The University’s third annual Discover Day brought together 119 undergraduates and one astronaut to celebrate research and the achievements of
University students. 
Retired Col. Al Worden, an Apollo 15 astronaut and the Discover Day keynote speaker, said supporting education and research is key to humanity’s success in the future. 
“Humankind needs to be saved, but we don’t have the tools, we don’t have the attitude and we don’t have the philosophy to really do what needs to be done today,” Worden said. “It’s going to take a lot of research to get us where we need to be. Research is critical to our welfare in the future. If we give up on research we’re dead, we’re dead in the water.” 
Encouraging interest in research opportunities and supporting undergraduate researchers through workshops, financial support and job matching is the mission of LSU Discover, said coordinator Sarah Ferstel.
Discover Day is the culmination of these efforts. 
Discover Day provides student researchers with the opportunity to practice presenting their work to the public, with the added benefit of exposing non-student
researchers to the value of undergraduate research, Ferstel said. The event also gives undergraduates the opportunity to celebrate their achievements, she said. 
“We want them to be excited about their work and to be proud, and to also recognize that LSU values what they do,” Ferstel said. 
Shelby Stewart, a psychology and criminology junior, said research is a pillar of the University experience and it is important for students to engage in research early in their undergraduate careers. Stewart said research experiences can help guide students in the process of discovering academic interests and future career paths, or provide valuable experience for graduate school. 
Stewart and psychology and sociology junior Katherine Davis each conducted research using data on e-cigarette use and behaviors among college-aged problematic drinkers. Seeing peers conducting research can be the inspirational push many students need to consider pursuing
research, Davis said. 
Another benefit of research is the tenacity it inspires in students. Students involved in the LSU Discover program said individual research allows them to overcome failure in a way not possible in the classroom, Ferstel said. 
“In class, when you fail, that’s it,” Ferstel said. “You fail a test or you fail a problem. But in research that’s not it. You keep working at it until you figure it out. You learn how to work through failure until you find the answer.”
Being able to problem-solve and overcome failure was critical in Worden’s time as an astronaut. 
“Like in any research or test program, what happens is the thing that bites you in the you-know-what is something you
never thought about,” Worden said. 
Senior Emily Oakman, a natural resources and ecology management major, said learning to utilize critical thinking skills is the heart of research. Turning indistinguishable results into a conclusion that she could communicate and share with others to benefit the community was the most rewarding aspect of her research experience, Oakman said.
 Oakman conducted her research on the post-Katrina soil-salinity of Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in Lacombe, Louisiana. Flood waters after the hurricane increased the salinity of the soil and affected the growth of hardwood species of trees, changing the habitat of the refuge. 
Results from the study showed salinity levels are lowest along the ridge of the refuge’s levee and the findings are providing key information for the successful replanting of hardwood species in the area. The findings are being incorporated into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s management plans for the refuge and could have a practical impact on the area, Oakman said. 
Many of her Discover Day peers produced equally important and interesting work, she said. 
“It’s awesome the findings that we’re coming up with as undergrads, this young,” Oakman said. “We can solve problems, real problems, that are very
 important.”

Gallery • 8 Photos

Greta Jines

Painting and ceramics senior Jacob Lagasse presents his piece “Duality of Femininity” Thursday, April 7, 2016 during LSU Discover Day in the LSU Student Union Royal Cotillion Ballroom.