President tate's scholarship first agenda
Coast
Opportunity
LSU is one of 34 federally designated sea-grant universities in the nation, reflecting our important role in enhancing the practical use and conservation of coastal and marine resources to support a sustainable economy and environment. LSU has more coastal experts than any other institution in Louisiana. Their multidisciplinary expertise and collaboration are essential to addressing the current and deepening advancing knowledge necessary to prepare coastal residents and industry for short-, intermediate-, and long-term environmental changes.
Importance
Natural disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity. This is especially felt in Louisiana, where the state is simultaneously experiencing coastal land loss and sea level rise, a phenomenon that will be experienced by other world deltas in the coming decades. With these changes felt by nearly all residents in Louisiana, LSU has developed the expertise to advance solutions that will impact communities worldwide. As the university continues its journey to advance knowledge about these challenges, our work is guiding the ways for others who are facing similar challenges.
Vision
LSU is solving coastal problems experienced by Louisianans today, with a focus on hurricanes, flooding, land loss, and sea-level rise. Consistent with our charge as the state’s sea-grant university, LSU will:
- Recruit new faculty and provide critical equipment upgrades to advance research capacity and productivity
- Build upon existing areas of strength to achieve scalable solutions
- Strengthen our state's position as a global leader in collaborative coastal research
Impact
Coastal Research in Action
LSU and Tulane are leading the Mississippi River Delta Transition Initiative to chart a new course for the future of the region where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico, an area both crucial to commerce and among the most vulnerable in the world.
Archaeologists from LSU and the University of Texas at Tyler, led by LSU Alumni Professor Heather McKillop, have excavated the earliest known ancient Maya salt works in southern Belize, uncovering an extensive pattern of sites that include “salt kitchens.”
For 15 years, the LSU Superfund team has been protecting communities from pollution and leading the worldwide science on environmentally persistent free radicals.
Explore All Five Priorities
LSU has aligned core areas of strength and potential strength with Louisiana’s most important challenges and opportunities.