BATON ROUGE, LA (May 27, 2009) – Melissa M. Baustian, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University, was awarded the Joseph Lipsey, Sr. 2009 Memorial Scholarship in ceremonies at LSU on May 8.The “spirit” of this award is to recognize the contribution of a DOCS graduate student towards better understanding and preserving Louisiana’s living coastal and marine resources.The 2009 award was shared with Jeremy L. Conkle.
Melissa studies under Dr. Nancy Rabalais of Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. She is a constant reminder of academic pursuits at the LUMCON Marine Center, on board the R/V Pelican, R/V Acadiana and small boats, in the laboratories and being part of the LUMCON research endeavor. Ms. Baustian was identified as a Ph.D. student who excels in course work, education and public outreach, and her unique research program. Her dissertation work is focused on the benthic habitat, the microalgae that inhabit the sediments, and their potential for generating dissolved oxygen when sufficient light reaches the seabed. This process, if documented, will help explain why this area of low oxygen does not become totally anoxic (no oxygen) in the summer. Her research results will be instrumental in a better understanding of the oxygen dynamics of the hypoxic zone of the Louisiana coast. Ms. Baustian was praised as “an exemplar graduate student who is making a difference with her work on critical habitat in the northern Gulf of Mexico relevant to the hypoxia problem.” The scholarship honors the late Joseph Lipsey Sr., an avid Louisiana sportsman and founder of Steinberg’s Sports Center in Baton Rouge, by recognizing the outstanding contributions of a Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences doctoral student. The scholarship was established by Joseph, Jr. and Richard Lipsey, sons of the late Joseph Lipsey, Sr.
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