First week at the Coastal Sustainability Studio

This summer I have been placed in the Coastal Sustainability Studio on LSU campus. I hadn't actually heard about it until I was introduced to the idea but I have learned a whole lot in my first week here.

First of all the Coastal Sustainability Studio is housed in the Design Building on LSU campus. It is a collaboration and joint effort of professionals from different backgrounds. The studio houses coastal scientists, graphic and interior designers, engineers, computer specialists, landscape architects and others. They all work together in hopes to solve issues and work on projects focused on alleviating issues in coastal Louisiana. The studio is said to sit in the middle of the College of Coast and the Environment, the School of Art and Design and the College of Engineering. People are always talking and asking questions regarding the many projects being worked on. Everyone has something to offer to a project and it's a great way to brain storm and make good ideas even better.

Currently there are many projects going on in the studio, the largest involves designing and contributing information and material for the proposed Water Campus soon to be located in the downtown Baton Rouge area. Multiple projects are being worked on including writing and designing concept pieces for the walls and various kiosks housed in the campus. With this comes the collaboration factor between multiple professions. The designers have input as to how something needs to be executed while the engineers have ideas about how to build it, and the scientists have ideas as to what the project will affect or what needs to be explained for the general public.

This week I have been tasked with researching and helping with one of the kiosks involving coastal monitoring and more specifically the system-wide assessment monitoring program (SWAMP) lead by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). The past few days I have been reading previous research and determining important information required to get the idea of Coastal Monitoring out to the general public. Not only have I learned a lot about coastal monitoring, I have learned how interpreting that information is just as important.

Looking around and listening in at meetings I have heard about some of the other projects. Some are working on a wetland planter to be housed in the space, Research is being gathered on where to find the plants, how to keep the plants alive in a closed hydro-logic system and what the problems with this kind of system are. Another involves a wall display of the changing soils of coastal Louisiana over the years.

I hope to learn much more about all the projects and to become more involved in them also. The studio is something I have never heard or seen before so I am thrilled to be a part of something so cool.

As for the rest of the summer we already have a trip planned out to Venice Louisiana for this weekend. We are going to learn more about the landscape and the people who live there. It's great to want to protect the land but without talking to the locals how are we supposed to know what they think about the changing landscape or some of the proposed plans. I look forward to the chance to learn first hand knowledge from the locals and to see more of the ecosystem I enjoy so much.