College of Engineering

BATON ROUGE, LA — Add an Integrative Community Studies (ICS) program partnership to the growing list of LSU teams that win for Louisiana and the world. For the second year in a row, ICS program faculty and staff have won an influential federal grant competition award. The latest funding - $2.2 million over 5 years – comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s Model Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID).

Inspired by her family and culture, Karla Iraheta left her home state of California to become an LSU Tiger, the first in her family to attend college. Iraheta grew up in Los Angeles, and was considering attending several in-state universities, but found herself being drawn out-of-state to LSU.

When a broken access panel clip threatened to delay repairs on campus, the LSU Facility Services team turned the challenge into an opportunity to innovate. Unable to source a replacement part, the team decided to create one themselves. Within minutes, Aaron Cherry, Facility Maintenance Manager, created a computer model of the damaged component. Natale Nappi, Superintendent of the Roofing and Sheet Metal department, used the model to reproduce the part using a 3D printer he keeps at home. The next day, the new clip was installed, and the hatch was fully operational again.