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Covering the Economy? FAU has the ideal expert to help with your questions and stories
The economy isn’t just a headline, it’s the story behind nearly every headline. From grocery bills and mortgage rates to job growth, small business confidence, and federal policy decisions, economic forces shape daily life for Americans in ways that are immediate and deeply personal. For journalists, that makes the economy a constant, high-stakes beat. Audiences want clear answers: Why are prices rising? Are we headed for a slowdown? What does the Fed’s next move mean for my community? The challenge is cutting through jargon and partisan spin to deliver insight that’s accurate, grounded, and understandable. That’s where William Luther, Ph.D., stands out. A respected economist and Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University, Luther brings serious academic credibility, but explains economic trends in plain language that resonates beyond the classroom. His expertise in monetary policy, inflation, unemployment, cryptocurrency, and economic growth makes him a valuable resource for breaking news, enterprise stories, and long-form analysis alike. Whether reporters are covering Florida’s housing market, national interest rate decisions, or the future of digital currency, Luther offers thoughtful, balanced analysis that helps audiences understand not just what’s happening, but why it matters. William Luther, Ph.D., is an expert in monetary economics and macroeconomics. He is an associate professor of economics at Florida Atlantic University, director of the American Institute for Economic Research’s Sound Money Project, and an adjunct scholar with the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives. The Social Science Research Network currently ranks him in the top five percent of business authors. View his profile Recent media coverage: ABC News Others downplayed the likelihood of a meaningful loss of Fed independence, since news of the DOJ investigation of Powell drew a rare degree of Republican opposition. Powell holds only a single vote on the 12-member board responsible for setting interest rates, they said. “Anytime we’re changing institutions, we should have some concern,” William Luther, a professor of economics at Florida Atlantic University, told ABC News. “At the same time, we should recognize the institutional safeguards we have are pretty strong.” Newsweek William Luther, associate professor of economics at Florida Atlantic University, said that the immediate net financial loss to those in Florida, and all Americans, appears to be "very, very large." Luther added Florida should expect a short-term "sharp contraction" in real estate and tourism, both vital sectors for the state's economy. NPR At the moment, the economy is performing very well. It wasn't performing very well not too long ago, both because of the pandemic, which reduced our ability to produce goods and services quite significantly, and then, as a result of some of the policy responses to that pandemic, we had very high inflation. NBC Will Luther, an economics associate professor at Florida Atlantic University, acknowledged the concerns among students. "Absolutely, there are students very much concerned with whether or not they will be able to get a job when they finish here. The good news is that they will. The bad news is it's a little harder right now than it was, say, two years ago," Luther said. Fox Nation FAU's William Luther joins Fox Nation's Deep Dive, hosted by the Wall Street Journal's Mary Anastasia O'Grady, to discuss the economic impact of cryptocurrencies. Video courtesy of Fox Nation's Deep Dive.
The Secret to Happiness? Feeling Loved.
After more than 50 years studying close relationships, University of Rochester psychologist Harry Reis has reached a deceptively simple conclusion: Happy people feel loved. That conclusion became the jumping-off point for a new book Reis co-wrote, “How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most” (Harper 2026), which blends decades of research on happiness and human connection. In it, Reis and his co-author, Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychologist at the University of California, Riverside, outline five research-backed mindsets that strengthen connection: sharing authentically, listening to people, practicing radical curiosity, approaching others with an open heart, and recognizing human complexity. The book was recently featured in The New York Times, which noted that the authors contend giving and receiving love function together like a seesaw: You lift a person up with the weight of your curiosity and attentiveness — and they do the same in turn. “The other side is very important also,” Reis told The Times. “To be sharing what’s important to you, to be sharing what you’re concerned about, so it can really become a two-way street.” Reis, who leads groundbreaking research on close relationships, is available to discuss: • The science of feeling loved vs. being loved • How digital distraction undermines connection • AI companionship and its psychological limits • Practical ways to build stronger, more resilient relationships • The link between love, happiness, and health Journalists writing about love and relationships can contact Reis by clicking on his profile.
A future in pharmacy, made possible by support and mentorship
A freshman chemistry major from Hinesville, Georgia, Geovanii Pacheco already has his sights set on a career in pharmacy. His ambition is rooted not just in a love for science, but in personal experience. Growing up, his family spent countless hours navigating prescriptions and insurance coverage for his older brother, Devin, who has autism. During those moments, one pharmacist consistently stood out. This was someone who advocated for his family, helped them through paperwork and made sure Devin got the medication he needed. “It really resonated with me,” Pacheco said. “As a pharmacist, I’d like to embody what she did for us, for others as well.” That goal brought Pacheco to Georgia Southern University where he is now supported by the National Science Foundation’s S-STEM Scholarship Program Award. This is a nearly $2 million grant designed to support Pell-eligible students pursuing degrees in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics, physics or sustainability science. For Pacheco, the program has been nothing short of life-changing. “I can say that I’m not going to college with any financial stress,” he said. “I have no money coming out-of-pocket.” Administered through Georgia Southern’s College of Science and Mathematics, the federally funded program provides last-dollar scholarships that cover remaining costs after Pell Grants and other aid are applied. In addition to financial support, the program pairs students with dedicated faculty mentors and offers structured programming aimed at retention, professional development and long-term success. Sara Gremillion, Ph.D., professor of biology and principal investigator on the grant, said the goal is to ensure that students don’t just enroll in college, but that they also thrive once they arrive. “They may not have a strong expectation about what to expect in college,” said Gremillion. “This program not only removes financial barriers, but it also surrounds students with the support they need to navigate college and plan for their future.” Pacheco has felt that impact from day one. Thanks to the program, he moved into his residence hall a week early to attend a one-week Basebamp program to jump start his college experience. There, he met fellow scholarship recipients and connected with his faculty mentor before classes even began. His mentor, Shainaz Landge, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, has helped connect Pacheco with opportunities from joining the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society to learning about upcoming pre-pharmacy organizations and undergraduate research. “Students such as Geovanii serve as prime examples of the fulfillment derived from mentorship and teaching,” said Landge. “Their growth and engagement highlight the critical role that effective mentorship plays in fostering both academic development.” That blend of mentorship and financial support is exactly what the grant was designed to provide. Over five years, the program will serve dozens of students in eligible majors such as chemistry, biology, biomedical science, biochemistry, physics, mathematics, sustainability science and geoscience. Each student receives individualized scholarship support, up to $15,000 per year, based on need, along with a faculty mentor who stays with them throughout their undergraduate journey. For Pacheco and his family, the scholarship brought immediate relief. He vividly remembers opening the acceptance email with his mother and scrolling down to see the financial aid details. “She was tickled, let me tell you,” he said. “It lifted so much stress off her shoulders. It was life-changing.” Applications to be part of the next cohort of COSM S-STEM Scholars are open until Feb. 1, 2026. Eligibility requirements, necessary documentation and other information can be found at this webpage. Looking to know more about Georgia Southern University or the National Science Foundation’s S-STEM Scholarship Program Award? Simply contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.
FAU ‘Shark-Repellent’ Method Can Reform Fisheries by Curbing Bycatch
Study Snapshot: Shark bycatch is a major global problem, with millions of sharks caught unintentionally each year in fisheries targeting tuna, swordfish and other species. Even in U.S. waters, sharks are frequently caught on longlines, and many are discarded dead. Because sharks grow and reproduce slowly, these high bycatch rates threaten already vulnerable populations and disrupt marine ecosystems. Researchers at FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science have developed a patent-pending zinc-and-graphite device to address the problem. The metals generate a small electric field that repels sharks from baited hooks while leaving target species unaffected. In Florida field trials, the device reduced shark bycatch by more than 60%. Inexpensive, scalable and practical for fishers, this technology has the potential to dramatically reduce bycatch and support more sustainable fisheries. For decades, sharks have been the unintended victims of longline fisheries aimed at tuna and swordfish. Rising accidental catches have contributed to population declines and created serious challenges for both conservation and commercial fishing. And the impacts go beyond the sharks themselves – every time a shark takes the bait, hooks are lost to target species, gear gets damaged, costs climb, and crews face added risks when handling or releasing the animals. Although some gear modifications can reduce bycatch, they often also cut into catches of valuable species, making it hard to protect sharks without putting fisheries at a disadvantage. To tackle this challenge, researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science have developed an innovative, patent-pending shark deterrent. The device works by pairing zinc and graphite in seawater. The zinc reacts with the graphite to produce a small electric field in the surrounding seawater through a galvanic chemical reaction. This electric field can be detected by the sharks, repelling them from the bait without affecting target fish. To test the efficacy of the zinc/graphite treatment at deterring elasmobranch species, longline fishing gear was deployed to target demersal sharks (live and hunt near the sea floor) off the Florida panhandle and Massachusetts, and pelagic sharks (live and hunt in open water) in the Gulf of America. The results of the field trials, published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, delivered striking results. In Florida, the zinc/graphite treatment reduced the catch of coastal sharks on demersal longlines by 62% to 70% compared to untreated hooks. The effect was particularly strong for Atlantic sharpnose (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) and blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus), two common coastal species. “Sharks have an incredible ability to sense even the smallest electric fields, and our tests show that this new approach can be used to keep them away from baited hooks,” said Stephen Kajiura, Ph.D., senior author, inventor and a professor in the FAU Department of Biological Sciences. “At the same time, important target species like tuna and swordfish are completely unaffected. What makes this approach so exciting is its practicality – zinc and graphite are inexpensive, widely available, and already familiar to fishers because zinc is commonly used to prevent corrosion on boats. This means it could be adopted quickly and cost-effectively, providing a real solution to reduce shark bycatch while supporting sustainable fisheries.” Importantly, the treatment did not reduce catches of commercially important fish species. Preliminary pelagic trials suggest swordfish and yellowfin tuna were caught at similar or slightly higher rates on treated hooks, showing the approach could protect sharks without hurting the catch of target species. The study also outlines practical considerations for real-world use. Because the electric field is strongest close to the hook, each line would need its own zinc-graphite device. The zinc anode slowly wears down, but it’s cheap and easy to swap out. Shark bycatch is a widespread and pressing problem, both in the United States and around the world. Globally, millions of sharks are caught unintentionally every year in fisheries targeting other species, and some estimates suggest tens of millions fall victim to bycatch annually. In U.S. waters, despite strict regulations, sharks are still caught incidentally on longlines and other gear. Because sharks reproduce slowly and have long lifespans, these high bycatch rates can push populations toward dangerously low levels. The scope of shark bycatch, from small coastal fisheries to large international fleets, makes it a global conservation challenge with serious ecological consequences. “Our approach could be scaled up to pelagic longline fisheries, where millions of sharks are caught as bycatch annually,” said Kajiura. “Even a 60% to 70% reduction in shark bycatch, like that observed in Florida demersal trials, could have a dramatic impact on global shark populations. The zinc/graphite treatment offers a practical, affordable and environmentally responsible tool for reducing shark bycatch while maintaining commercial catch rates.” Study co-authors are FAU graduate students Tanner H. Anderson and Kieran T. Smith; co-inventor on the patent application; Cheston T. Peterson, a Ph.D. student at Florida State University; Bryan A. Keller, Ph.D., a foreign affairs specialist at NOAA Fisheries; and Dean Grubbs, Ph.D., a full research faculty and associate director of research at FSU. This research was supported by the Florida SeaGrant awarded to Kajiura and Grubbs. The patent-pending device works by pairing zinc and graphite in seawater, creating an electric field that can be detected by the sharks, repelling them from the bait without affecting target fish.
Two rising cancer researchers from ChristianaCare’s Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research were recognized for outstanding scientific contributions at the University of Delaware’s Annual Biology Research Day Conference on January 30, 2026. The awards highlight the strength and impact of colorectal cancer research underway at the Cawley Center. Anh Nguyen, a third year Ph.D. student, received the conference’s first place poster award for his project, “FGF19/FGFR4 Axis: A Key Driver in Tumor Growth and Treatment Resistance in Colorectal Cancer.” His research explores a signaling pathway that may lead to new strategies for targeting treatment resistant disease. Molly Lausten, a fifth year Ph.D. student, earned third place for her presentation, “Investigating the role of miR 27a 3p in the WNT signaling pathway and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer stem cells.” Her work examines a key microRNA that may influence resistance to therapy, a major challenge in treating aggressive tumors. “These awards reflect far more than individual excellence,” said Bruce M. Boman, M.D., Ph.D., MSPH, FACP, senior scientist and director of Cancer Genetics at the Cawley Center. “They show the power of rigorous, curiosity driven science to move the field forward. Molly and Anh are tackling some of the hardest questions in colorectal cancer, and their success speaks to the innovative environment we are building at ChristianaCare. I could not be more proud of their achievement and their commitment to improving outcomes for patients.”
What Time Should You Actually Turn Off Your Phone at Night?
Everyone’s heard you’re “not supposed to be on your phone before bed” but what does that actually mean in 2026? Most major sleep organizations now recommend putting devices away at least 30–60 minutes before bedtime to protect melatonin and help the brain wind down. The National Sleep Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine both advise turning off screens about an hour before bed; other experts say a 30–60 minute window is the minimum. (Advisory) Research on blue light shows that evening screen exposure suppresses melatonin and delays sleep, especially when you’re scrolling something stimulating. (Sutter Health) Psychotherapist Harshi Sritharan, MSW, RSW, who specializes in ADHD and digital dependency, puts it bluntly: “To ensure quality sleep and peak performance—whether in sports, work, or school—avoid using your phone after 11 p.m.” For teens and adults with ADHD or anxiety, she says, late-night doomscrolling is especially brutal: screens keep dopamine and stress high at exactly the time the nervous system should be powering down. Harshi says: "The quality of sleep determines your level of executive functioning the next day" She also makes an important distinction: if you are on a device in the evening, active use (choosing a show, talking to friends, looking up something specific) is less harmful than passive use: “Don’t do passive tech use — that doom scrolling, content just being thrown at you,” Sritharan says. “Be more active about your tech use.” That kind of passive feed is more likely to serve up emotionally intense content kids didn’t ask for and aren’t ready to process. You Don’t Need a Perfect Curfew to See Results The good news: the science suggests you don’t have to quit completely at night to feel a difference. A JAMA Network Open study on young adults found that reducing social media use for just one week — not going cold turkey — led to about a 24.8% drop in depression, 16.1% drop in anxiety and 14.5% improvement in insomnia symptoms. Offline.now founder Eli Singer argues that the real challenge is confidence, not willpower. Their data show 8 in 10 people want a healthier relationship with tech, but more than half feel too overwhelmed to know where to start. The platform’s behavior data also show that late afternoons and evenings are when phones dominate use and when people are actually most motivated to make changes. We have less in the tank at night, don't trust willpower to transition off. Have a system/routine of pre-decided of low-effort (potentially fun) activities to help the transition off phones. “We tell people: don’t start with a perfect 8 p.m. curfew,” Singer says. “Start with one realistic phone-off window — even 30 minutes before bed — and prove to yourself you can protect that. That first win matters more than an ideal schedule you’ll never keep.” A Simple, Science-Aligned Answer For most people, Offline.now’s experts land on a practical, high-compliance answer to the question “What time should I turn off my phone?” Aim to put your phone away 30–60 minutes before your target bedtime Make everything after that screen-free by default (books, stretching, music, talking, journaling) If you must be on a device late, keep it brief, low-drama and intentional — no infinite feeds, no emotionally loaded content It’s a small change, but in the context of a day where we’re already on screens for roughly 10 of our 16 waking hours, that last hour matters. Featured Experts Harshi Sritharan, MSW, RSW – Psychotherapist specializing in ADHD, anxiety, insomnia and digital dependency. She explains how late-night and early-morning phone use hijack dopamine, disrupt sleep and make it harder for kids and adults to function the next day. Eli Singer – Founder of Offline.now and author of Offline.now: A Practical Guide to Healthy Digital Balance. He speaks to the platform’s behavioral data on when people are most ready to change, and how 20-minute micro-experiments (like one phone-off window at night) build real confidence over time. Expert interviews can be arranged through the Offline.now media team.
New study suggests Florida Chagas disease transmission
Researchers from the University of Florida Emerging Pathogens Institute and Texas A&M University gathered their resources to investigate the potential of vector-borne transmission of Chagas in Florida. The 10-year-long study, published in the Public Library of Science Neglected Tropical Diseases, used data from Florida-based submissions, as well as field evidence collected from 23 counties across Florida. Chagas disease is considered rare in the United States. Since it is not notifiable to most state health departments, it is quite difficult to know exactly how many cases there are and how frequently it’s transmitted. Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Nuisance blood-sucking insects known as kissing bugs spread the parasite to humans when exposure to their feces penetrates the mucus membranes, breaches the skin or gets orally ingested. Interestingly, it is believed that most companion animals, like dogs and cats, acquire the parasite from eating the kissing bug itself. The first record of kissing bugs, scientifically known as Triatoma sanguisuga, harboring T. cruzi in Florida was from an insect in Gainesville in 1988. However, kissing bugs have been calling the state home for far longer than humans have. Currently, there are two known endemic species of kissing bugs in the Sunshine State: Triatoma sanguisuga, the species invading homes, and the cryptic species Paratriatoma lecticularia, which live primarily in certain Floridan ecosystems but were not found in this study. Read more ...
Domestic abuse affects millions of people every year, often in unseen and deeply personal ways, and online threats toward victims can be particularly harmful. To address this reality locally, the University of Florida’s Center for Privacy and Security for Marginalized and Vulnerable Populations, or PRISM, works with Gainesville-based domestic abuse support center Peaceful Paths to help people stay safe in the digital world. Kevin Butler, Ph.D., the director of PRISM and the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research at UF, has been researching issues related to security and privacy of technologies that affect survivors of intimate partner violence for years. He and his graduate students connected with Peaceful Paths in 2022, presenting their findings on cybersecurity and demonstrating how their research may help improve online safety for vulnerable populations. They developed a pilot study, a survey and interview protocols that are now helping those in need at the center. “[We aim to] develop principles of design that will allow for a robust technology design that really mitigates harms and improves benefits for all,” Butler said about PRISM. Educating abuse survivors has been a key component of the collaboration between UF and Peaceful Paths. For example, PRISM’s team has conducted research on the effects of stalkerware, also known as spyware, which is a type of software or app designed to be installed secretly on people’s devices to monitor their activities without their consent. Abusers may use this tool to track and harass victims, and stalkerware is regularly linked to domestic violence – a fact that is not widely known. "Even the first presentation [UF] gave enhanced our advocates' knowledge of security pieces, which helps them safety plan with survivors," said Peaceful Paths CEO Crystal Sorrow. “It actually increases the safety of everyone in the community we work with when we talk about red flags, digital dating abuse and healthy relationships.” While PRISM, which is supported by the National Science Foundation, is making an impact on the local community, its overall reach is much broader. PRISM was the first academic partner in the Coalition Against Stalkerware, which includes groups such as the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and the world.
The AI Journal: UF and other research universities will fuel AI. Here’s why
In the global AI race between small and major competitors, established companies versus new players, and ubiquitous versus niche uses, the next giant leap isn’t about faster chips or improved algorithms. Where AI agents have already vacuumed up so much of the information on the internet, the next great uncertainty is where they’ll find the next trove of big data. The answer is not in Silicon Valley. It’s all across the nation at our major research universities, which are key to maintaining global competitiveness against China. To teach an AI system to “think” requires it to draw on massive amounts of data to build models. At a recent conference, Ilya Sutskever, the former chief scientist at OpenAI — the creator of ChatGPT — called data the “fossil fuel of AI.” Just as we will use up fossil fuels because they are not renewable, he said we are running out of new data to mine to keep fueling the gains in AI. However, so much of this thinking assumes AI was created by private Silicon Valley start-ups and the like. AI’s history is actually deeply rooted in U.S. universities dating back to the 1940s, when early research laid the groundwork for the algorithms and tools used today. While the computing power to use those tools was created only recently, the foundation was laid after World War II, not in the private sector but at our universities. Contrary to a “fossil fuel problem,” I believe AI has its own renewable fuel source: the data and expertise generated from our comprehensive public academic institutions. In fact, at the major AI conferences driving the field, most papers come from academic institutions. Our AI systems learn about our world only from the data we offer them. Current AI models like ChatGPT are scraping information from some academic journal articles in open-access repositories, but there are enormous troves of untapped academic data that could be used to make all these models more meaningful. A way past data scarcity is to develop new AI methods that leverage all of our knowledge in all of its forms. Our research institutions have the varied expertise in all aspects of our society to do this. Here’s just one example: We are creating the next generation of “digital twin” technology. Digital twins are virtual recreations of places or systems in our world. Using AI, we can develop digital twins that gather all of our data and knowledge about a system — whether a city, a community or even a person — in one place and allow users to ask “what if” questions. The University of Florida, for example, is building a digital twin for the city of Jacksonville, which contains the profile of each building, elevation data throughout the city and even septic tank locations. The twin also embeds detailed state-of-the-art waterflow models. In that virtual world, we can test all sorts of ideas for improving Jacksonville’s hurricane evacuation planning and water quality before implementing them in the actual city. As we continue to layer more data into the twin — real-time traffic information, scans of road conditions and more — our ability to deploy city resources will be more informed and driven by real-time actionable data and modeling. Using an AI system backed by this digital twin, city leaders could ask, “How would a new road in downtown Jacksonville impact evacuation times? How would the added road modify water runoff?” and so on. The possibilities for this emerging area of AI are endless. We could create digital twins of humans to layer human biology knowledge with personalized medical histories and imaging scans to understand how individuals may respond to particular treatments. Universities are also acquiring increasingly powerful supercomputers that are supercharging their innovations, such as the University of Florida’s HiPerGator, recently acquired from NVIDIA, which is being used for problems across all disciplines. Oregon State University and the University of Missouri, for example, are using their own access to supercomputers to advance marine science discoveries and improve elder care. In short, to see the next big leap in AI, don’t immediately look to Silicon Valley. Start scanning the horizon for those research universities that have the computing horsepower and the unique ability to continually renew the data and knowledge that will supercharge the next big thing in AI. Read more...
Wetlands: Nature’s First Line of Defense for Our Coast and Communities
Since the 1930s, Louisiana’s coastline has been reshaped by the relentless advance of the Gulf, with over 2,000 square miles of land disappearing beneath its waters and representing the largest loss of coastal land anywhere in the continental United States. This dramatic transformation has far-reaching consequences, threatening local economies, delicate ecosystems, and heightening the state’s exposure to hurricanes. In the face of these urgent challenges, LSU’s College of the Coast & Environment (CC&E) stands at the forefront, leading pioneering research and bold initiatives that not only protect Louisiana’s coast, but also build stronger, more resilient communities. Below are just a few examples of how CC&E is driving meaningful solutions for our coastal future. Wetlands are vital to protecting our coast, and CC&E researchers are actively investigating the role of both constructed and natural wetlands in reducing coastal flooding hazards. Through several projects funded through the US Army Corps of Engineers, Drs. Robert Twilley, Matthew Hiatt, and CC&E Dean Clint Willson, along with collaborators across campus, are conducting research on coastal ecosystem design - a framework that leverages the benefits of natural and nature-based coastal features, such as wetlands, environmental levees, and flood control gates – and how that could be integrated into engineering design and urban planning. Through the State of Louisiana’s ambitious Coastal Master Plan, administered by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, wetland construction and restoration play a huge role in managing the Louisiana coastal region. Such innovative techniques leveraging natural and nature-based features require evaluation to determine the success of such projects, and CC&E researchers are using cutting-edge science to advance this endeavor. Dr. Tracy Quirk and her students are investigating the success of marsh restoration by comparing structural and functional characteristics (e.g., vegetation, elevation, hydrology, accretion, and denitrification) between two created marshes and an adjacent natural reference marsh along the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. Wetlands not only serve as a buffer from storms and sea level rise but also play a major role in regulating greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to productive vibrant ecosystems. In large collaborative project funded by the National Science Foundation, Dr. Giulio Mariotti is using computer models to forecast how coastal marshes may change in size, shape, and salinity in the future, and how these changes could affect methane emissions. As part of the same project, Drs. Haosheng Huang and Dubravko Justic are creating high-resolution hydrodynamic and biogeochemical models to predict changes in methane emissions in coastal Louisiana. In another project, with funding from Louisiana Center of Excellence, National Science Foundation, Louisiana Sea Grant, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Drs. Matthew Hiatt and John White have established a network of sensors to measure water levels and salinity throughout the wetlands in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, a region that has experienced significant land loss and storm impacts. The goal is to establish an understanding of the drivers of saline intrusion in marsh soils, and to ultimately determine what this means for the ecological resiliency of wetlands experiencing rapid change. CC&E’s leadership in wetlands science is recognized nationwide. It is the only college in the United States to have six faculty members—Drs. John White, John W. Day, Jr., Robert Twilley, William Patrick, James Gosselink, and R. Eugene Turner—honored with the prestigious National Wetlands Award. No other institution has had more than one recipient. Presented annually by the Environmental Law Institute, this award celebrates individuals whose work demonstrates exceptional innovation, dedication, and impact in wetlands conservation and education. CC&E’s unmatched record reflects decades of pioneering research and a deep commitment to safeguarding the nation’s most vulnerable coastal landscapes. Every day, CC&E channels this expertise into action—protecting Louisiana’s coast and, in turn, the communities, wildlife, and ecosystems that depend on it. Through bold research, collaborative partnerships, and a vision grounded in science, the college is shaping a more resilient future for coastal regions everywhere. CC&E is building teams that win in Louisiana, for the world. Article originally published here.
