Gulf Scholars Program
The National Academies Gulf Scholars Program (GSP) aims to prepare undergraduate students from any major to address challenges and issues facing the gulf south region. LSU Gulf Scholars will participate in immersive projects, courses, excursions and activities focused on supporting people, ecosystems and industries in and around the Gulf of Mexico.
Learn More About the Program
As a Gulf Scholar, you are part of a cohort of LSU students across all majors working under a unified mission.
Gain confidence and learn new skills as you complete a 10-week, faculty-mentored Gulf Impact Project over the summer.
Participate in excursions and local activities to expand your knowledge of the gulf environment and communities.
Build a network of fellow students, faculty, and stakeholders to explore future opportunities in your field of interest.
We will host several Student Information Sessions throughout the semester at which students can learn about the program, how to apply, and ask questions.
If you are interested in applying to the program, we strongly encourage you to attend an info session.
Check back for Fall 2024 info session schedule!
Each summer, up to 25 students will be funded for a 10-week faculty-mentored research project centered on topics related to the gulf. Gulf Impact Project students will receive up to $6,000 in funding for wages, supplies, and travel related to their project. Students from any major are welcome to apply!
- Scholars will first be accepted into the program in the fall, and match with a Gulf Impact Project the following spring.
- The research department for the Gulf Impact Project you apply to does not have to be the same department that your major is in.
- While some travel may be required for your specific project, you will otherwise must be present in Baton Rouge for the summer.
Fall:
- Attend an info session
- Submit your application
- Applicant decisions made and notifications sent
Spring:
- Gulf Scholars programming begins
- Gulf Impact Projects determined
Summer:
- Complete Gulf Impact Projects
- Present your project at the Summer Showcase
- Continue work on projects, volunteering, and other activities
Gulf Impact Projects will be proposed and led by a faculty mentor.
Interested Faculty:
We are recruiting faculty mentors for Gulf Impact Projects for Summer 2025. We are looking for gulf-centric projects that either already have funding or are in need of funding.
Benefits of mentoring a Gulf Impact Project undergraduate student:
- High retention rates due to engagement with the greater cohort.
- Students receive additional training and knowledge through cohort workshops and seminars.
- Students have a demonstrated interest in the topic from the application process.
Students will get paid a minimum of $15 per hour and work up to 40 hours a week during the 10-week project.
If you are interested in mentoring a Gulf Impact Project, please submit a project proposal form.
If you have any questions, please contact us at gulfscholars@lsu.edu.
The Gulf Scholars Program at LSU is made possible through the National Academies' Gulf Research Program. The Gulf Scholars Program supports Gulf of Mexico region colleges and universities in preparing undergraduate students as the next generation to address critical challenges in the region related to the focus areas of the Gulf Research Program – community health and resilience, environmental protection and stewardship, and offshore energy safety. Participating schools will engage students from across the sciences, engineering, medicine, humanities, arts, and beyond to develop key competencies and mindsets necessary to address critical Gulf challenges.
Read more about the National Academies' Gulf Scholars Program.
Student | Major | Gulf Impact Project - Summer 2024 | Faculty Mentor |
Jay Bonilla Hernandez | Psychology | Callin’ Baton Rouge: 311 Class, Flooding, and Environmental Justice | Dr. Kevin Smiley |
Jack Bourgeois | Coastal Environmental Science | Louisiana Deltaic Estuaries: Sea Level Rise Sentinels | Dr. Cassandra Glaspie |
Frank Bussott | Coastal Environmental Science | Investigating Coastal Hydrology to Inform Restoration | Dr. Matt Hiatt |
Leslie Castaneda | Environmental Engineering | Establishing a Gulf Coast Restoration Germplasm Repository and Subsequent Nursery Propagation Area | Dr. Ed Bush |
Karrie Cheng | Mass Communication | Nuisance to Nutrients: Characterization of Aquaculture Processors' Wastewater Effluent for Utilization as Land-Applied Fertilizer | Dr. M.P. Hayes |
Emerson Eccles | Coastal Environmental Science | Integrating multiple threats to global sustainability | Dr. Brian Snyder |
Lauren Ejiaga | Psychology | Water quality and human health impacts of failing onsite sewer systems in coastal Louisiana | Dr. Aaron Bivins |
Jana Giles | Biological Sciences | Louisiana Deltaic Estuaries: Sea Level Rise Sentinels | Dr. Cassandra Glaspie |
Roan Guidry | Political Science | Characterizing 30 years of wetland restoration projects funded by Louisiana's CWPPRA Program | Dr. Andy Nyman |
Gavin Juge | Sociology | Callin’ Baton Rouge: 311 Class, Flooding, and Environmental Justice | Dr. Kevin Smiley |
Zachary Legier | Mechanical Engineering | Soft, tactile robotic gripper for marine sampling and monitoring | Dr. Robert Herbert |
Christopher Lowrey-Dufour | Coastal Environmental Science | Exploring Environmental Toxicity through EROD Activity | Dr. Jon Doering |
Mallory Miller | Natural Resource Ecology & Management | Linkages Among Limpkins, Apple Snails and Mussels | Dr. Sammy King |
William Morales | Computer Science | Documenting Spanish in Southern Louisiana: A Sociolinguistic Research Initiative | Dr. Rafael Orozco |
Victoria Nguyen | Natural Resource Ecology & Management | Genetic Diversity and Connectivity of Gulf Coast Birds | Dr. Nicholas Mason |
Jaylynn Powe | Studio Art | Callin’ Baton Rouge: 311 Class, Flooding, and Environmental Justice | Dr. Kevin Smiley |
Stephanie Procopio | Coastal Environmental Science | Carbon and nutrient biogeochemistry in coastal marshes | Dr. Songjie He |
Long Tran | Civil Engineering | Implementing Slow Street for Public Health and Destination Access Equity | Dr. Rebecca Bian |
Lauren Vogel | Natural Resource Ecology & Management | Using fatty acids and stable isotopes to identify trophic niche partitioning between crawfish and invasive apple sanils in crawfish ponds of Louisiana | Dr. Sydney Moyo |
Dan Vu | Microbiology | Phototaxis and Chemotaxis in Karenia brevis | Dr. Naohiro Kato |
Shalanda Warr | Studio Art | Freshwater Mussels of Louisiana Poster | Dr. Garrett Hopper |
Katherine Winchester | Computer Science | Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Gulf South Region Ecosystem Monitoring | Dr. Xiangyu Meng |
Name | Major / Degree | Gulf Impact Project - Summer 2023 | Faculty Mentor |
Joseph Brooks | Landscape Architecture | No Place Like LaPlace: A Green Infrastructure Network for Stormwater Management | Dr. Nicholas Serrano |
Jennifer Cagnolatti | Biological Sciences | Evaluation of Altered Nutrient Conditions on Algal Growth During Dynamic Co-Culture | Dr. Sibel Bartu-Ates |
Emma Carlo | B.A. Sociology - Fall 2023 | Callin’ Baton Rouge: 311 Calls, Flooding and Environmental Justice | Dr. Kevin Smiley |
Brooke Chouest | B.F.A. Studio Art - Spring 2024 | Blood in the Water, Water in the Lungs | Dr. Johanna Warwick |
Nonnie “Betsy” Cook | Coastal Environmental Science | Enabling Predictive Toxicology Assessments to Determine Whether Pollution is Contributing to the Decline of Sharks in the Gulf of Mexico and Beyon |
Dr. Jon Doering |
Alcina Costa | Computer Engineering | Callin’ Baton Rouge: 311 Calls, Flooding and Environmental Justice | Dr. Kevin Smiley |
Carlie Dutile | Biological Engineering | Synthesis and Characterization of Cobalt Complexes for the Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrite in Water |
Dr. Noemie Elgrishi |
Victor Gischler | Music | Louisiana: Sounds of the Coast | Dr. Brian Nabors |
Jamarion Johnson | Coastal Environmental Science | Vulnerability of Spartina patens Marshes to Sea-Level Rise | Dr. Tracy Quirk |
Jonathan Russell | Coastal Environmental Science | Are Increasing Global Sea Temperatures Linked to Changing Tropical Cyclone Induced Tornadic Distribution along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Coast? |
Dr. Robert Rohli |
Dakota Sievers | Coastal Environmental Science | Regenerating or Ghost Forest? A.E. LeBlanc Woods Natural Area | Dr. Linda Hooper-Bui |
Neil Tepper | B.A. Political Science - Spring 2024 | Callin’ Baton Rouge: 311 Calls, Flooding and Environmental Justice | Dr. Kevin Smiley |
Patricia Thibodeaux | Animal Sciences | Comparing Arthropod and Plant Communities Across Natural and Man-Made Brackish Marshes in Coastal Louisiana |
Dr. Michael Polito |
Landry Tucker | Chemistry | Sediment Core Analysis of a Well-Preserved Underwater Baldcypress Forest in the Northern Gulf of Mexico |
Dr. Kristine DeLong |
Treasure Wells | Psychology | The Louisiana Early Childhood Teachers Oral History Project | Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner |
Jameson Woodall | Coastal Environmental Science | Sedimentary History of the Mississippi River Pass-a-Loutre Outlet | Dr. Sam Bentley |
Apply to the Gulf Scholars Program
Applicant Requirements:
- Must have at least 3 semesters remaining as a full-time undergraduate (includes summer semester).
- For summer Gulf Impact Projects: Must be enrolled as a full-time student the following fall semester.
- Must have a minimum 2.5 college GPA.
- Must be in good standing with the University.
The Gulf Scholars Program is not accepting new student applicants at this time.
Applications were due November 1st, 2023. Check back next fall for the next round of undergraduate student applications!
Check out some of the engaging activities and trips the Gulf Scholars participate in!
LSU GSP Leadership Team
- Dr. Linda Hooper-Bui: Professor, Environmental Sciences
- Dr. Jacqueline Bach: Vice Provost of Academic Programs & Support Services; Interim Director, LSU Discover; Elena and Albert LeBlanc Professor, English Education & Curriculum Theory
- Dr. Clint Willson: Director, Center for River Studies; Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; The Water Institute of the Gulf
- Dr. Debbie Goldgaber: Director, LSU Ethics Institute; Associate Professor and Section Head, Philosophy
- Dr. Margaret Reams: Associate Director for Community Engagement, LSU Institute for Energy Innovation; Joseph D. Martinez Professor of Environmental Sciences
- Sarah Ferstel: Associate Director, LSU Discover
- Ella Magerl: Program Coordinator
- Jamarion Johnson: Undergraduate Program Assistant