Digital Commons Network^™

Transcending Postcolonial Boundaries In Tierno Monénembo’S Saharienne Indigo, Aviana R. San Souci

Department of French Studies Graduate Student Association Conference

Tierno Monénembo’s Saharienne Indigo tells the life story of Véronique, a woman from Guinea with a past of violence and loss, told through her interactions with the annoying and persistent Frenchwoman madame Corre. Despite these two women’s opposing affiliations with a colonized country and the one that colonized them, the two develop a close friendship throughout the book. Theirs is a relationship that defies the claims laid out in Aimé Césaire's Discours sur le colonialisme that between the colonizer and the colonized, there is only space for negative sentiments and violent actions- never sympathy. The bond between Véronique and madame …

The Narrative Voice And The Fragmented Self In Black Skin White Masks, Emmanuella Abaidoo Kwarteng

Department of French Studies Graduate Student Association Conference

No abstract provided.

Libération Educative À Travers La Poésie Africaine Francophone: Les Contributions Pédagogiques De David Diop Et De Léopold Sédar Senghor, Stanley Ugochukwu Dibiah

Department of French Studies Graduate Student Association Conference

Cet article met en avant l'impact transformateur de la poésie africaine francophone dans la reconstruction de l'éducation postcoloniale et l'encouragement d'un changement sociétal durable. Suite à la période coloniale, la poésie en Afrique francophone est apparue non seulement comme une expression artistique, mais aussi comme un outil puissant pour redécouvrir l'identité, la langue et l'histoire. Bien que les aspects culturels et politiques de la littérature postcoloniale aient attiré une attention académique significative, son utilisation dans l'éducation reste encore insuffisamment exploitée. Cette recherche examine comment les œuvres poétiques de David Diop et de Léopold Sédar Senghor peuvent être employées comme des …

Simulating Rewriting Style: Algorithmic Reproduction Of Camus’S Literary Voice In Machine-Generated Texts, Peter Akongfeh Agwu Ph.D

Department of French Studies Graduate Student Association Conference

Virtual Presentation

La Satire, Un Outil Pour La Conscience Sociale : Le Rôle Public De La Littérature Aujourd'hui, Arshdeep Kaur

Department of French Studies Graduate Student Association Conference

No abstract provided.

The Enduring Need For Literature: Cognitive Benefits And The Prospect Of Its Disappearance, Imane Labiad

Department of French Studies Graduate Student Association Conference

One would think that defending the usefulness of teaching literature in schools and universities should no longer be a matter of debate. However, with the emergence of new media and technologies such as AI, this discussion resurfaces. This presentation argues that literature will not disappear from educational settings for two main reasons: the scientific evidence demonstrating its impact, and a fictional scenario that warns against its extinction. Numerous empirical studies have shown the wide range of benefits literature has fostered for centuries. One significant finding concerns the persuasive power of fiction reading (Braddock & Dillard, 2016). Research demonstrates that through …

Multimodal Thermal And Mechanical Characterization Of Cryopreservation Effects In Biological Cells, Subhrajyoti Sourav Kumar Kundu

LSU Master's Theses

Cryopreservation is critical for long-term storage of cells, tissues, organs, and reproductive cells in medicine, biotechnology, and conservation. However, its success is limited by ice formation and cryoinjury, prompting extensive research into analytical tools for understanding and improving cryopreservation outcomes. We outline the principles of each technique and how they are used to detect key thermal and physical events such as ice nucleation, vitrification, devitrification, and cryoinjury. DSC enables quantitative thermal characterization including critical cooling/warming rates (ranging from 1-200°C/min for various systems) and glass transition temperatures. Cryomicroscopy provides direct real time visualization of ice crystal dynamics, distinguishing intracellular versus extracellular …

Engaging Underrepresented 11- To 14-Year-Olds In Music: An Autoethnographic Case Study Of A New Inner-City Afterschool Group Piano Program, Eden A. Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research in music education has documented the underrepresentation of Black students in formal music study in the United States, shaped by economic and cultural barriers (Elpus & Abril, 2024; Alegrado & Winsler, 2020). Access to piano instruction is often limited by the high cost of lessons and instruments, inequitable school funding, and the absence of culturally responsive curricula that reflect the experiences of minority students and families. Traditional piano pedagogy rarely addresses this absence, leaving the piano both symbolically and practically distant for many potential musicians in the United States. This autoethnographic case study chronicles the development, launch, and first …

Survive Or Perish: Violence As A Survival Strategy For Abandoned Youth In Mayotte In Natacha Appanah’S Tropique De La Violence., Lydia Gyamfi

Department of French Studies Graduate Student Association Conference

No abstract provided.

1990s Alt Music Slang And Socioeconomic Precarity In Despentes’ "Vernon Subutex" Series, Daniel J. Lightfoot

Department of French Studies Graduate Student Association Conference

In a time of widespread cynicism and disillusionment with the political and economic status quo in France, how can literature give a voice to those discontents while inspiring hope? My contribution will explore Virginie Despentes’ use of slang from 1990s French alternative music subcultures in her narrative depictions of contemporary economic precarity and social alienation in the Vernon Subutex series (2015-17). I will discuss how Despentes uses French slang to establish a distance between economically marginalized characters and more affluent Parisians, highlighting how the former draw on vocabulary from Anglophone indie rock and hip-hop subcultures as an expression of a …

Adapting Identities: Multimodal Expressions Of African Women’S Agency In Francophone Film​, Alicia M. Hilaire

Department of French Studies Graduate Student Association Conference

No abstract provided.

Why The Film Was Banned And Its Significance During The Colonial Era And Aftermath, Sawel Awuni

Department of French Studies Graduate Student Association Conference

This paper examines the usefulness of film according to the figure widely known as the father of African cinema, Ousmane Sembène. In 2008, Annett Busch and Max Annas published an edited volume of Sembène’s interviews titled Ousmane Sembène: Interviews, which compiles a wide range of conversations conducted with him during his lifetime. This compilation offers insights into his films and the stories surrounding each production. Drawing on this collection, this presentation aims to highlight the significance of film during the twentieth century, the reasons why certain films were banned, and what Sembène believed should be the purpose of filmmaking.

This …

On Literature And Inclination, Maria Laura Cucciniello

Department of French Studies Graduate Student Association Conference

I would like to discuss how literature can serve as an antidote to self-isolation and how it functions as a means to create relationships between humans, thereby providing meaning for life itself. To address this topic, one could recall Judith Butler’s reinterpretation of Adriana Cavarero’s theory of inclination (2021: 46-62). In the philosophical field of ontology, inclination works as an illustration of two different ways of existing: inclined and vertical. Both positionalities correspond to two different ontologies, namely one of caring and one of self-sufficiency. As interesting as the philosophical instances brought by Cavarero and Butler are per se …

“The Written Word, What For? Exploring Genre As Written Memory And Connection Over Time”, Hallie-Blair Quatro

Department of French Studies Graduate Student Association Conference

Why is it so important to continue reading modern and contemporary French and Francophone literature? And what does this mean for a real relationship between author and reader that can grow and change over time? Through the literary analysis of two contemporary French novels-- Maryse Condé’s Tales from the Heart: True Stories from My Childhood (1999) and Mariama Bâ’s So Long a Letter (1979)—I demonstrate how it is each author’s use of mixed genre that allows for a connection of author to reader, but also reader to self. In each work, this mixed genre can become a generative, reconciliatory space …

"By The Sweat Of His Brow"?: Master Mechanics And Class Position In Antebellum New Orleans, Caleb G. Roark

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis argues that New Orleans’s skilled laborers profited alongside or from enslaved laborers. Proponents of free labor ideology, largely relegated to the North, charged that the skilled mechanic was the prototypical “free laborer.” In contemporary and modern portrayals, the systems of free and enslaved labor were considered antithetical. This thesis posits that these views are incorrect. Free and enslaved labor flourished together in the Crescent City. Despite their absence in historical understandings of the antebellum South, skilled laborers succeeded in New Orleans. I track societal debates across Louisiana’s newspapers concerning the status and success of mechanics across the state. …

Delta-X: An Airborne Remote Sensing Framework To Calibrate Hydrodynamic And Ecogeomorphic Processes Responsible For Land Building In Coastal Deltas, Marc Simard, Cathleen E. Jones, Robert R. Twilley, Edward Castañeda-Moya, Sergio Fagherazzi, Cédric G. Fichot, Michael P. Lamb, Paola Passalacqua, Tamlin M. Pavelsky, David R. Thompson, Saoussen Belhadj-Aissa, Pradipta Biswas, Alexandra Christensen, Luca Cortese, Michael Denbina, Carmine Donatelli, Sarah Flores, Andy Fontenot, Joshua P. Harringmeyer, Daniel Jensen, John Mallard, Justin Nghiem, Talib Oliver-Cabrera, Ali Reza Payandeh, Andre S. Rovai, Elena Solohin, Antoine Soloy, Bhuvan Varugu, Dongchen Wang, Kyle Wright, Xiaohe Zhang, Yang Zheng

Faculty Publications

Coastal river deltas are highly dynamic regions with hydrological processes that vary on hourly, daily, and seasonal timescales. Soil formation in deltas relies on the balance between mineral sediment deposition, erosion, and organic matter production, which are intricately controlled by vegetation and hydrodynamic conditions. The spatial complexity and rapid variations in flow, particularly due to tides, present a major challenge to spaceborne remote sensing achieving the required spatial resolution and temporal sampling. Here, we present an airborne remote sensing and in situ framework that measures parameters that are critical to calibrate and validate hydrodynamic, sediment transport, morphodynamic, and ecogeomorphic models. …

Potential Impacts Of Climate Interventions On Marine Ecosystems, Kelsey E. Roberts, Tyler Rohr, Morgan R. Raven, Michael S. Diamond, Daniele Visioni, Ben Kravitz, Ryan Heneghan, Colleen M. Petrik, Daniele Bianchi, Kelly Ortega-Cisneros, Monica A. Morrison, Vanessa Van Heerden, Nicola A. Wiseman, Gouri Anil, Zachary J. Cannizzo, Marta Coll, Joshua Coupe, Ryan Freedman, Kristen Krumhardt, Lester Kwiatkowski, Nicole S. Lovenduski, Jessica Y. Luo, Holly C. Olivarez, Alan Robock, Jeroen Steenbeek, Cheryl S. Harrison

Faculty Publications

Rising global temperatures pose significant risks to marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and fisheries. Recent comprehensive assessments suggest that large-scale mitigation efforts to limit warming are falling short, and all feasible future climate projections, including those that represent optimistic emissions reductions, exceed the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C or 2° warming targets during this century. While avoiding further CO2 emissions remains the most effective way to prevent environmental destabilization, interest is growing in climate interventions—deliberate, large-scale manipulations of the environment aimed at reducing global warming. These include carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations over time, and solar radiation modification (SRM), which …

Minimal Supersolution Of Bsdes Driven By Continuous Martingales In A General Filtration, Badr Elmansouri, Mohamed El Otmani

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

In this paper, we study minimal supersolutions of backward stochastic differential equations (BSDEs) driven by a continuous local martingale in a general filtration. We establish existence, uniqueness, and stability results under various mild conditions on the terminal value and the generator. Additionally, we explore the connection between the concept of non-linear expectation and minimal supersolutions, emphasizing the specific properties that are relevant to our framework. We also prove a general monotonic limit theorem and apply this result to determine the smallest constrained supersolution of a BSDE with a possibly non-convex constraint.

An Examination Of Trends And Factors Influencing Teen Retention In 4-H Youth Development Program: A Case Study, Bethany R. Corona

LSU Master's Theses

Teen participation in 4-H has declined nationally in recent years, raising concerns about long-term program sustainability and youth engagement. Understanding the factors that influence teens’ decisions to remain involved in 4-H is critical for informing program design and delivery. Guided by the theory of planned behavior, this qualitative study explored teen perceptions of 4-H programming, youth voice, social influences, communication, and barriers to participation. Data were collected through two group interviews with teen 4-H members representing multiple parishes. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using the constant comparative method through a three-phase coding process consisting of open, axial, …

Analysis Of The Potential Of Urban Surfaces For Energy Use By Applying Solar Energy Or Green Roofs, Kristin Dietrich, Jose Ambrosini, Fabio Capra-Ribeiro, Juan Raul Massipe Hernandez, Alberto Tama Franco, Fernando Mayor-Vitoria

Faculty Publications

Renewable energy is rapidly increasing in importance in the energy mix in many countries worlwide. They are a key part of the energy transition to more sustainable energy systems. Green roofs are multi-layered systems covered with plants, grasses or turf that are placed on terraces and roofs of different types. Energy savings and reduced urban heat-island effects are among the most notable benefits of green roofs. Traditionally, green roofs and photovoltaic (PV) or solar-thermal installations have been competing systems, but several studies and actual installations have shown that synergistic effects predominate. For example, vegetation has a cooling effect on green …

Developments Of New Metal-Free Batteries And Self-Charging Batteries For Sustainability, Abhishek Paudel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The growing concerns over the limitations and environmental impact of conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have driven the search for more sustainable energy storage solutions. Metal-free batteries, such as those utilizing ammonium ions (NH₄⁺), offer a compelling alternative due to their non-toxic nature, abundant availability, and unique electrochemical properties. The NH₄⁺ ion's lower molar mass and distinct tetrahedral structure enable efficient charge transfer and intercalation, distinguishing it from traditional metal ions and potentially improving battery performance. Self-charging batteries, which integrate piezoelectric materials to harvest ambient mechanical energy, present a significant advancement in energy storage technology. By capturing and converting mechanical energy …

A Bayesian Network-Based Framework To Uncover Social Inequities In Flood Risk: An Application To East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, Fuad Hasan, Sabarethinam Kameshwar, Md Adilur Rahim, Robert V. Rohli, Carol Friedland

Faculty Publications

Regional flood risk assessment requires understanding the complex interplay of sociodemographic, socioeconomic, hydrogeologic, built environment, and climatic variables that impact flood vulnerability. Traditional studies often focus on large-scale units, overlooking localized variations and disproportionate exposure within populations. To address these gaps, a methodological framework of flood risk assessment using Bayesian networks was proposed and applied to East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, for the August 2016 flood event to identify relationships between flood risk variables at the housing unit level. Flood exposure representativeness (FER) was determined using the Bayesian network’s inference capabilities to identify over-represented or under-represented groups. This study considered …

Biomechanical Trade-Offs Between Root Tensile Strength And Porosity In Coastal Marshes, M. O. Hassan, N. H. Jafari, A. S. Rovai, R. R. Twilley

Faculty Publications

Root biomechanics play a fundamental role in stabilizing wetland soils and sustaining coastal ecosystems under increasing environmental stress. This study investigates the tensile strength (TS) and internal porosity (n) of roots from two dominant marsh grasses, Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens, across four sites in the Mississippi River Delta Plain (MRDP), spanning active (Atchafalaya) and inactive (Terrebonne) basins. Through approximately 300 tensile strength tests conducted on live roots across diameter classes and depths, we observed a consistent decline in strength with increasing root diameter and depth. Fine roots (< 2 mm), particularly those in the upper 15 cm, showed the highest tensile resistance, reinforcing their critical role in erosion control. To assess morphological drivers, we employed high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with a machine learning (ML) segmentation pipeline to quantify porosity and visualize aerenchyma. Coarse roots exhibited significantly higher porosity due to large central lumens and expanded aerenchyma, while fine roots maintained denser tissue structures. An exponential decay relationship emerged between porosity and tensile strength, indicating a trade-off: increased void space enhances oxygen diffusion in waterlogged soils but compromises mechanical integrity. This inverse relationship was most pronounced in saline environments, suggesting that stress amplifies structural compromises in root traits. This integrative approach, combining precision mechanical testing, advanced imaging, and ML-based analysis, provides a scalable and reproducible framework for characterizing root biomechanics. Findings advance understanding of plant contributions to belowground stability in coastal wetlands and offer practical insights for restoration strategies to enhance shoreline resilience.

Persistent Chemicals In Particulate Matter (Pm) Near A Hazardous Waste Thermal Treatment Facility, Chuqi Guo, Martine E. Mathieu-Campbell, Thomas Blanchard, Lavrent Khachatryan, Md Abdullah Al-Mamun, Qingzhao Yu, Myron Lard, Oluwafeyikemi Ogunmusi, Brenda Vallee, Wilma Subra, Iriel Edwards, David Malone, Slawo Lomnicki, Stephania A. Cormier, Jennifer Richmond-Bryant

Faculty Publications

Colfax, an overburdened community in central Louisiana, hosts the last commercially-operated open-burn/open-detonation (OB/OD) hazardous waste thermal treatment facility in the United States. Until December 2023 when their permit disallowed OB/OD, the facility processed military waste, fireworks, propellants, soils excavated from Superfund sites, and other hazardous materials. This community-engaged study measured ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5), environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and metals using two high-volume PM2.5 samplers deployed 1.2 mi and 9.0 mi from the facility from April, 2022 through February, 2023. Elevated PM2.5 concentrations were recorded at both sites during spring and summer 2022. …

Dynamical Analysis Of A Stochastic $Sei_{U}I_{R}Rs$ Epidemic Model With Vaccination And Log-Normal Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Process, Qun Liu

Faculty Publications

In this study, we develop and investigate a stochastic $SEI_{u}I_{r}RS$ (Susceptible-Exposed-Undetected infected-Detected infected-Recovered-Susceptible) epidemic model with vaccination of newborns and the disease transmission rate driven by a log-normal Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. By establishing a series of Lyapunov functions, we derive sufficient conditions for persistence in the mean of the disease in the long term under the condition $\mathcal{R}_{0}>1$ and these criteria are applied to guarantee the existence of an invariant probability measure of the stochastic system. Subsequently, we also derive sufficient conditions for eradication of the disease when the parameters $\mathcal{R}_{0}< 1$ and $\mathcal{R}_{0}^{E}< 1$. Finally, two numerical examples are given to confirm the theoretical results. This work can help us implement interventions to regulate the disease dynamics.

Informing Change: A Final Research Report On The Findings From The Longitudinal R&D Partnership For Math Equity Project, H. Colleen Sinclair, Samuel Robison, Youn Kyoung Kim, Stacey R. Terrio, Judith Lee Falgout Rhodes

Reports

This report covers a three-year partnership between the LSU Social Research and Evaluation Center, East Baton Rouge Parish Schools (EBR Schools), and DreamBox Learning, in which we conducted a longitudinal, multi-method examination of the effectiveness of DreamBox’s tech-based math intervention on EBRPS student performance. The three key research questions – developed with guidance from our Gates Foundation funding partners – are outlined below with abbreviated conclusions. The body of the report provides further detail on the methods, results, and interpretations of our quantitative study. We complement these conclusions with qualitative insights drawn from focus groups with teachers and students.

Climate Change Risks To Future Sustainable Fishing Using Global Seafood Ecolabel Data, Lauren M. Koerner, Juliano Palacios-Abrantes, Camilla Novaglio, Julia Blanchard, Michael C. Melnychuk, Timothy E. Essington, Jason D. Everett, Jerome Guiet, Cheryl S. Harrison, Ryan F. Heneghan, Rohan J.C. Currey, Ernesto Jardim, Beth Polidoro, Catherine Longo

Faculty Publications

Marine fisheries are an important source of food and livelihoods globally. However, climate-induced changes in marine ecosystems are affecting fish populations and sustainable fishing opportunities. By combining datasets on climate-driven changes in population distribution and biomass with Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) seafood ecolabel program data, we conduct a large-scale risk analysis of fisheries under a high-emissions scenario by mid-century. Results show that fisheries targeting tuna and billfish face the highest relative risks of management disruption, due to high exposure to stock shifts and higher governance vulnerabilities, followed by small pelagic and demersal fisheries. We analyze a subset of global fisheries …

A Qualitative Examination Of The Motivations For Homeschooling Among Black Americans, Portia J. Witt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the motivations and lived experiences of African American homeschooling families. Twelve Black parents from multiple states participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Moustakas’ (1994) Modified Stevick–Colaizzi–Keen method and coded thematically using NVivo. Nine themes emerged: autonomy, holistic education, community belonging, online networks, public resources, curriculum gaps, personal values, effective learning, and legacy of harm. While racialization in schools—including tracking, microaggressions, and misidentification—contributed to participants’ decisions, motivations also reflected intersectional factors such as faith, disability, mental health needs, giftedness, and a desire for cultural protection and flexible learning. Findings suggest homeschooling serves as a …

Qatt&Ck: An Extended Framework For Classifying Adversarial Techniques And Tactics Threatening Quantum Computing Infrastructure Based On Mitre’S Att&Ck, Justin Benjamin Woodring

LSU Master's Theses

The integration of quantum computing into governmental and business processes has raised concerns about potential threats to these systems. To address this, we introduce a novel extension of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, QATT&CK, which provides an extended taxonomy for classifying adversarial Tactics and Techniques in quantum cybersecurity. Our adapted framework bridges the definitions of traditional cybersecurity with a focus on quantum computing infrastructure, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of adversarial behavior in this domain. To evaluate our proposed framework, we leverage current and ongoing research in quantum cyber threats, mapping real-world attacks to our taxonomy to demonstrate its effectiveness in …

Arbitrage-Free Pricing With Diffusion-Dependent Jumps, Hamza A. Virk, Yihren Wu, Majnu John

Journal of Stochastic Analysis

Standard jump-diffusion models assume independence between jumps and diffusion components. We develop a multi-type jump-diffusion model where jump occurrence and magnitude depend on contemporaneous diffusion movements. Unlike previous one-sided models that create arbitrage opportunities, our framework includes upward and downward jumps triggered by both large upward and large downward diffusion increments. We derive the explicit no-arbitrage condition linking the physical drift to model pa- rameters and market risk premia by constructing an Equivalent Martingale Measure using Girsanov’s theorem and a normalized Esscher transform. This condition provides a rigorous foundation for arbitrage-free pricing in models with diffusion-dependent jumps.