LaSSO Undergraduate Research Project Funded
A Louisiana Sea Grant/Louisiana Space Grant (LSG/LaSPACE) collaboration will fund an undergraduate research project beginning this fall. The joint program, called Louisiana Space and Sea Grant Opportunity (LaSSO), is modeled after similar, long-established undergraduate research programs at both LSG and LaSPACE.
LSG will fund a project titled: Quantifying the Role of the Brown Ocean Effect on Landfalling Tropical Systems and Associated Severe Weather Risks along the Louisiana Coast
The principal investigator is Robert Rohli, professor in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University. Jonathan Russell, an undergraduate student in the College of Coast and Environment, is the student researcher.
The project focuses on quantifying the “brown ocean effect” (BOE) that looks at latent heat release from soil in the Louisiana coastal wetlands. The BOE is hypothesized to support and enhance tropical system intensity. The researchers will use computational modeling techniques to identify possible connections between BOE and severe tropical systems. Utilizing this data can help to predict future impacts from storms and promote infrastructural improvements in coastal Louisiana to promote resiliency.
Each LaSSO project receives $4,500 in funding. LaSSO is directed at science and engineering students who are working on projects in research areas deemed a priority by both the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The intent of LaSSO is to supplement and enhance the undergraduate academic curriculum by providing science/engineering students with a hands-on, mentored research experience relevant to space, earth, coastal and/or marine sciences.