Research Lab (PPRL) is a research center dedicated to high quality, state-of-the-art data collection and analytics, with a special emphasis on survey research. For more than 15 years we have advanced both practical and scholarly research while playing a leadership role in public policy development at the state and national level. We serve government agencies, non-profit organizations, business and industry, as well as academic researchers.

Media Effects Lab

The Media Effects Lab (MEL) is a research and teaching facility dedicated to the exploration of how media consumers emotionally and cognitively process media content and formats. Faculty and student researchers use advanced experimental and survey methodologies, and technologies (e.g. reaction time, facial expression analysis, heart rate, eye tracking, etc.) to investigate theoretical and applied problems, explore innovations, and uncover trends in mass communication. MEL faculty affiliates specialize in topics including media effects/media psychology, political communication, digital advertising, health communication, public relations, and entertainment. Students, undergraduate and graduate, have the opportunity to explore communications research interests through coursework, projects through LSU Discover, the Honors College or the McNair Program, or collaboratively in a student-led applied and academic research group. 

College of Science

Center for Biomodular Multi-Scale Systems

The Center for BioModular Multi-Scale Systems (CBM²) is a multidisciplinary center for the development of micro/nano-scale devices with applications in medical diagnostics, forensics, drug discovery, and homeland defense and is funded by grants from National Science Foundation, Louisiana Board of Regents, National Institutes of Health, and others. In addition to its primary research mission, CBM² also supports active Education/Outreach and Industrial Partnership programs.

Headquartered on LSU’s South Campus, CBM² is a collaboration of leading research universities throughout Louisiana and the nation, including LSU (including CAMD), LSU Health Science Center, Tulane Health Sciences Center, Xavier University of Louisiana, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Sloan-Kettering Research Institute.

Hearne Institute for Theoretical Physics

In 1994, LSU alumnus Horace C. Hearne, Jr., endowed two chaired professorships in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at LSU. In his will, he also left a mandate that they be used to create the Horace Hearne Jr. Institute for Theoretical Physics.

In 2001, Jorge Pullin joined the LSU faculty as one of the Hearne Chairs and in 2004, Jonathan Dowling was also hired as a Hearne Chair. Research is on quantization of gravity and quantum science and technologies, including decoherence due to quantum gravity, non-standard optics due to quantum gravity, quantum computing, quantum imaging, and quantum sensors. The institute has more than 10 associate faculty in the Departments of Physics & Astronomy, Math, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science, and is supported by the original Hearne endowment, as well as grants from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense.

Louisiana Museum of Natural History

The Louisiana Museum of Natural History, the official state museum of natural history, consists of 16 major research collections located on the LSU campus. Together, these collections hold a total of more than 2.8 million specimens, objects, and artifacts that document the rich natural history of Louisiana, the central-Gulf region, and the world. These collections are dispersed among six independently administered units on campus, and include the Shirley C. Tucker Herbarium, the Bernard Lowy Mycological Herbarium, the Log Library & Core Repository, the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum, the Center for Excellence in Palynology, the Gems & Minerals Collection, the Textile & Costume Museum, and eight collections of the Museum of Natural Science (the Collection of Amphibians & Reptiles, the Collection of Birds, the Collection of Fishes, the Collection of Genetic Resources, the Collection of Mammals, the Vertebrate Paleontology Collection, the Collection of Fossil Protists & Invertebrates, and the Ethnology-Archaeology Collection).

The collections of the Louisiana Museum of Natural History, used actively for education, research, display, and public service, represent an important historical trust for future generations of Louisiana’s citizens. Details about each collection, including educational and exhibits programs, can be obtained by contacting the curator-in-charge of the collection (see individual listings) or by visiting the museum’s website.

Shirley C. Tucker Herbarium

The herbarium is named in honor of Dr. Shirley C. Tucker for her contributions to science and her generous endowment to support the herbarium and its related research in plant systematics. Founded in 1869, the Shirley C. Tucker Herbarium at Louisiana State University is the oldest collection of preserved plant specimens in the Gulf South and is the largest in-state collection of Louisiana plants. Originally composed entirely of specimens of vascular plants, the Shirley C. Tucker Herbarium now also includes fine collections of lichens and bryophytes and fungi.

Lichen & Bryophyte Collections

The Shirley C. Tucker Herbarium includes lichen and bryophyte collections, located in A257 Life Sciences Annex, with a permanent scientific collection of preserved material of nearly 50,000 specimens of lichens–the largest collection of its kind in the Gulf South–and over 8,000 mosses and liverworts. It is the result of the work of Boyd Professor Emerita Shirley Tucker, Department of Biological Sciences. Geographical emphasis is on species native to Louisiana and the southeastern U.S. Other areas represented include the western and northern U.S., Canada, the American tropics, New Zealand, Europe, and Australia. The collection is particularly rich in tropical and subtropical crustose lichens.

Mycological Collections

The Bernard Lowy Mycological Herbarium, located in A257 Life Sciences Annex, contains the university’s permanent collection of more than 18,000 preserved collections of nonlichenized fungi from all over the world. It was collected principally by the late Dr. Bernard Lowy, an LSU mycologist and ethnobotanist of international stature. It includes a large representative collection of Amazonian Tremellales and other Basidiomycetes, as well as an important collection of Gulf Coast wood decay fungi. The herbarium is principally a research and teaching facility, and specimens are loaned to other institutions, both domestic and foreign.

Vascular Plant Collections

Vascular plant collections are part of the Shirley C. Tucker Herbarium, located in A257 Life Sciences Annex, and house the permanent, scientific collection of preserved specimens of ferns, fern allies, gymnosperms, and flowering plants. Founded in 1869, it is the oldest herbarium in the Gulf South and presently comprises approximately 300,000 specimens, including one of the best collections of Louisiana plants.

The collection includes dried, pressed specimens and material preserved in alcohol. Many historically important 19th and early 20th century specimens from the Louisiana Gulf Coast are included. New material is obtained through the collecting efforts of herbarium personnel, associated colleagues, amateurs, and through the exchange of duplicates with other herbaria. The goal of the herbarium is to be the premier collection of Louisiana and Gulf South plants, and a resource of international importance.

The herbarium is primarily a research and teaching facility. Research programs are in progress on floristics of southeastern U.S., coevolution of pollination syndromes, plant community ecology, and plant trait genomics. On request, specimens are available for loan to other institutions.

The herbarium is a reference and service facility, and is an essential resource for all research, teaching, and public service involving identification, classification, economic importance, and ecology of the plants and vegetation of Louisiana, the Gulf South, and the northern Neotropics. Numerous publications are based on the collections. The herbarium also supports an extensive website (www.herbarium.lsu.edu), which features browse and search functions of specimen records, specimen images, a plant image gallery, plant identification tools, and plant fact sheets. Use of the Shirley C. Tucker Herbarium may be arranged through Dr. Laura Lagomarsino, herbarium director, by visiting A257D Life Sciences Annex, calling 225-578-8564, or emailing llagomarsino1@lsu.edu.

LSU Museum of Natural Science

The Museum of Natural Science, a subunit of the Louisiana Museum of Natural History, consists of the Division of Zoology, located in Foster Hall, and the Division of Geoscience, located in the Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex. The exhibits in Foster Hall consist of nine major dioramas that depict with meticulous accuracy the flora and fauna of selected scenes from North America, including representatives of Louisiana’s animal life. Other exhibits and visual aids explain various biological and geological principles. Four new exhibits highlight research on tiger conservation, Antarctica, and Louisiana pre-history, and Louisiana fishes. The museum’s exhibits are free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday (call 578-2855 for information); closed on Saturday, Sunday, and university holidays.

The museum’s Division of Zoology contains extensive research collections, numbering more than 800,000 catalogued specimens of birds, mammals, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and their tissue samples. This internationally known repository of zoological material provides the basis for a program of research and serves as an important aid in teaching biological subjects.

The Division of Geoscience contains the most extensive archaeological and geological research collections in Louisiana. The museum’s archaeological collections include more than one million lots from over 2,000 sites in Louisiana and many other sites in the Gulf Coast and Caribbean regions. Ethnological collections include material from North and South America, Africa, Australia, Oceania, Asia, and the Arctic. The H. V. Howe Type Collection of fossil ostracoda and the H. B. Stenzel Collection of fossil oysters are among the best of their kind in the world.

The museum is a member of the Natural Science Collections Alliance.

Center for Excellence in Palynology

The Center for Excellence in Palynology (CENEX) was established in 1993 by Louisiana State University and the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists, Inc. (AASP). Its mission is to promote research and training in stratigraphic, paleo-environmental and forensic palynology. AASP initiated this collaborative effort as a result of a concern for the availability of trained palynologists in the United States. The CENEX Palynologic Processing Laboratory was established in 1994 with support from several sources including industrial support from Amoco Production Company, Chevron, Shell Oil Company, and UNOCAL. Additional specialized equipment was purchased with external funding (e.g. NSF). CENEX is now equipped with 7 BX41 Olympus microscopes for research and graduate student training. The CENEX Palynologic Library contains some 25,000 palynologic reprints, books, and reports and a pollen reference slide collection of more than 8,000 modern pollen species donated from several sources and 60,000 palynologic slides from oil wells, primarily from the Gulf of Mexico.

Palynology is the study of organic-walled microfossils (e.g., spores, pollen, fungal debris, acritarchs, dinoflagellate cysts, etc.). These entities, collectively called palynomorphs, were and are produced in prodigious quantities by a variety of terrestrial, aquatic, and marine organisms. Their resistant organic walls assure that they are preserved in sediments and rocks, some dating back 3.5 billion years. Stratigraphic palynology developed because of the need of the oil and coal industries to date and correlate subsurface sedimentary deposits. Palynomorphs are also particularly useful for reconstruction of past environmental conditions and are commonly used today in climate change studies or in studies focusing on the co-evolution of Earth and life since the Precambrian. In the recent years, the center has added forensic palynology to his research portfolio.

Other Research Partnerships

LSU Agricultural Center

As the research arm of the LSU Agricultural Center, the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station is a major partner in graduate education and research. Research in the major soil, climate, and agricultural production areas is conducted in campus departments and in research stations located throughout the state. Many Agricultural Experiment Station faculty hold joint teaching and research appointments in the College of Agriculture, College of Engineering, and the School of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, the Experiment Station provides a large number of graduate assistantships, and laboratories, equipment, and facilities of the station are made available to graduate students.

Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species

The Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species (ACRES), opened in 1996, is an ambitious and innovative initiative in species conservation. Located in New Orleans, ACRES includes a 36,000 square-foot facility designed to house scientists whose research programs include studies in reproductive physiology, endocrinology, genetics, embryo transfer, and the expansion of a “frozen zoo” to assure the future of endangered species through the banking of genetic materials.

The alliances between LSU and ACRES (joint programming, data pooling, collaborative research, and cooperative funding) enables interdisciplinary field-and-lab teams to conduct far-reaching research programs which range in scope from regional to international.

The knowledge gained through collaborative research between LSU and ACRES will help scientists and conservationists cope with threats to the most seriously endangered species by developing new reproductive technologies and reintroduction techniques necessary to ensure their long-term survival.

Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium

Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) was formed in 1979 “with the primary function of conducting research and promoting education in the marine sciences and marine technology.” LUMCON is a statewide academic endeavor to focus and strengthen the effectiveness of foundational marine science needed to address the environmental and socioeconomic challenges facing Louisiana and the nation.  LUMCON provides a broad set of opportunities for everyone to engage in marine science, acquire new skills, and experience scientific research in Louisiana’s diverse marine ecosystems firsthand.

LUMCON’s primary facilities are located at the DeFelice Marine Center in Cocodrie, approximately 85 miles southwest of New Orleans. This location, situated within the estuarine wetland complex of the Mississippi River delta plain between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi Rivers, provides ready access to the most productive estuaries in the U.S., to a variety of coastal environments, and to the open Gulf of Mexico.  From this facility LUMCON operates a world-class fleet of research vessels unmatched in the Gulf of Mexico, including the flagship of Louisiana’s research fleet the R/V Pelican. 

LUMCON reports to the Louisiana Board of Regents. For more information about LUMCON visit their website at www.lumcon.edu.

Oak Ridge Associated Universities

ORAU was founded in 1946 as the Oak Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies following the completion of the Manhattan Project. The original consortium was composed of only 14 universities from the southeastern United States. ORAU provides innovative scientific and technical solutions for the Department of Energy and other federal agencies to advance national priorities in science, health, education and national security. We do this by integrating unique laboratory capabilities, specialized teams of experts and a consortium of more than 100 universities. 

ORAU also manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, which supports government agencies who value an integrated solution incorporating state of the art science and technology in an era of consolidated government contracts requiring research informed delivery of critical services.

In addition to support for government agencies, ORAU provides many opportunities for faculty and students through a variety of fellowships, grants, scholarships, workshops, and joint-faculty appointments. Many of these programs are especially designed for underrepresented minority students pursuing degrees in science and engineering fields. Participation and financial support for science education programs now exceeds 9,400 participants and $225 million. The ORAU University Partnerships Office supports new faculty just beginning their careers through the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, individual faculty collaboration with other scientists at member universities and ORNL, and member schools with larger collaborative efforts.

For information about ORAU and its programs, visit www.orau.org or call the university partnerships office at 865.576.1898.

Organization for Tropical Studies

The Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) is a nonprofit, scientific, academic consortium whose mission is to provide leadership in tropical biology by promoting education, research, and the sustainable use of natural resources in the tropics. Founded in 1963, OTS is now composed of more than 60 premier universities and institutions throughout the world. In 2015, LSU became one of the few permanent-member universities. Graduate and undergraduate students at LSU are eligible to participate in the renowned field courses in tropical biology and related disciplines in Costa Rica and other countries. An increasingly popular course for undergraduates is “Global Health.”

OTS offices are located at Duke University in the USA and in San Jose in Costa Rica. Three field stations in Costa Rica are located in tropical rain forest (La Selva), tropical dry forest (Palo Verde), and tropical montane forest (Las Cruces) environments. La Selva Biological Station, OTS’s flagship facility, is a modern biological research laboratory in the midst of a 3,000-acre lowland rain forest preserve. OTS provides logistical support and offers the use of equipment and field stations for field research in tropical biology. Funds are available through OTS for qualified graduate students to initiate research projects.

Additional information regarding the program and course application forms are available from LSU’s OTS Delegate, Dr. Kyle Harms, Department of Biological Sciences, LSU, 202 Life Sciences Building and at kharms@lsu.edu; or from the Organization for Tropical Studies, North American Office, P.O. Box 90630, Durham, NC 27708-0630 and at www.ots.ac.cr.

Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Pennington Biomedical Research Center puts science to work for a healthier Louisiana, nation and global community. Their research seeks to discover the triggers of chronic disease using innovative technologies that promote healthier lives across the lifespan. Many of its full-time scientists hold adjunct appointments at various LSU campuses. Similarly, several faculty at LSU, LSU Agricultural Center, the LSU Health Science Center in New Orleans, and teaching hospitals hold adjunct appointments at Pennington Biomedical.

The Center has research programs in the areas of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and cancer with a focus on nutritional, activity, and genetic contributions to these common chronic diseases. Pennington Biomedical has core laboratory facilities that support more than 40 research units across basic, clinical, and population science research.