LSU Is Committed to the Louisiana Coast

More than 200 LSU faculty are dedicated to coastal research — the largest group of experts focused on the coast and environment in Louisiana. Our expertise spans from basic research to computer modeling and includes sustainable design, community resiliency, geology and educational outreach. Read on to learn more about LSU's committment to preserve the Louisiana coast. 

College of the Coast and Environment

College of the Coast & Environment is a dynamic player in the effort to understand, save and restore coastal wetlands and the environment. An interdisciplinary faculty of national and international stature leads research in state-of-the-art laboratories, out in Louisiana’s unique natural landscape and around the world. Students and faculty work on the most pressing environmental issues today including coastal land loss, sea level rise, hurricanes and climate change.

Coastal Studies Institute

Our primary research goal is to develop scientific knowledge, engineering principles, and planning tools to facilitate a resilient human presence on deltaic coasts, which are threatened world-wide 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.

Coastal Sustainability Studio

The CSS approach centers on supporting resilient human communities in the dynamic Gulf of Mexico environment. These communities face tremendous challenges, many of which are not being solved because the various disciplines alone cannot cope with the complexity and enormity of the problems. CSS was created as a trans-disciplinary institute for this reason. We work to envision and design sustainable systems that reduce vulnerability to increased storm strength, coastal hazards, habitat degradation, and global environmental change.

Louisiana Sea Grant College Program

Louisiana Sea Grant promotes stewardship to the cultural, economic, and environmental health of Louisiana’s coastal zone through a combination of research, education, and outreach programs. Based at LSU, it is part of the National Sea Grant Program, a network of 33 programs located in each of the coastal and Great Lakes states and Puerto Rico. Sea Grant Programs work individually and in partnership to address major marine and coastal challenges.

Center for River Studies

The LSU Center for River Studies is located at on The Water Campus in Baton Rouge. The center houses the Lower Mississippi River Model, one of the largest moving bed physical models in the world designed to simulate the Mississippi River’s depth, sediment and flow. The physical model is used in conjunction with computer modeling to make informed decisions about the best way to sustain coastal Louisiana.

Center for Coastal Resiliency

The LSU Center for Coastal Resiliency (CCR) is focused on the advancement and application of computational hydrodynamic and hydrologic models to include overland flow, river discharge, tides, wind-waves, and hurricane storm surge. CCR research and outreach activities target the northern Gulf of Mexico with particular focus on Louisiana as well as Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle.

Research & Economic Development

The Office of Research & Economic Development supports the LSU research enterprise. More than 1,000 research projects are underway at LSU at any given time. Faculty apply their expertise to address real-world issues from coastal preservation to the energy economy. LSU research focus areas are in coast and environment, materials science, energy, high-performance computing, biotechnology and biomedical research, communication and individual behavior and community context.