2026 News
May 1, 2026 - A big thank you to the Tabasco Factory team (especially Mackenzie, Kip, Bud, and Jeremy) for hosting our experiential learning program. The students were extremely impressed with the complete processes from agriculture to manufacturing. It was a unique opportunity to see both sides of the operation and have a new perspective on a tried-and-true Louisiana product!
April 29, 2026 - We start our quarterly Sea Grant meeting today! It's always great for the team to get together and discuss recent events in our respective areas. There were some extremely informative presentations!
April 28, 2026 - Our LSU P2 FARM team would like to thank the Blue Runner for hosting our Certified Louisiana partners and us for an experiential learning program visit. It was such a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes at a quintessential Louisiana manufacturer. Katie, Tina, and Thomas had great experiences to share with the students and an in-depth view of the operations!
April 27, 2026 - Congratulations to Maddie Woodson for officially accepting her offer to Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University! She has done great work in our lab over the last two years, and we are looking forward to hearing more about her experience as she pursues her JD in environmental law.
April 23, 2026 - I had a great third session in the Management Development Institute class! It was hosted at Hammond Research Station and focused on leaders and managers. A big thank you to Ashley, Cortni, and Dr. Soileau for all of the logistics and instruction!
April 22, 2026 - The team had a great trip to Pod Packs in Baton Rouge to learn about the co-packing process. A big thank you to Mark for hosting our experiential learning program and giving us a unique insight into how keriug cups are made!
April 21, 2026 - A big thank you to the Wayne-Sanderson Farm team for hosting our experiential learning program. We had a great time seeing one of the most sustainable agricultural manufacturers in the state. It was a unique opportunity for the students to see such an advanced wastewater treatment and waste valorization process. And congrats to Devony for surviving the first trip with the team!
April 20, 2026 - The LSU Admin team surprised me today with the Roy A. and Karen Pickren Professorship in Extension Water Resources distinction. I am so grateful for this honor and appreciative of all the support I have received in my early career from the admin teams in the AgCenter and Sea Grant network. Additionally, I am thankful for the collaborations with colleagues, extension agents, and stakeholders that created opportunities to build the Water Quality Extension Lab with my students!
April 17, 2026 - An excellent showcase by the undergraduate researchers in our lab today at the LSU Discover Day poster session. Keana, Maddie, Ruth, and Jalayne all had posters displaying their various projects with the Water Quality Extension Lab.
April 13, 2026 - Congratulations to Keana Howard for receiving the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, an extremely prestigious honor for an undergraduate scientist! It has been wonderful having Keana in the lab with the team over the past two years, and we are eagerly looking forward to seeing where the next step in her academic journey takes her.
March 31, 2026 - Another great session in the Management Development Institute with our Cohort 5! This time we were at the Rice Research Station in Crowley learning about effective communication strategies.
March 27, 2026 - Congrats to Maddie Woodson for completing her Honors Capstone Thesis Defense! A big accomplishments to complete in her last semester at LSU.
March 23, 2026 - It is offically AgMagic Week for the LSU AgCenter! Check out the Water Quality Extension Lab's feature on Sources of Water in Agriculture.
March 20, 2026 - A big thanks to the American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) and Trey Pearson for letting me come speak at the annual meeting in Bioloxi! I presented on the Projects and Resources Available to Processors, promoted the program we have on campus for technical assistance, and showed the data from our recent black soldier fly study.
March 19, 2026 (Afternoon) - Thank you to the Louisiana Section of the Air and Water Management Association for inviting me to talk with their members and students about projects from our lab! My talk was focused on Connectivity of Science through Water and Waste. I appreciate Corey and Kelly support and help hosting the event and Keana for the invite as the faculty speaker.
March 19, 2026 (Morning) - A big thanks to the Hammond Research Station for letting me host our first Onsite Wastewater Installers Workshop of the year! It was a great turnout from the participants, and I appreciated all their active participation throughout the workshop!
March 10, 2026 - Another one installed! The Shimadzu TOC-L has been officially added to the lab. Our team will begin running samples and coupling with our fDOM and nutrient analyzers for a wide range of parameters!
March 5, 2026 - I had a great first session in the Management Development Institute with our Cohort 5! This will be an exciting process to leadership development. A big thank you to Ashley, Brandi, Cortni, and Dr. Soileau for hosting the class.
March 4, 2026 - Back-to-back weeks of guest lectures! Thank you to Nick Totaro and Debnath Maji for inviting me to their BE 2350 class to talk about applications of environmental sensors.
March 1, 2026 - The board is filling up quickly! I think there are a few more publications on the horizon...
February 25, 2026 - I had to dust off the teaching hat during my guest lecture on Monday and Wednesday this week! The most interesting part about being a faculty member is learning how applicable your field is to different areas. Pond fertilization is a common call from stakeholders, and this week, it was the topic of the RNR Principles of Aquaculture class.
February 24, 2026 - Our team is excited to share the recent release of our Stormwater Pond Factsheet Series! This series provides a wide range of information for navigating stormwater pond issues this spring. Thank you to everyone who helped make this series possible, including Carol and Greg (co-authors), and the Sea Grant team (Robert, Roy, and Kelli) for creating the formatting and supporting the review process! Take a look at the series here.
February 19, 2026 - A great day at the Hammond Research Station, presenting for this year's pesticide recertification course. Thanks, Damon and Colton, for the invite over to the workshop, and I hope the professionals enjoyed the chemistry talk!
January 30, 2026 - A big thank you to Lester and Andres at Bergeron’s Pecans for letting our team come check out the facility! It was a great opportunity to explore water and waste savings opportunities. Additionally, Dr. Karuna Kharel and her team provided valuable insights into food safety and process optimization.
January 15, 2026 - Dr. Bush and I recently completed a new series of factsheets on water quality parameters for the state. My undergraduate student, Ruth Nolan, did an outstanding job on her portion of the project, and the LSU AgCenter Communication team produced a wonderful display for the series. You can find them under the Publication → Extension tab above.
January 14, 2026 - Thank you, Rodney, and the entire Flower Foods team for welcoming our EPA P2 Program to your facility. Students from LSU and the Southern University AgCenter had the opportunity to see firsthand how a fan‑favorite bread is produced in one of the most sustainable manufacturing environments we’ve visited.
January 12, 2026 - Fast start to the new year with our second publication! Enamul did a great job with his deep dive into agricultural fDOM, setting the stage for our future projects. Check it out at https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5c13863.
January 9, 2026 - First publication of the year! Big thanks to Dr. Bappy and his student Jeimy Martinez De La Hoz for working working with our team to get a review paper for rural wastewater treatment together. Check it out at https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-025-02698-6.
January 6, 2026 - First post of the year! The January newsletter is hot off the press and includes a synopsis of the lab's final three months of 2025. Check it out under the Publication → Extension tab above.