Laura has just rounded her third year as a PhD student in the Department of River Coastal Science and Engineering at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. With a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, she is now focusing on the development and application of 1D, 2D, and 3D numerical models to river and coastal systems in the Gulf of Mexico region. The purpose of these models is to explore natural resource management alternatives in the Gulf region. Specifically, she is focusing on investigating the management of diversion structures along the Lower Mississippi River. These diversions provide flood control protection during high flow events, sediment supply to the adjacent basins for land building, and protection from salinity intrusion from the Gulf of Mexico. Exploring system wide or comprehensive operation strategies for both future and proposed diversion structures can provide valuable information to decision makers about the tradeoffs associated with various operational approaches. Laura’s research aims to employ co-production methods to design decision support tools for the management of coastal ecosystems and develop these tools for both scenario based and operational real time forecasting analyses.  

Laura is a Cajun native of South Louisiana, who is dedicated to pursuing a career to support and preserve the future of this beautiful state. She loves to cook, fish, and sketch, but her favorite way to spend time is with her family and enjoying her 5 nieces and nephews.