College of Science Media Center  

The LSU Mass Spectrometry Facility (MSF) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facility, key research resources at LSU, are expanding their capabilities thanks to a $69,199 enhancement grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents. This funding will improve sample preparation and add variable-temperature features for NMR, streamlining workflows and enhancing research quality.

Three LSU College of Science faculty members—Amy Xu, Sviatoslav Baranets, and Nick Mason—have been awarded the National Science Foundation’s prestigious CAREER Award. This award supports early-career faculty with the potential to serve as academic role models and lead advancements in research and education. NSF’s most competitive grant for junior faculty, the CAREER Program, provides five years of funding to establish a strong foundation for a lifetime of leadership, furthering LSU’s mission of innovation and scientific excellence.

LSU graduate student Juliana Damasceno has been named a National Geographic Explorer to investigate the ecological relationship between ant-following birds and army ants in the Amazon. Her research will explore how these birds use olfactory cues to track army ant colonies for food, providing new insights into the role of scent in avian foraging behavior.

With a new $1.8 million NIH grant, LSU’s Juhee Haam is investigating how rhythmic brain waves in the entorhinal cortex help transform experiences into long-term memories. The work could help explain why Alzheimer’s patients struggle with forming new memories long before old ones fade.

Gregory Thom, Curator of Genetic Resources at the LSU Museum of Natural Science, has received a $1.16 million NSF Collaborative Research grant to build the most complete evolutionary family tree of parrots to date. Parrots are among the most threatened groups of birds, and by sequencing DNA from nearly every known species and subspecies, the project will clarify their evolutionary relationships and support conservation efforts. The team will also develop genetic barcodes to help identify trafficked birds, in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Selenium is a naturally occurring element that’s essential in small amounts but toxic at higher levels. In marine environments—particularly in coastal regions like Louisiana—it can accumulate in sediments and enter the food chain, posing risks to the seafood industry and public health. Associate Professor Achim Herrmann is studying how changes in ocean oxygen levels affect selenium’s movement through these ecosystems, helping to predict and manage its impact on local environments and economies.

Parking may seem like a mundane frustration until you’re circling a packed lot, running late, and wondering why no one has solved this yet. At LSU, Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy Dr. Manos Chatzopoulos is tackling that very problem by turning his astrophysics expertise into practical technology. Using the same computational tools he applies to simulate massive cosmic explosions, Chatzopoulos co-founded ParkZen, a smartphone-based app that helps people find available parking spaces in real time—no infrastructure required.

Each spring, National Wildlife Week reminds us to reconnect with nature, celebrate its resilience, and honor those working to protect it. This year, we shine a spotlight on Daniel Sinopoli, a Ph.D. candidate of the Department of Biological Sciences, working in the Chakrabarty Lab at the LSU Museum of Natural Science, whose passion for fish and commitment to biodiversity are helping redefine our understanding of North America’s freshwater wildlife.

For the Ventress family, LSU is more than just a university—it’s a legacy of learning, passion, and community. Mark Ventress, DDS, an LSU alumnus, has built a thriving career in dentistry. Today, his daughter, Ava Ventress, follows in his footsteps as a junior in the College of Science, majoring in Biological Sciences with aspirations of becoming a dentist herself. Their journey reflects not only a shared career path but also a deep connection to the LSU experience. As Ava continues her academic journey, she remains eager to explore the different specialties within dentistry. Inspired by her father’s dedication to patient care and community service, she hopes to not only build a successful career but also use her skills to make a positive impact—perhaps through mission work or by pioneering new advancements in dental health. "I want to help people in a meaningful way, just like my dad has," she says.