Academic and Training Program Hub

Led by Gauthier-St. Martin Chair Robert Verchick and Research Director Alessandra Jerolleman, CELL transforms environmental law from a casebook study into a practice-ready career. As the administrative home for Loyola’s Policy Lab and Research Lab, we provide students with a physical and collaborative space to draft legislation and design advocacy strategies for real-world community partners.Our commitment to elevating the student experience extends beyond the labs to encompass all facets of experiential learning. Whether navigating the unique ecosystem of the Florida Keys field course or performing high-level legal work through our J.D., LL.M., and M.A. externship programs, students under the CELL umbrella gain the hands-on skills necessary to shape the legal landscape of the Gulf South and beyond.

The mission of the Stephenson Disaster Management Institute is to save the lives of people and animals by continuously improving disaster management through leadership in applied research and executive education.

The Superfund Research Program (SRP) enables university-based scientists, engineers, and public health workers—along with community members—to lessen the environmental health effects of hazardous waste sites across the nation. The focus of our SRP at Louisiana State University is to (a) clarify the pulmonary and cardiovascular health effects associated with inhalation exposure to environmentally persistent free radicals, or EPFRs; (b) understand how EPFRs are formed; and (c) develop methods to destroy EPFRs—with the ultimate goal of protecting our communities and the environment.

The Center for Compassionate & Sustainable Communities seeks to engage in basic and applied research, engaged teaching, and translational activities. Our work centers compassionate, just, and sustainable policy, planning, and other community-level action. We aspire to solve grand challenges facing society, including climate change, inequality, and justice.

The Department of Geography and Atmospheric Science now offers an undergraduate certificate program in Climate and Climate Change (CCH).Climate Change is an increasingly important societal issue since it will impact how we secure water, energy, and food in the near future. The primary cause of current trends in global climate are emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere since the start of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of fossil fuels as primary energy sources. In 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that “the human influence on the climate system is clear. This is evident from the increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, positive radiative forcing, observed warming, and understanding of the climate system.”The potential impacts from a changing climate are widespread and range from a rise in global sea level as ocean waters are heated and ice stored on land is transferred to the oceans at increasing rates; increasing surface temperatures; more widespread drought events of longer duration; and the possibility of more frequent and more intense hurricanes making landfall in the region surrounding the Gulf of Mexico. To cope with these consequences, and to build a more resilient society and infrastructure, there is an urgent need for an informed citizenry. It is critical to educate future decision makers who can influence national and international policies and adopt a more rational approach to dealing with impacts of climate change.

The Iowa Flood Center is part of the University of Iowa College of Engineering and is the nation's only academic research center devoted solely to flooding. The IFC develops innovative tools and reliable information that decision-makers, emergency responders, community leaders, home and business owners, educators, and the public depend on to help them understand and reduce their flood risks and make better flood-related decisions. The center's work is accessible to everyone through the online Iowa Flood Information System which communicates real-time information about stream levels, flood alerts and forecasts, and hydrologic conditions for the entire state.

The Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER) is devoted to studying and bettering our environment. The center promotes interdisciplinary research on the many aspects of global environmental change. Areas of focus include regional effects on natural ecosystems, environments, and resources, and effects on human health, culture, and social systems. To accomplish its missions, CGRER awards seed grants, fosters interdisciplinary courses, provides state-of-the-art research facilities, and holds seminars and symposia. Through these activities, CGRER assists Iowa’s agencies, industries, politicians, and citizens as they prepare for accelerated environmental change.

The NSF-funded Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure, NHERI, is a multi-hazards research community focused on mitigating the impact of earthquakes, windstorms, tsunamis, storm surge and other water-related hazards on our nation's civil infrastructure and society.The Network Coordination Office, physically located at Purdue University, serves as the administrative headquarters for NHERI's nation-wide network of 11 research facilities.