LSU Coast & Environment Graduate Student Awarded Eleanor Earle Memorial Scholarship

On April 24, Kelli Moran, a PhD student in the LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, or DOCS, was one of two graduate students awarded the Eleanor Earle Memorial American Association of University Women, or AAUW, Scholarship from the Baton Rouge Chapter. AAUW is a national nonprofit organization that promotes equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research.

This is the second time a doctoral student in the College of the Coast & Environment, or CC&E, received this scholarship. It was first awarded to Kendall Valentine, another DOCS PhD student, in the spring of 2019. In fact, Valentine is the one who encouraged Moran to apply.

“It’s amazing what we can accomplish when we put ourselves out there,” Moran said. 

Moran works in the Sediment Dynamics Lab with her advisor, Kehui “Kevin” Xu, James P. Morgan Distinguished Professor, associate professor in DOCS and interim director of Coastal Studies Institute. Her research focuses on how sediments move and deposit on the coast in response to events such as human intervention, sea level rise, and shifting climates. This research will help Louisiana design coastal mitigation and restoration efforts as sea levels rise and coastal areas are threatened.

“My advisor, Kevin, has been instrumental in providing exciting research opportunities and encouraging me to accomplish far more than I ever thought I was capable of. The opportunities and resources available to me through CC&E have been invaluable to my current and future success,” Moran said.

She plans to graduate with her PhD in Fall 2022. Her ultimate goal is to obtain a tenure track faculty position at a research institution where she will be able to not only inform the public on the impacts of sea level rise on their communities but also advise the next generation of scientists.