LSUS Graduate Studies

05/13/2026

04/30/2026

As our two senior Graduate Assistants are getting ready to graduate, the Office of Graduate Studies is gearing up to interview new applicants and fill 1, possibly 2, Graduate Assistant positions in our office. The full job description is available on Handshake, and we prefer applications through this platform. If a student does not yet have access to Handshake, please reach out to Angie Walsh at [email protected] for the job description and the required items to apply.

04/15/2026

Today was such a special day as we celebrated some truly incredible Graduate Assistants from Graduate Studies, Sponsored Research, and Academic Affairs. These dedicated individuals are either preparing to graduate from the MSC or MSCST programs or stepping into their final year of internship in the SSP program- and we couldn’t be prouder.

Being a graduate assistant in our area takes resilience, heart, and the ability to thrive under pressure. Time and time again, they’ve risen to the challenge, bringing positivity, commitment, and excellence to everything they do. They’ve made a lasting impact on our team, and their contributions won’t be forgotten.

While it’s hard to see them go, we’re so excited to watch what’s next for Ariel Wells, Austin Reagan, Coleman Guidry, Brittany Bowman-Hayes and Showrab Habib! Wishing you all continued success and fulfillment as you take the next steps in your journey- you’ve earned it.

04/14/2026

Color, joy, and community filled the air at LSU Shreveport this past Saturday as the LSUS India Studies Department hosted its annual Holi Festival!

Water splashed, and brightly colored powders were flying as participants came together to celebrate a tradition rooted in the triumph of good over evil. But beyond its origins, Holi is all about something bigger—unity, forgiveness, and friendship.

“As with many Indian festivals, Holi celebrates the victory of good over evil,” said Sanjay Menon, head of the India Studies Department and dean of the LSUS graduate school. “It’s a cultural celebration of humanity and brotherhood, where everyone is welcome—no strangers, just friends.”

Check out the interview video with Dr. Menon at https://www.shreveportbossieradvocate.com/

Photo Credits: Jill Pickett -Shreveport Bossier City Advocate Staff Photographer

04/07/2026

Check out the story on LSU Shreveport by Matt Vines about the recent 11th Annual LSUS Regional Scholars Forum! LSUS hosted the largest-ever forum, with 248 students from 34 universities! Three of our very own students took home four top prizes!

List of Winners:
Three-Minute Thesis:
Winner — Devesh Sarda, LSUS: "Locating Spinal Stenosis"
Runner-up — Udaysinh Rahulkumar Rathod, LSUS: "Peek-a-Boo: 3D Reconstruction Using Radio Waves for Human Motion and Fall Detection"
People's Choice — Sheilla Amponsah, SFA: "Predicting the Semester GPA of College Students Using Their Periodic LMS Logins"

Undergraduate Poster
Winner — Sadie Lyons, LSUS: "Reversible Scavenging of Malachite Green by Thermally Conditioned Salvinia Biomass"
Runner-up — Grant Vavro, UT Dallas: "Synthesis of Novel Lead-Bromide Perovskite to Uncover Structure Property Relationships"

Undergraduate Oral Presentation
Winner — Aidan Hildago, Southeastern Louisiana University: "Isolation and Comparative Genomic Characterization of Arthobacter Phage BenchScraper: Similar to Cluster AY Phages with Distinct Features and Evidence of Genetic Exchange"
Runner-up — Jesda Duong, UT Tyler: "In-vitro drug releases from multilayer PVA/PEO films for topical drug delivery applications"

Graduate Poster
Winner — Tanvir Ahmed, UT Tyler: "Mechanistic Evaluation of HMA Modified with Sugarcane Bagasse Fibers"
Runner-up — Francisca Walden and Austin Peters, LA Tech: "Bioinformatic analysis of shared gene dysregulation and pathways in P525L mutated hiPSC-MNs and hiPSC-astrocytes to elucidate FUS-ALS pathomechanisms"

Graduate Oral Presentation
Udaysinh Rathod and Devesh Sarda, LSUS: "Peek-a-Boo: 3D Reconstruction Using Radio Waves for Human Motion and Fall Detection"
James Campbell, UT Tyler: "From Estuary to Reef: Using Nematostella vectensis to Decode Croal Disease Dynamics"

Photo credits: LSUS Media and Hannah Hendry

03/30/2026

🎉 LSUS Success Spotlight! 🎉
Please join us in celebrating Augustine Nwafor, an LSU Shreveport graduate student who just earned the Best Poster Presentation Award in Computer Science/Cybersecurity & Information Assurance/Mathematics and Statistics at the 100th Annual Louisiana Academy of Sciences Meeting! 🤖🏆
Augustine’s project, SmartKnee, is a groundbreaking wearable system designed to help prevent ACL injuries by monitoring knee biomechanics in real time. Using small sensors on the thigh and shin, SmartKnee tracks knee motion 100 times per second and alerts athletes and coaches instantly when risky movements occur. 💡⚙️
With live demonstrations that wowed conference attendees, Augustine showcased how innovation, teamwork, and dedication can translate into real-world impact. An AI-powered coaching assistant, haptic feedback, real-time dashboards—this is the future of sports injury prevention, and it’s being built right here at LSUS!
A huge shoutout to Dr. Urska Cvek, whose mentorship and expertise helped guide this research, and to collaborators at LSU Health Shreveport, including Dr. Giovanni Solitro, for their contributions to the project’s development. 👏
Augustine continues to push boundaries, building on his team’s finalist placement at the DevDays HealthTech Challenge and refining SmartKnee into an even more advanced system.

03/24/2026

Holi is almost here—are YOU on the list?
Register now before the colors fly without you!