LSU College of Science

09/01/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Zakiya S. Wilson-Kennedy on being selected as one of LSU’s representatives in the 2026–27 Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program (SEC ALDP)! 🎉

The SEC ALDP prepares and advances faculty for leadership roles across the SEC and higher education. We’re proud to see Dr. Wilson-Kennedy recognized for her leadership potential and look forward to all she’ll bring to this year’s cohort! 💜💛

09/01/2026

08/31/2026

Congratulations to the recipients of the Neil and Arlene Kestner College of Science Superior Graduate Student Scholarship! 🎉

The scholarship recognizes graduate students for their achievements and promise in materials science. It honors the late LSU Professor Emeritus Neil Kestner, a pioneer in theoretical physical and computational chemistry whose influential work on electron transfer was recognized by Rudolph “Rudy” Marcus during his 1992 Nobel Prize acceptance speech. Kestner was inducted into the LSU College of Science Hall of Distinction in 2017.

This year’s recipients are:
▪️Thimira Kandabadage Don, Chemistry PhD student, Baranets Research Group
▪️ Mohammed Mehedi Hasan, Physics PhD student, Magana-Loaiza Research Group
▪️ Md. Abdullah Al Mahmud, Chemistry PhD student, Pojman Research Group

Congratulations to these outstanding graduate students!

LSU Department of Chemistry LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy
Thimira Kavinda, Abdullah Al Mahmud, & Mehedi Hasan

08/31/2026

Congratulations to Gayomi Samarakoon, a PhD student in the LSU Department of Chemistry and a member of the Baranets Research Group, on receiving the Adah Proctor Sturgis Graduate Scholarship in Chemistry and Biochemistry!

The scholarship recognizes graduate students for their achievements and promise in chemistry and biochemistry. It honors Adah Proctor Sturgis, a trailblazing chemist who worked for the Ethyl Corporation. Her grandson, LSU alumnus Dr. Erich Sturgis, helped establish the scholarship to honor his grandmother and pioneering women in science.

Congratulations, Gayomi!

08/28/2026

From fins to feet! 🐟➡️👣

Dr. Prosanta Chakrabarty from the LSU Museum of Natural Science took Science Café on a 400-million-year journey through evolution and the surprising story of animals learning to walk.

08/28/2026

Hubble’s sharp vision, but a field of view at least 100 times larger! 🚀

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope will survey huge areas of the sky much faster, opening new possibilities for finding planets, studying stars and uncovering black holes hiding near the center of the Milky Way.

LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy Professor Matthew Penny has spent more than a decade helping prepare for Roman. Now, he’s ready to see what the real data will reveal.

And he’s not the only LSU scientist getting ready for what comes next. Professors Tabetha Boyajian and Robert Hynes, along with postdoctoral researcher Himanshu Verma, are also leading projects in Roman’s first research cycle. In all, four of five LSU-led proposals were selected for funding, spanning research on planets, stars and black holes. 🔭

🔗 Read more: https://www.lsu.edu/science/news/science-next/2026/08/roman-telescope.php

LSU Research

08/27/2026

We were excited to welcome Dr. Joseph P. Messina, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, to the LSU College of Science! During his visit, Dr. Messina toured the new Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building, met with college and department leadership, and connected with faculty and staff. Thank you for visiting! 💜💛

08/27/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Víctor García-López, assistant professor from the LSU Department of Chemistry on receiving an NSF CAREER Award! 🎉

Dr. García-López will study how light-responsive molecular machines can reshape lipid membranes and control their electrical properties. The research could help lay the foundation for bioinspired materials that emulate aspects of learning and memory while providing interdisciplinary training for LSU students and expanding STEM outreach across Louisiana.

🔗 Read more: https://www.lsu.edu/science/news/2026/08/career-garcia-lopez.php

08/26/2026

Kicking off our Fall Research Series! What can rocks tell us about the chemistry of our planet? A lot! 🌎🪨

Meet Crystal Luna, an NSF GRFP Fellow and Ph.D. candidate in LSU Geology & Geophysics. Her research focuses on hard rock geochemistry, using samples from the Pito Deep Rift to investigate how minerals form and how Earth's crust changes through magmatic and hydrothermal processes.

Her work is helping scientists better understand the chemical exchanges connecting Earth's rocks, oceans and atmosphere, and the processes that contribute to our planet's habitability.🔬

08/25/2026

🚨 Speaker update!
Tonight’s LSU Science Café will now feature Dr. Prosanta Chakrabarty, E.K. Hunter Chair and Professor in the LSU Department of Biological Sciences and Director and Curator of Fishes at the LSU Museum of Natural Science.

Dr. Chakrabarty will present “Look Who’s Walking Too: A 400-Million-Year-Old Case of Convergent Evolution.” Join us for a fascinating look at 400 million years of evolutionary history!

📅 Tuesday, August 25, 2026
⏰ 5–7 PM
📍 Pastime Restaurant

Presented by LSU ORED
Learn more: https://www.lsu.edu/research/events/science_cafe/index.php