Sustainable Development Research
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH AWARDS
ROUND #3 - CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Click Here to Access the Application Form
Proposals Due by June 1, 2024
Sustainable Development Research Awards Programs - Overview
In Spring 2023, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette awarded $40,800 in faculty research grants related to Sustainable Development - that is, research related to Social Inclusion, Environmental Protection or Economic Growth - and to the 17 United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative was a collaboration between 6 campus entities: Faculty Affairs (Dianne Olivier), the Graduate School (Mary Farmer-Kaiser and Philip de Mahy), the Office of Campus Diversity (Kiwana McClung) the Office of Sustainability (Gretchen Vanicor), Brian Bolton, Professor of Finance and the Dwight W. Andrus, Jr. / BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Finance and the Office for Research, Innovation & Economic Development.
This program has several key goals: (1) to celebrate the amazing research being done across the UL Lafayette campus, (2) to show how vital research on sustainable development is for Southern Louisiana and the Gulf Coast Region, and (3) to create a platform to share research and to encourage collaborations where faculty can help solve some of society's greatest challenges. This Program is expected to have at least 4 rounds of research and awards.
In Round #1 in Spring 2023, we rewarded 19 faculty projects. We identified 4 "Ambassadors," senior faculty who will take on additional responsibilities of leading this work going forward and 15 "Fellows." All 19 faculty presented their research at the 2024 Faculty Sustainable Development Research Summit on March 8, 2024. The full list of faculty award recipients and their research projects is provided below; links to the Summit Program and Slide Deck are also posted below.
In Round #2 in Spring 2024, we rewarded 22 graduate student projects with $2,000 each, for a total of $44,000 in awards. These 22 graduate students represent both Doctoral and Master programs from 13 different graduate programs across campus. All 22 students presented their research at the 2024 Graduate Student Sustainable Development Research Summit on April 12, 2024. The full list of graduate student recipients and their research projects is provided below; links to the Summit Program and Slide Deck are also posted below.
Round #3 launched in April 2024 and is open to all researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette - faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, professional staff, post-docs, leadership, anyone. Round #4 will be similar and will launch in April 2025. The Key Dates and Timeline for Round #3 is below:
- April 2024 - Call for Proposals launched
- June 1, 2024 - Proposals due, application window closes
- July 1, 2024 - Award decisions announced
- October 1, 2024 - Draft projects due
- Spring 2025 - Presentations at the 2025 Sustainable Development Research Summit
The 2024 Graduate Student Sustainable Development Research Award Recipients:
DOWNLOAD THE FULL SCHEDULE OF THE APRIL 12, 2024 GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH SUMMIT
Jahidul Alam English (Ph.D.)
Francis Bacon and Early Modern Environment: Exploring How Salomon’s House Refutes His Anthropocene
SDGs 6, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
Faculty Reference: Clancy Ratliff
Leticia Andrus Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)
Diversity Beyond Borders: A Literature Review of the Representation of International Students in Diversity Discourses in American Universities
SDGs 4, 8, 16, 17
Faculty Reference: Sebnem Cilesiz
Bipin Bastakoti Environmental Resource Science (M.S.)
Soil Health Degradation in the Vermilion-Teche Basin of Louisiana
SDGs 2, 8, 13, 15
Faculty Reference: Durga Poudel
Presious Batubo Earth and Energy Science (Ph.D.)
Analyzing Sedimentary Deposits to Reconstruct Medium-sized Paleo-Tsunami Using Deep Neural Networks
SDGs 9, 11
Faculty Reference: Gabriele Morra
Katarina Brankovic Francophone Studies (Ph.D.)
Building a Culture of Inclusivity, Diversity, and Accessibility: Advancing Sustainability at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
SDGs 4, 11, 16
Faculty Reference: Carol Landry
Markashia Brown Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)
What do we already know about the Financial Literacy of Women & First-Generation African-American Women Students
SDGs 4, 5, 8, 10
Faculty Reference: Amanda Mayeaux
Redeemer Buatsi Communication (M.S.)
Reporting Rape in the United States-A Content Analysis of Media Coverage of Rape in the State of Louisiana
SDGs 3, 5, 16
Faculty Reference: Patricia Holmes
Kirsten Cases Architecture (M.Arch)
Reacclimating Neglected Infrastructure Through Stabilizing Carbon Dynamics
SDGs 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17
Faculty References: Corey Saft & Olivia Pontiff
Link to Kirsten Cases' project on Adaptive Reuse
Allison Comeaux Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)
How Do Post-Secondary Disability Service Accommodations in the U.S. Impact Educational Attainment
SDGs 4, 16
Faculty Reference: Amanda Mayeaux
Anamika Das English (M.A.)
Application of Natural Semantic Metalanguage in Cross-Cultural Meaning Analysis: Comparing the Usage of Bangla Happy Greetings with American English
SDGs 4, 10, 16, 17
Faculty Reference: Mark Honegger
Shayan Ebrahimi Systems Engineering (Ph.D.)
Accelerating Decarbonization through Digital Twinning
SDGs 7, 9, 12
Faculty Reference: Farzad Ferdowsi
Kubiat George Engineering: Chemical (M.S.)
Synergistic effect of UV and Condensation on the Degradation of Carbon Black Reinforced EPON-IPD Thermosets with With Enthalpy Storage of Shape Memory
SDGs 2, 6, 9, 11
Faculty Reference: William Chirdon
Holly Heafner Environmental Resource Science (M.S.)
Environmental Inequities and Lead Toxicity: A Geospatial and Demographic Evaluation of Soil Contamination in Lafayette, LA
SDGs 3, 4, 10, 11, 16
Faculty Reference: Anna Paltseva
Atif Khan Engineering: Civil (M.S.)
Utilization of Sugarcane Bagasse Ash and Rice Husk Ash in Sustainable Construction Bricks
SDGs 7, 8, 9, 11, 12
Faculty Reference: Md. Jamal Khattak
Farooq Azam Khanzada Systems Engineering (Ph.D.)
Does Automated Enforcement at Signalized Intersections Truly Enhance Safety?
SDGs 11
Faculty Reference: Xiaoduan Sun
Deepak Jain Veerendra Kumar Systems Engineering (Ph.D.)
Advancing Soiling Loss Predictions in PV Systems with Enhanced Models
SDGs 7, 13
Faculty Reference: Terry Chambers
Tyrell Lassair Earth and Energy Science (Ph.D.)
Urban Agriculture as a Strategy to Increase Food Access and Alleviate Food Insecurity
SDGs 2, 3, 4
Faculty Reference: Anna Paltseva
Lillian Mambiri Systems Engineering (Ph.D.)
Bio-fabrication via Stereolithography of 4D Polycaprolactone-based Scaffolds for Osteogenesis, Angiogenesis and Tumor Mechanobiology
SDGs 1, 3, 10, 12
Faculty Reference: Dilip Depan
Mahpara Mashiyat Earth and Energy Science (Ph.D.)
Observations of Structural and Functional Changes in Mineral and Organic Soil Wetlands Caused by Saltwater Intrusion Events in Louisiana
SDGs 13, 14, 15
Faculty Reference: Jorge Villa
Tasnima Supty Biology (M.S.)
Impact of Childhood Adversity on Neuroinflammation: Exploring the Connections & Implications
SDGs 3, 4, 8, 11, 16
Faculty Reference: Karen Smith
Jon-Patric Veal Psychology (M.S.)
How Variations in Perspective Taking Can Mediate the Effects of Empathy on Implicit Racial Bias
SDGs 10, 16
Faculty Reference: Emily Sandoz
Renee Vincent English (Ph.D.)
When DNR Means 'Do Not Rescue': Hurricane Katrina and Medical Inequity within Disaster
SDGs 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17
Faculty Reference: David Squires
The 2023 Faculty Sustainable Development Research Award Recipients:
DOWNLOAD THE FULL SCHEDULE OF THE MARCH 8, 2024 FACULTY RESEARCH SUMMIT
DOWNLOAD THE FULL SLIDE-DECK OF THE MARCH 8, 2024 FACULTY RESEARCH SUMMIT (in PDF)
Faculty Ambassadors:
James Albert - Professor - Biology, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Documenting Body-Shape in Riverine Fishes
Sustainable Development Goals: 6, 15
Emad Habib - Professor - Civil Engineering, College of Engineering
Fostering Flood-Resilient Communities: Integrating Hydrodynamic Modeling, Socio-Economic Risk Assessment, and Inclusive Communication
SDGs: 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16
Liz Skilton - Associate Professor - History, College of Liberal Arts
The Sustainability of Coastal Restoration: Tracking Community Understandings of Restoration Projects at 5 or More Years
SDGs: 8, 11, 13, 14, 15
Heather Stone - Associate Professor - Educational Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education & Human Development
Isle of Memories: Stories of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw
SDGs: 4, 10, 16"
Link to Dr. Stone's film on this topic
Faculty Fellows:
Stephanie Arceneaux - Senior Instructor - LHC Group - Myers School of Nursing
Education of Nursing Students on Human Trafficking Improves Knowledge
SDGs: 5, 11
Emily Blosser - Assistant Professor - Sociology, College of Liberal Arts
Food for Thought: Exploring the Impact of Food on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals Using a Podcast
SDGs: 2, 3, 5, 10, 12, 13, 15
Ling Fei - Assistant Professor - Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
A 3D-Printed, Freestanding Si/Carbon Composite Lattice for Li-Ion Batteries
SDGs: 7, 11
Tori Flint - Associate Professor - Educational Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education & Human Development
Literacies Beyond Bars: (Re)claiming and (Re)imagining Identities Through Multimodal Family Literacy Practices
SDGs: 4, 16
Randy Gonzales - Associate Professor - English, College of Liberal Arts
Filipino Food, Louisiana Ingredients
SDGs: 2, 12
Liane Hancock - Associate Professor - Architecture, College of the Arts
Serving the Under-served: Building Resiliency for Manufactured Homes across the Coastal South
SDGs: 1, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17
Emily Kane - Assistant Professor - Biology, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
You’ll Never Look at a Roadside Ditch the Same After This! Small, Boring Fish Make a Big Impact on Pest Control
SDGs: 3, 5, 6, 11
Link to Dr. Kane's video on this research
Do Kyun David Kim - Professor - Communication, College of Liberal Arts
Measuring the Duration of Flood Risk Perception and Recommendations for Sustainable Development: Climate Change, Natural Disaster, and Community Education for Preparation
SDGs: 4, 10, 11, 13
Manyu Li - Assistant Professor - Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
Cultivating a Sense of Belonging for Inclusive and Equitable Education: From Research to Application
SDGs: 4, 10, 16
Nathan Roberts - Professor - Educational Foundations & Leadership, Education & Human Development
(with Marietta Adams, Aimee Barber & Amanda Mayeaux)
Lactation Policies and the K-12 Teacher Workforce: A Law and Policy Analysis to Determine a Model Policy to Encourage and Support the Recruitment and Retention of Female Teachers
SDGs: 3, 4, 5, 8
Emily Sandoz - Professor - Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
Promoting Appetitive Learning of Consensual, Empowered Vulnerability: A Contextual Behavioral Conceptualization of Intimacy
SDGs: 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, 17
David Squires - Assistant Professor - English, College of Liberal Arts
‘Proof That We Ever Was’: Exhibiting the Ernest J. Gaines Center Collections
SDGs: 4, 10, 16
Yu Wang - Assistant Professor - Chemistry, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Development of Novel Water Purification Materials for the Removal of Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)
SDGs: 6, 11
Christine Weill - Associate Professor - Communicative Disorders, College of Liberal Arts)
(With Ryan Nelson & Holly Damico)
Investigating Our Legacy: Twenty Years of Language and Literacy Projects in Southwest Louisiana
SDGs: 1, 4, 10
Yung-Hsing Wu - Professor - English, College of Liberal Arts
‘Reading Race with Oprah’: A Conference Panel
SDGs: 4, 5, 8, 16
Contacts:
Office of Academic Affairs
-
Dr. Dianne Olivier
- Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Office of Faculty Affairs
- Professor of Educational Foundations and Leadership
- dianne.olivier@louisiana.edu
The Graduate School
-
Dr. Mary Farmer-Kaiser
- Dean of the Graduate School
- Professor of History
- mary.farmer-kaiser@louisiana.edu
-
Dr. Philip de Mahy
- Assistant Dean of the Graduate School
- philip.demahy@louisiana.edu
Office for Campus Diversity
-
Kiwana McClung
- Chief Diversity Officer
- Professor of Architecture, SLEMCO / LEQSF Regents Professor in Art & Architecture II
- kiwana.mcclung@louisiana.edu
Office of Sustainability
-
Gretchen Vanicor
- Director of Sustainability
- gretchen.vanicor@louisiana.edu
Brian Bolton (brian.bolton@louisiana.edu)
This page is maintained by Brian Bolton, Professor of Finance and the Dwight W. Andrus, Jr. / BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Finance at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.