News from LSU Engineering
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LSU Researchers Awarded $1.5 Million to Advance Worldwide Access to High-Performance Computing
LSU researchers have been awarded a $1.5 million Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems, or POSE, grant from the National Science Foundation to advance the ecosystem surrounding HPX, a software library developed at LSU. Their goal is a fast and energy-efficient solution to increase worldwide access to high-performance computing. Lack of access and performance currently limits the success and usefulness of emerging technologies, such as AI and machine learning, and computational modeling in almost every field.
LSU CS Alumna Presented With Bengal Impact Award
The LSU Division of Computer Science & Engineering recently presented Alaina Metz Smith with the 2025 Hall of Distinction Bengal Impact Award in recognition of her outstanding service, professional guidance, and unwavering commitment to supporting LSU and its students.
LSU ECE Professor's Paper Accepted Into Prestigious AAAI Conference
LSU Electrical & Computer Engineering Associate Professor Xiangwei Zhou recently had his paper, titled "DualGFL: Federated Learning with a Dual-Level Coalition-Auction Game," accepted into the 2025 AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, an annual event that brings together researchers, practitioners, and industry leaders to share cutting-edge advancements in AI.
Energy, Cyber Win: Idaho National Lab Solidifies Research Partnership with LSU
March 25, 2025 BATON ROUGE — LSU and Battelle Energy Alliance, the company that manages Idaho National Laboratory (INL), have agreed to collaborate in areas of mutual interest, including cybersecurity and advanced nuclear technology, under a memorandum of understanding, or MOU. The MOU to be signed on Friday, March 28 aims to accelerate technology and talent development in Louisiana for the nation. This is the first formal partnership between a national lab and a university in Louisiana.
LSU PETE Senior Accepts Job Offer From BP
LSU Petroleum Engineering senior Jackson Dreffs is just a few months away from graduating and moving to Houston where he will start his new job as a wells engineer with BP (formerly British Petroleum). For the past four years at LSU, Dreffs has known what he wanted to do and will start off making a handsome salary in the oil and gas industry, which is also bringing him closer to his hometown of McKinney, Texas.
Shaping the Future: How LSU’s Jyotsna Sharma is Transforming Engineering and STEM
Jyotsna Sharma, research specialist and field engineer, has built a career in petroleum engineering and higher education. As a successful woman in a male-dominated field, she is currently an associate professor in the LSU College of Engineering, using her industry experience to shape the next generation of engineers, as well as inspiring women in STEM fields.
LSU Engineering Researchers Develop RESCUE Plan
As climate change continues to increase the frequency and severity of natural disasters, the resilience of power grids has become a critical concern--especially in disaster-prone areas like New Orleans. Ensuring that energy systems can withstand and recover from disruptions is essential for maintaining public safety and economic stability. Thanks to a $500,000 grant from the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation, LSU Engineering researchers have developed The Resilience and Equity in Smart Community-Utility Energy Planning (RESCUE) project that aims to address these challenges by developing innovative community-aware strategies for energy resilience and equitable resource distribution.
LSU Celebrates Six Rainmakers
Six LSU faculty members have been selected as Rainmakers by the LSU Council on Research based on their outstanding scholarship and creative activity within their respective ranks and disciplines. The Rainmaker awards recognize sustained work with high impact, often in alignment with LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda to improve lives in Louisiana and across the world.
LSU's "AI in Action" Symposium Highlights Louisiana's Leap into the Future of Artificial Intelligence
The LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business recently hosted "AI in Action: Leading in Louisiana Industries," a symposium exploring the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) across key sectors of the Louisiana economy. Held on February 21, 2025, at the Lod Cook Hotel & Conference Center, the event brought together industry leaders, policymakers, academics, and entrepreneurs to discuss the opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations of integrating AI into Louisiana's future.
LSU CSE Junior Accepts Internship With Blue Origin
As a middle-schooler, LSU Computer Science junior Jamar Whitfield dreamed of going to outer space. This summer, he will have the opportunity to help others do just that when he interns as a Software Applications Engineer at Blue Origin, the space technology company founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Winning in Every Field: Andrew Garon
For LSU swimmer Andrew Garon, success is all about discipline, whether he’s powering through a grueling swim practice or debugging a complex circuit. As a computer engineering major, Garon balances both his academic ambitions with his athletic pursuits in the pool.
LSU Leaders Tour Morgan City Facility to Explore Coastal Resilience Innovations
MORGAN CITY - Louisiana State University (LSU) leaders toured an advanced manufacturing facility in Morgan City to explore cutting-edge coastal solutions. Operated by Natrx in partnership with Danos, the facility produces ExoForms™—also known as “Cajun Coral”—an innovative, nature-based technology designed to enhance habitat growth and ecological restoration.
LSU Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Earns PhD with Above-Ground Storage Tank Research
This year marks 20 years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita impacted South Louisiana, forever changing the area's landscape and exposing engineering failures that contributed to the catastrophic flooding. These floodwaters not only caused levees to collapse, but also lifted above-ground storage tanks (ASTs) off of their foundation, causing them to float and collide with other objects, leading to oil leaks and spills. LSU Civil & Environmental Engineering PhD graduate Md Manik Mia researched the performance of ASTs during flood events and came up with improvements to the tanks that would protect them from leakage and, in turn, protect the environment and industry.
LSU College of Engineering's Division of Computer Science and Engineering Assembles All-Star Team as Advisory Board
The LSU College of Engineering's Division of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) has assembled an all-star team of industry leaders and innovators to form its new advisory board. This distinguished group brings a wealth of experience, strategic vision, and technical expertise that will undoubtedly shape the future of the division, enhancing its reputation and impact on the national stage.
LSU PETE Professor Receives IEI Grant for Hydrogen Storage Sites Research
LSU Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering Associate Professor Mehdi Zeidouni recently received an LSU Institute for Energy Innovation grant for his research on underground hydrogen storage sites in Louisiana with the help of Southern University PTEC Program Lead Vahid Atashbari.
$9.575 Million Gift Will Further Elevate LSU Initiatives to Create Educational Access, Strengthen Louisiana’s Economy and Support Veterans and ROTC
A $9.575 million gift from the William A. Brookshire Foundation will establish the William A. Brookshire ROTC Scholarship, support the new LSU Construction & Advanced Manufacturing Building, and strengthen the LSU College of Engineering’s S&B Engineers and Constructors Scholarship, LSU’s Future Scholars Program and the William A. Brookshire Veterans Law Clinic.
LSU BAE Professor Receives CAP Award for Cardiovascular Research With OLOL
LSU Biological & Agricultural Engineering Assistant Professor Bruno Rego recently received a Collaboration in Action Program (CAP) Award from LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Health (OLOL) for his proposal to leverage electronic health records and advanced image processing to identify and address disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of heart valve disease.
LSU CSE Welcomes New Professor
LSU's Division of Computer Science and Engineering is proud to welcome their newest faculty member Reza Ghaiumy Anaraky to Patrick F. Taylor Hall. Anaraky hales from New York University, where he spent the last two years as a postdoctoral scholar and successfully acquired industry funding to support his research at the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), intersection of information privacy, and aging.
Dr. Seung Ihl Kam Receives Worley Professor of Excellence Award
Dr. Seung Ihl Kam has been named the recipient of the Worley Professor of Excellence Award. Dr. Kam’s recognition came during LSU’s Women’s Basketball game against Murray State in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and was presented by Justin Guercio, Worley Baton Rouge Manager of Engineering and Carole Walker, Senior Associate Director for Women’s Basketball at the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes.
Dr. Ali Kazemian Receives Worley Professor of Excellence Award
Dr. Ali Kazemian has been named the recipient of the Worley Professor of Excellence Award. Dr. Kazemian’s recognition came during LSU’s Men’s Basketball game against Arkansas in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and was presented by Daniel Loup, Vice President of Operations at Worley Baton Rouge, and Walt Holliday, Executive Director of the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes.
Li Publishes Paper on Shape Memory Polymers, Book on Lightweight Structures Imminent
LSU Mechanical Engineering Professor Guoqiang Li's paper introducing a new material model for shape memory polymers (SMPs) has been published in the prestigious Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids. Additionally, he is the co-author of a book to be released next month, titled "Artificial Intelligence Assisted Structural Optimization."
How We Monitor Infrastructure Could Change Thanks to LSU Civil, Environmental Engineering Professor
The country's aging infrastructure has long been an issue and presents a number of problems, including accurately understanding its viability. Existing sensors and structural health monitoring (SHM) approaches have limitations, such as high costs, limited durability, compatibility issues, and frequent maintenance needs. However, LSU Civil and Environmental Engineering Assistant Professor Yen-Fang Su believes there is a promising alternative in the form of self-sensing cementitious composites (SSCCs) due to their sensing performance, compatibility with concrete structures, and relative lower costs.
LSU Researchers Create Low-Cost Method to Recycle Plastic
LSU researchers have created a new, low-cost way to break down plastic, a potential breakthrough that could save billions of dollars and eliminate billions of tons of plastic pollution.
CEE's Mohammad Appointed to Editorship of ASCE Publication
LSU Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Louay Mohammad has been selected to serve as co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering (JMCE), a publication of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
LSU Construction Management Professor Developing Occupant-Centric Energy Management System
Thermostat wars are not just limited to the home; they are also common in office environments and can result in negative outcomes like adversely affecting worker productivity and driving up energy costs unnecessarily.