2025 News
April 17, 2025—The LSU team traveled to Cocodrie to work on sustainability assessments with Faith Family Shrimp Company and Portier Seafood Processing. It was such a cool experience to see how dried shrimp are made! Thank you to Angela Portier and Chad Portier Jr. for taking the time to show us around their facilities!
April 15, 2025 - The first joint experiential learning visit for LSU and Southern University! We toured the New Orleans East Bank Wastewater Treatment facility with a group of 12 students and faculty. A big thank you to Corwin for working with the students and sharing his passion for water treatment.
April 14, 2025 (Afternoon) - The EMS 4040 class had a great time at the Fluker's Farm in Port Allen learning about one of the most unique agricultural companies in the state. Thank you, Erik, Daniel, and Amanda for taking the time to tour our class around and showcase your team's operation!
April 14, 2025 (Morning) - Nick, Mason, and I went out to Four Oaks Farms in Morganza with Marty and Garret Fry to see their farm operations and shoot some footage using the WAV (aka Water Analysis Vessel). Thank you to Neil Melancon from the Farm Bureau for setting up the trip and making the connection.
April 7, 2025 - The EMS 4040 class had a great time at the Aquatic Germplasm and Genetic Resources Center (AGGRC) learning about one of the hidden gems of the LSU AgCenter. Thank you, Dr. Yue Liu and Dr. Terry Tiersch for taking the time to tour our class around and promote the value of collaboration and conservation!
April 4, 2025 - A big thanks to the American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) and Trey Pearson for letting me come speak at the annual meeting in Lake Charles! I presented on the Projects and Resources Available to Processors and promoted the program we have on campus for technical assistance.
April 3, 2025 - Our team's first crawfish pond survey! Big thanks to Mason and Nick for getting everything together and going to the field. Also, thank you to Todd Fontenot and some retiree...Mark Shirley for working with us to make the survey happen at the Rice Station!
April 2, 2025 - Another great day at Gonzales Wastewater Treatment for a surface water survey! Nick was working over Spring Break to prepare for his upcoming poster presentation.
March 27, 2025 - Enamul worked with St. Tammany Parish and Sea Grant agent Carol Franze for their Adopt-a-Pond event. His session was based on hydric and agricultural soils. Thank you to Kai Wilson for the pictures!
March 26, 2025 - Thank you to Dr. Havalend Steinmuller from LUMCON for speaking with the EMS 4040 class about GC analysis in wetland ecosystems. It was a great lecture on how GCs operate and their applications for environmental-based research.
March 25, 2025 - A big thanks to Carol Franze, Dominique Seibert, and Dr. Jeff Plumlee for the invite to the 2025 Fisheries Summit in Slidell to discuss Available Resources to Navigate Water Quality and Fishing with our local fishing communities.
March 19, 2025 - After a long wait...our instrument is finally here and installed. We are still waiting for the familiarization, but fluorescent research is becoming a reality!
March 12, 2025 - Thank you to Dr. Bill DeLany and Dylan Phillippe from Delta Land Service for speaking with my class about the scientific processes in the consulting sector. It was such a great opportunity for the students to learn about mitigation banks and carbon crediting for environmental systems.
March 10, 2025 - Nothing like being knee-deep in water training the next generation of scientists on water technology!
March 6, 2025 - The Water Quality Extension Lab hosted our first Onsite Wastewater Installers Workshop of the year in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Health for sanitarians to be certified and licensed. A big thanks to the Hammond Research Station for letting me host, Richard from LDH for support, and the workshop participants for their active participation throughout the workshop!
February 28, 2025 - There is nothing like spending some good quality time with your grad student in the field. Water sensors have officially been deployed and data should be pouring in soon. Thanks, Khan for the awesome picture.
February 27, 2025 - Back in Hammond for the Landscape Education Day! Thank you, Dr. Abdi for inviting me to speak on "Using Technology to Determine Water Quality Impact on Pond Health" and demoing the BlueBoat and floating solar platform.
February 26, 2025 - It finally happened...the BlueBoat made its first mapping voyage! Now we just need to process the data!
February 25, 2025 - A big thank you to Jon at Gulf Crown for working with our students yesterday on a sustainability assessment! It was such a great opportunity to see engineering in aquaculture processors. Enamul and Mysha were also able to grab some effluent for their research projects!
February 20, 2025 - The first of a few trips to Hammond starts with the Pesticide Recertification Workshop. Thank you Dr. Abdi for the invite and I hope the "Fate of Pesticide in Louisiana Waterways" presentation was impactful for the stakeholders there!
February 19, 2025 - Thank you to Rachael Matthews from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality for speaking with my class about the scientific processes in the state sector. It was such a great opportunity for the students and me to learn about how the Water Quality Integrated Report works!
February 17, 2025 - Thank you to Megan Arias from Xylem for giving a guest lecture in my EMS 4040 class. The students enjoyed hearing about her experience as a scientist and gaining valuable insight into real-world opportunities!
February 12, 2025 - Thank you to Emelia Marshall from The Water Institute for coming over and talking to EMS 4040 about her experience as a coastal ecologist. I think the students enjoyed learning about your expertise and career pathway!
February 11, 2025 - Today I got to be the headliner for Dr. Lively and Dr. Caffey, as we all gave presentations at the AgLeadership Summit in Thibodaux. A big thank you to Dr. Soileau for the invite to talk and hopefully there was some useful information on water resources around the state.
February 4-5, 2025 - Our Sea Grant quarterly meeting was a great time to catch up with the team give two updates on field equipment, and review of federal funding opportunities.
February 3, 2025 - I got to get my boots wet teaching the EMS 4040 class different sampling techniques! Thanks, Enamul for the picture and Dr. White for letting me borrow your field gear!
January 22, 2025 - They don't train water quality specialists in the southeast for frozen water!
January 16, 2025 - I had a great day down in Delcambre with the Sea Grant team touring shrimp processing facilities. I hope this leads to a few partners for upcoming projects!
January 13, 2025 - Welcome our newest PhD student Md. Enamul Moni to the group! After finishing up his Master's in Winnsboro, he is joining the Water Quality Extension Lab to work on fluorescence identification of dissolved organic matter.
January 9, 2025 - A big thank you to Eric DeBoer and the Louisiana Turfgrass Association for letting me speak at their annual conference. For those who were able to hear me (...I had laryngitis), I spoke about water quality impact on irrigation and runoff from turfgrass.
January 7, 2025 - Great way to start off the new year with a trip down Bayou Lafourche! Thanks Dustin for showing us around and educating our team on the processes to get water through the region. Picture taken by Mahathir Bappy and includes (left to right): Mahathir Bappy, M.P. Hayes, Mason Marcantel, Peng Fu, Dustin Rabalais (Bayou Lafourche Freshwater District), Haley Gambill, ans Craig Gautreaux.