Where are they now?

Where are our Undergraduate Researcher now and how did LSU Discover affect their endeavors?

Please contact us at lsudiscover@lsu.edu if you wish to be included with the other LSU Discover Alumni or if there is information that needs to be changed.

Austin (Chunfeng) Lu

Austin (Chunfeng) Lu graduated from LSU in Spring 2020 with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture. He’s currently pursuing a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture at Harvard University.

“My undergraduate research was in landscape architecture design, which focuses on creating more connected and accessible public spaces in different communities. I was able to develop my interest during my research at LSU. I also improved my written and verbal communication skills through participating in the activities prepared by the undergraduate research program, which laid the foundation for me to research climate change and sustainability at graduate school."

Dwayne N. Hinton

Dwayne N. Hinton graduated from LSU in December 2019, with full college honors from Ogden Honors College, with three degrees: BA in Anthropology, BAMC in Journalism, and BIS (Interdisciplinary Studies) in Geographic Information Systems, Psychology, and Sociology. Before his 2019 graduation in LSU Mr. Hinton received two Associates Degrees from Baton Rouge Community College in AALT (Social Sciences) and ASLT (Biology). Mr. Hinton is currently a Graduate Assistant in the School of Geography & Anthropology and is pursuing a Masters degree at LSU in Anthropology.

“Undergraduate research in general, and the D.U.R.P. specifically, helped me by giving me a platform from which to speak about my research endeavors. This platform included numerous workshops which helped me understand poster design and create better scientific posters for conferences, and to practice public speaking prior to attending conferences. All of this experience combined, enables me to confidently participate in conferences both in-person and online.”

Anna Lucchesi

Anna Lucchesi graduated from LSU in 2019 with a degree in Biological Science with a Marine Concentration. Ms. Lucchesi is currently working for the Houston Health Department. She was on the frontlines as a member of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team and helped meet the standards of a 24-hour turnaround time for PCR based testing. It has since sparked a new interest to work with infectious diseases.

“Undergraduate Research at LSU has given me the experience I needed to be able to hit the ground running during this desperate time in the world. I would have never imagined that my first job out of college would land me in a position responding to a global pandemic. With the skills I have developed in the lab at LSU, it has given me the valuable work experience I needed in order to have earned the role that I currently occupy. With that being said, my time at LSU has taught me to never limit myself with only one area of interest; the sky’s the limit!”

Jonathan Lambert

Jonathan Lambert graduated from LSU in 2014 with dual degrees in Coastal Environmental Science (B.S.) and Biological Sciences – Marine Concentration (B.S.). He’s currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences with a focus on paleoclimatology/paleoceanography at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.

“My undergraduate research was in paleotempestology and was a great introduction into my current field, which focuses on reconstructing past climate. It helped me realize that I enjoy spending time in the lab and seeking answers to scientific questions. I also developed valuable writing and communications skills through my thesis and by presenting my research at conferences and at the LSU Discover Day. I also realized that research can be very intense and all-consuming and wisely (I think) took a break before grad school to see if I would rather other lines of work…but I discovered that I missed the fast-paced, hands-on world of scientific research.”

Brittany Craft

Brittany Craft graduated from LSU in 2016 with a B.S. in Nutrition & Food Sciences, Concentration in Dietetics and a minor in Business Administration. She’s currently working at Ochsner Health System as a Eat Fit Northshore Marketing and Operations Dietitian where she works with restaurants to help develop/identify healthy options right on the menu.

“Undergraduate research helped me with public speaking, project management, and organization skills. I learned how to break projects into smaller pieces and make a plan to complete all stages. A large part of my job now is open-ended and I have to manage my time and energy well.”

Matthew Landry

Matthew Landry graduated from LSU in 2015 with a B.S. in Nutrition and Food Sciences. He finished his PhD in Nutritional Science at The University of Texas at Austin in 2019.

“Undergraduate research helped expose me to the population of individuals that I work with and conduct research on. I was able to realize my interest in working with marginalized populations that are disproportionately impacted by health disparities.”

Jackson Voss

Jackson Voss graduated from LSU in 2014 with a B.A. in Political Science. He’s currently working in Washington, D.C. as a professional Staff Member for Ranking Member Gary Peters on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs.

“My undergraduate research prepared me first for graduate school, and then for my current career in the U.S. Senate where I help craft legislation and inform my boss on issues coming up for votes. It gave me skills in critical thinking and analysis and pushed me to be creative in problem solving, all of which are essential to my job now”

Rory Boothe

Rory Boothe graduated from LSU in 2016 with a B.A. in English. He’s currently working on a PhD in Bloomington, Indiana, at Indiana University and is also a script writer for the NPR segment A Moment of Science.

“The benefits of my undergraduate research materialized primarily in the education I received in how to project myself as the person as well as the professional I sought to be. I mean that only with the guidance of a mentor could I discover the fundamental importance of the people at the center of the professional field itself. The specialized knowledge I acquired doing undergraduate research was constructive and essential, but the chance to work with a mentor who I could understand as a real person as well as a professional to emulate became a kind of permission for someone like me to do this kind of work—and also live a fulfilling life otherwise. This helped me come to terms with the notion that my professional life must hang together with my other lives because they are complementary but separate. This notion has been my foundation during times when graduate school has challenged, overwhelmed, and changed me.”

Monica Music

Monica Music graduated from LSU in 2019 in the College of Music & Dramatic Arts. She’s currently pursuing a Masters of Music in Vocal Performance at Rice University.

“My undergraduate research has opened the door to attending this prestigious university, and I am confident that the skills and knowledge I acquired while researching at LSU will allow me to thrive at Rice. A large part of my research was language study, and I have continued to study Italian. As part of the program at Rice University, I will receive an all expense paid trip to Italy to continue my language study! LSU Discover encouraged me to broaden the horizons of my research and go where I never knew I could!”

Jacob Irving

Jacob Irving graduated from LSU in 2014 in Mass Communication with a focus in Political Communication, and, in 2018, he graduated from LSU Law school with a Juris Doctorate. He’s currently a Louisiana compliance lawyer for Ilera Holistic Healthcare, a licensed medical marijuana producer.

“There were no medical marijuana laws when I started working on this. Doing undergraduate research prepared me for taking on a task which had to be created from nothing. Taking an idea from research to paper is a serious task, and one that prepares you to handle serious undertakings in the future.”

Madeline LeBlanc

Madeline LeBlanc graduated from LSU in 2018 in the College of Coast & Environment. She is currently working on a Erasmus Mundus joint masters degree in Water and Coastal Management, spending time at three different universities in Europe: the Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna in Ravenna Italy, Universidad de Cádiz in Cadiz, Spain, and Universidade do Algarve in Faro, Portugal. She did her first semester of classes in Italy, then did a winter intensive course in Portugal, and then another semester in Cadiz.

“Undergraduate research at LSU has jump started my career. Since I have already experienced great science, experimental design, field work, lab work, thesis writing, thesis defense, oral presentations, poster presentations, and so much more, I am vastly ahead of the curve while working on my Masters. The opportunities LSU Discover gave me to present and travel, like with Discover Day and the conferences I was able to go to (including one in Sweden!) with the 2018 Discover Scholar Award and the LSU Discover Travel Stipend, have given me the skills I needed to promote myself and my science, connect with people from around the world, and thrive in a foreign environment. I am so grateful for LSU Discover and my entire undergraduate research experience.”

Nikka Khorsandi

Nikka Khorsandi graduated from LSU in 2017 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. He’s currently working on a MD/MPH in Health Policy and Systems Management at Louisiana State University Health Sciences in New Orleans.

“Undergraduate research prepared me for where I am now because it taught me the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed within graduate school. Conducting undergraduate research required me to synthesize a large amount of information in a way that I could understand and think analytically about. For example, my undergraduate research was focused on the neuroanatomy of the retina and over that time, I had to learn how to orient myself to the current landscape of retinal neuroanatomy. Pursuing a career in medicine and public health requires the same skills because I am constantly reading about new therapeutics or community strategies to improve health. Having the ability to synthesize this information in an efficient and methodical fashion has been a vital technique.”

Christopher Handy

Christopher Handy graduated from LSU in 2016 with a B.A. in Mass Communication. In 2019, he earned a J.D. and graduate degree in Comparative Law. He’s currently working as a federal law clerk.

“Undergraduate research helped give me an edge in law school as well as providing a foundation for effective legal writing. Most of my job in the legal field is doing research and making arguments that are consistent with existing law. The research I did as an undergraduate taught me to be consistent, thorough, and to know where my weaknesses lie. These skills have been critical in developing my career.”

Khang Pham

Khang Pham graduated from LSU in 2018 with a Bachelor’s in Physics. He’s currently a physics graduate student at LSU working in experimental nuclear astrophysics.

“My current research is a direct continuation of my undergraduate research, in which I am currently redesigning a focal plane detector for a split-pole spectrograph at Florida State University to replace the focal plane detector that I refurbished as an undergraduate. Due to all of the preparation that I had through my undergraduate research, I was able to adapt to the workload of graduate school much better than I would have without intensive, previous research experience.”

Ariel Bergeron

Ariel Bergeron graduated from LSU in 2016 with a B.S. in Animal, Dairy and Poultry Science. She’s currently working on her PhD in Poultry Science with an emphasis on avian physiology and intestinal health at Texas A&M University.

“Undergraduate research was truly the gateway to the position and opportunity that I have now. If it was not for undergraduate research I would not have known of the many opportunities that animal agriculture encompasses past just a vetmed degree. I fully support all who wish to pursue roles in undergraduate research; and, in fact, mentor a team of eight Undergraduate Researchers currently.”

Bruno Beltran

Bruno Beltran graduated from LSU in 2015 with a B.S. in Mathematics (Computational Mathematics). He’s currently in the last year of a PhD program in Biophysics at Stanford University.

“Undergraduate research was the primary catalyst to me pursuing a PhD in the first place, and no other experience (at LSU or besides) helped me more in preparing for the experience of conducting graduate research. The contacts I made through undergraduate research at LSU where pivotal to landing research positions after graduation. In fact, the proposal for the National Science Foundation (GRFP) grant that currently funds my research was written about my undergraduate research work. I was accepted to all 17 graduate schools to which I applied (including Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Brown, MIT, Caltech, and Stanford, among others), and I indubitably have the amazing contacts and invaluable experience I gained as an undergraduate researcher at LSU to thank for those opportunities.”

Angela Pettitt

Angela Pettitt graduated from LSU in 2014 with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education. She’s currently working on a Masters in Communication of Science Disorders.

“Undergrad research helped me to learn about what true research is and appreciate the research needed to be done for grad school. It also taught me to research my questions about current events pertaining to my field and child development on different databases."

Arienne Ferchaud

Arienne Ferchaud graduated from LSU in 2013 with a B.S. in Mass Communication. She’s currently working at Florida State University as an assistant professor in the School of Communication.

“It helped me to figure out what I wanted to do in life. Research is a passion of mine, and now I get to do it every day. LSU Discover equipped me for my masters in media studies and then my PhD in mass communication. Everything started with my experiences at LSU.“