For years, the partners in MPT Homes followed the same formula as everyone else elevating homes along the flood-prone coasts of Louisiana and Florida, jacking up the houses and placing them on stacks of concrete blocks. But Tony Monk, James Packer and Robert Turner wanted a stronger support system, one made of steel, that could withstand the increasingly severe flooding and hurricanes. "There wasn't much, if any, steel foundation construction taking place. The materials, labor and equipment can cost more. Then James figured out a better way: a design that interlocks the steel without fasteners. No nuts, bolts or screws," said Tony Monk Jr., MPT senior executive partner.

Early on the morning of Aug. 29, 2005, the flood waters from Hurricane Katrina cascaded into the Murphy Oil Refinery in Chalmette. An above-ground storage tank holding 65,000 barrels of oil stood in the water's path. The oil alone weighed 19.5 million pounds, but the flood surge easily shrugged aside the tank. It ruptured, and oil poured into the surrounding neighborhood. More than 1,700 homes were damaged. Cleanup and damages cost Murphy Oil around $500 million. Sabarethinam Kameshwar, an assistant professor in LSU's Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, wants to make sure these kinds of spills never happen again. He is working on software to create a tank anchoring system, and his 2023 I-Corps IdeaLaunch training is helping him turn his idea into a business.

Cremmjoy's soft serve ice cream and frozen confections technology is roughly 18 months away from hitting the commercial market, company officials said, and disrupting a billion-dollar global industry whose technology remains frozen in time.