Moody Business students don't just study business — they practice it.
From managing a real, donor-funded investment portfolio to pitching original ventures and presenting original research, these labs and initiatives give students hands-on experience with the tools, pressure, and stakes of professional decision-making before they graduate.
Dr. Josh Bendickson, Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, is excited to again sponsor, offer & lead the 2026 Inn-eaux-vate Pitch Comptetition.
This year's competition will include more than $50,000 in prize money, with $10,000 going to the overall winner.
The goals of the competition are to provide an opportunity for students to pitch business ideas to a panel of UL Lafayette alumni judges....and to possible earn seed money to help them start, commercialize and scale their business innovations.
Apply Now
Key Dates:
Applications Due: October 16, 2026
Semifinalists Announced: October 27, 2026
Semifinals & Finalists Announced: November 10, 2026
Final Pitch Competition: November 17, 2026 from 4:00-6:00 at the LITE Center
Congratulations to all of the finalists for the Inn-eaux-vate Fall 2024 Pitch Competition!
2nd Place ($3,000)
Caleigh Meche & Isabelle Chapman
Roommate
3rd Place ($2,500)
Lane Darby
Jammo Cans
4th Place ($2,000)
Prashant Basnet
Unisala
5th Place ($1,000 each)
Overpower Gore
Student Fusion
Kia Batiste
The PlayGround Clothing
Nana Firdausi Hassan
Feednah Modest & Mane
Ethan Ly
Rice Dynasty
Leila Gheisi
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Whatever your major, ethics matter. The Moody Integrity Cup is an annual case competition that challenges students to work through ethical dilemmas in a business context and make a clear business case for their decisions, a skill that shapes your success as a professional and leader.
The competition takes place each fall and is open to undergraduate and graduate students in every college and major. Teams of three to four students compete, and each team must include at least one business major. You can register as a team or as an individual. Individuals are placed on a team.
The top three teams share the award money. In 2026, the inaugural Moody Integrity Cup awarded $7,500 to its top three teams, made possible by the support of alumna Jeanine Piskurich ('85).
The competition finals are held on Global Ethics Day each October. Throughout the day, Moody Business classes face off in class-versus-class Ethics Bowl competitions, tackling ethical issues from different business perspectives.
Questions? Contact moodybusiness@louisiana.edu.
In 2015, even prior to the Maraist Financial Services Lab being constructed, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Foundation allocated $100,000 for a Student Managed Portfolio. Once the Maraist Financial Services Lab was open, the Foundation invested another $200,000 for the Student Managed Portfolio.
As of December 31, 2025, that original $200,000 had grown to become $720,000 during the 10 years of the Student Managed Portfolio.
The Student Managed Portfolio is just that - a portfolio managed by students. Each semester, 8-15 students enrol in FNAN 485 - Student Managed Portfolio. This is a for-credit finance elective course offered every semester.
Dr. Praveen Das, Associate Professor of Finance, is the faculty advisor of the course and the Student Managed Portfolio. The SMP has benefited from expert industry perspective from Mr. Tommy Kreamer and Mr. Dave Romagosa, both alumns of the University, since its inception.
The Student Managed Portfolio's Investmnet Strategy is simple:
The students make investment recommendations to the UL Lafayette Foundation Investment Committee at the end of each semester. Each student spends the entire semester tracking two equities and presents a sell-side analyst report and recommendation to the Investment Committee. The students' classroom is the Maraist Financial Services Lab, where they research their companies through the Bloomberg technology, become Bloomberg Markets Certified and give practice presentations throughout the semester.
As of December 31, 2025, the portfolio held 35 individual stocks and had a total value of $720,000.
The College is deeply indebted to Mr. Mike Maraist and other donors for providing the investment necessary to establish the lab, as well as to Mr. Tommy Kreamer, Mr. Dave Romagosa and Dr. Praveen Das for running the Student Managed Portfolio each semester and providing our students with one of the best academic experieinces available anywhere in the world.
In January 2026, the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration launched a Student Investment Fund, a unique, first-of-its-kind initiative to engage and empower students - from all business majors - in the art and science of managing an investment portfolio.
On January 1, 2026, $100,000 of donor capital was deposited into a brokerage account. Throughout the year, students will meet with faculty advisors, the dean and industry experts to make their investment decisions.
One thing, among many, what makes this initiative unique is that it is open to any and all business students - it is not just available for finance students or students in dedicated courses...because all business students need to gain the knowledge, experience and confidence necessary to own and manage their financial futures.
This page will be updated monthly to share portfolio performance, best (and worst) stock picks and overall lessons learned from the MCOBA Student Investment Fund.
Current investment holdings:
| Month | Ending Balance | Amount in Cash | MCOBA SIF Monthly Return | S&P 500 Index Monthly Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Balance | $100,000 | $100,000 | - - - - - | - - - - - |
| Jan. 2026 | $100,122 | $77,500 | +0.12% | +0.37% |
| Feb. 2026 | $100,793 | $48,973 | +0.67% | -0.86% |
| Mar. 2026 | $97,255 | $18,769 | -3.50% | -5.09% |
| April 2026 | $103,654 | $10,341 | +6.57% | +10.00% |
| May 2026 | $105,484 | $115 | +1.76% | +5.14% |
| June 2026 | $103,144 | $283 | -2.2% | -1.9% |
| July 2026 | $104,025 | $320 | 0.85% +4.03% YTD | 0.03% +10.13% YTD |
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| Sep. 2026 | ||||
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| Dec. 2026 |
Here is a summary of the key policies and strategies of the MCOBA Student Investment Fund:
Dr. Brian Bolton is currently the Interim Dean of the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration – and he will be the primary sponsor and faculty advisor of the MCOBA Student Investment Fund. Dr. Bolton is also a Professor of Finance and the Dwight W. Andrus, Jr. / BoRSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair of Finance at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He has been teaching finance, investment strategy and portfolio theory to finance students for more than 20 years. Leading this MCOBA Student Investment Fund is him putting his money and time where his mouth is – if he gets paid to teach students how to invest and manage money, shouldn’t he be willing to let them invest and manage his money and donor money?
Since 2023, he has led 3 similar Investment Club programs for several select scholarships across campus. During this time, these funds have achieved annualized returns in excess of 29%, considerably more than the 21% earned by the S&P 500 during the same period. That may or may not be due to the students’ exceptional genius – but it is real money and it is pretty empowering. We hope to achieve similar financial, personal and professional results with this MCOBA Student Investment Fund. No pressure.
Dr. Bolton has been leading other Personal Financial Planning initiatives across campus and across Louisiana since 2020.
Learn More About These Programs
Dr. Bolton will be the primary point of contact for the MCOBA Student Investment Fund. On occasion, he will invite other faculty, interested alumni and local finance industry professionals to join the advisory role of the Fund – and, perhaps over time, we establish an advisory board. If Dr. Bolton is unable to attend any of the SIF meetings, he will designate another advisor to assume his responsibilities.
You can contact Brian Bolton at: brian.bolton@louisiana.edu
The Louisiana Research Collaborative is a collection of research themes, platforms and programs designed to celebrate, amplify and reward the amazing research that is being done across the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus. The focus is Research in Louisiana, Research for Louisiana and Research by Louisiana. We choose to highlight different themes and programs at different times, based on where our work can have the greatest impact, both on campus and across the Louisiana research ecosystem. Please check back regularly for announcements about new programs, events and awards. All Round 5 Applications are due by October 12, 2026 (11:59pm)
Submit Round #5 Application - due by October 12, 2026 (11:59pm)
We are seeking research proposals focused on the people, place and future of Louisiana. This program is part of the Louisiana Research Collaborative, working to amplify UL Lafayette research that advances Louisiana Vision 2035 and advances the state’s knowledge base, social capital and economic future.
All award recipients will be invited and expected to present their work at a Louisiana Impact Research Summit in Spring 2027, which will take place during Grad Student Appreciation Week on Friday, April 9, 2027.
The Louisiana Research Collaborative is a collection of research themes, platforms and programs designed to celebrate, amplify and reward the amazing research that is being done across the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus. The focus is Research in Louisiana, Research for Louisiana and Research by Louisiana. We choose to highligh different themes and programs at different times, based on where our work and can have the greatest impact, both on campus and across the Louisiana research ecosystem. Please check back regularly for announcements about new programs, events and awards.
In Spring 2023, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette awarded $40,800 in faculty research grants related to Sustainable Development - that is, research related to Human Wellbeing, Environmental Protection or Economic Growth - and to 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative was a collaboration between 5 campus entities: Faculty Affairs (Dianne Olivier & Kiwana McClung), the Graduate School (Mary Farmer-Kaiser and Philip de Mahy), the Office of Sustainability & Community Engagement (Gretchen Vanicor), the Office for Research, Innovation & Economic Development (Ramesh Kolluru) and Brian Bolton, Professor of Finance and the Dwight W. Andrus, Jr. / BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Finance.
This program has several key goals: (1) to celebrate the amazing research being done across the UL Lafayette campus, (2) to show how vital research on sustainable development is for Southern Louisiana and the Gulf Coast Region, and (3) to create a platform to share research and to encourage collaborations where faculty can help solve some of society's greatest challenges. This Program is expected to have at least 4 rounds of research and awards.
In Round #1 in Spring 2023, we rewarded 19 faculty projects. We identified 4 "Ambassadors," senior faculty who will take on additional responsibilities of leading this work going forward and 15 "Fellows." All 19 faculty presented their research at the 2024 Faculty Sustainable Development Research Summit on March 8, 2024. The full list of faculty award recipients and their research projects is provided below; links to the Summit Program and Presentations are also posted below.
In Round #2 in Winter 2023-Spring 2024, we rewarded 22 graduate student projects with $2,000 each, for a total of $44,000 in awards. These 22 graduate students represent both Doctoral and Master programs from 13 different graduate programs across campus. All 22 students presented their research at the 2024 Graduate Student Sustainable Development Research Summit on April 12, 2024. The full list of graduate student recipients and their research projects is provided below; links to the Summit Program and Presentations are also posted below.
In Round #3 in Spring-Summer 2024, we selected 46 projects for awards worth a total of $90,600. We had 126 proposals submitted and we were able to award 46 projects (to 53 people), thanks in part to matching funds from the Office of the Vice President for Research, Innovation & Economic Development. This portfolio of 46 projects includes 17 Faculty projects, 19 Graduate Student projects, 4 Staff projects and 6 Undergraduate Students projects. In addition, the 4 faculty advisors of the 6 Undergraduate projects received a $5,000 Advance Research Support Grant. All recipients will get to present their work at a to-be-determined event during the 2024-2025 academic year.
In Round #4 in Spring-Summer 2025, we selected 41 projects for awards worth a total of $80,800. We had 117 proposals submitted; again, thanks in part to matching funds from the Office of the Vice President for Research, Innovation & Economic Development, we were able to reward 41 amazing projects.This round of competition recognizes the work of 11 faculty members and 25 graduate students, as well as several undergraduate students and postdoctoral scholars, for innovative projects spanning disciplines from engineering and computer science to communicative disorders and English.
Since 2022, the program has invested more than $250,000 to support 128 faculty, graduate, undergraduate, and staff-led projects. In total, 385 proposals have been submitted from across all seven academic colleges, demonstrating the remarkable breadth of research being conducted on the UL Lafayette campus.
Beginning in 2025, the program will continue forward as the Louisiana Impact: Louisiana Research Collaborative. Showcasing research aligned with the people, place, and purpose of Louisiana, the collaborative is a partnership between Academic Affairs, the Office of the Vice President for Research, Innovation & Economic Development, the Graduate School, the Office of Sustainability & Community Engagement, and Dr. Bolton. Dr. Bolton is a Professor of Finance and the Dwight W. Andrus, Jr. / BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Finance. We look forward to continuing to highlight, celebrate and amplifying the incredible work our University scholars are creating.
We are excited to announce the following Louisiana Impact Award Winners for Round #4, announced August 1, 2025. Round #4 includes 41 award recipients who will receive a total of $80,800. To date, 128 amazing projects and researchers have received more than $250,000 - and we are confident that there is more investing in our people, our place and our purpose to come. Read this story to see our research in action.
Sercan Aygun – Assistant Professor, Computing & Informatics, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
ULL-HT: Unified, Low-Resource, and Language-Assisted Health Tool
Elena Babatsouli – Associate Professor, Communicative Disorders, College of Liberal Arts
Louisiana Family Language Use and Child Speech Developmental Norms in English
Ignatius Cahyanto – Associate Professor, Management, B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration
Visualizing Empowerment? Tourism and the Experiences of Ethnic Minority Women in Northern Vietnam
Caitlin deNux – Visiting Assistant Professor of Teaching, Geosciences, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Terry Chambers – Professor, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Evaluating Soil Health Improvements Utilizing Cover Crops in a Pre-Established Broccoli Production AV System in Louisiana
Natalie Keefer – Associate Professor, Education Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education & Human Development
Kathe Managan - Assistant Professor, Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts
Sustainable Economic and Cultural Development of Louisiana Business Practices in French and Creole
Mo Li – Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Multiple Changepoints Detection and Estimation in Cross-Sectional Time Series for Improving Livestock Production
Edward Patterson – Assistant Professor, Biology, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Using Insect-Specific Viruses to Prevent Mosquitoes from Transmitting Arthropod-Borne Viruses
David Squires – Associate Professor, English, College of Liberal Arts
Isuru Rathnayake – PhD Student in English
Reading Ernest J. Gaines in the Archives
Yu Wang – Associate Professor, Chemistry, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Advanced Smart Hydrogels for Selective and Regenerable PFAS Remediation in Water
Christine Weill – Assistant Professor, Communicative Disorders, College of Liberal Arts
Louisiana's View of Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
Andrea Westerband – Assistant Professor, Biology, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Mitigating Environmental Stress Impacts on Louisiana’s Native Prairie Species
Tamjeed Ahmed, PhD Student in Systems Engineering: Mechanical Engineering
Integrated Economic-Health Valuation of Backup Power Portfolios for Gulf-Coast Hurricane Shelters
Faculty reference: Solomon Yin, College of Engineering
Kunle Akinkuade – MSE Student in Chemical Engineering
Thermochemical Conversion of Plastic Wastes into Sustainable Bio-Oil
Faculty reference: Mark Zappi, College of Engineering
Nelly Ankrah – PhD Student in Systems Engineering: Civil Engineering
The Role of Road Weather Intelligent Systems in Enhancing Climate Resilience and Transportation Safety in Louisiana
Faculty reference: Julius Codjoe, College of Engineering
N I Md Ashafuddula – PhD Student in Computer Science
KI-M3T: Knee Injury-Adapted Medical Multi-Plane Multi-Slice Transformer Model for Advancing Healthcare Accessibility Through Accurate MRI Diagnosis
Faculty reference: Li Chen, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Jacob Badcock – PhD Student in Environmental & Evolutionary Biology
Using Machine Learning to Detect Macrobenthic Regime Shifts in a Louisiana Estuarine Bay
Faculty reference: Craig McClain, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Sajan Bhandari – PhD Student in Mathematics
Discrete-Time Refuge-Mediated Selection Model
Faculty reference: Azmy Ackleh, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Xueao Cao, PhD Student in Communicative Disorders
Gulalek Charyyeva - PhD Student in Communicative Disorders
More Than Words: Supporting the Development of a Child with Communication Disabilities Through Engineering the Communicative Environment
Faculty references: Judith Oxley and Katherine McQuitty Hays, College of Liberal Arts
Lisa Dizon – PhD Student in Systems Engineering: Chemical Engineering
Bioreactor Scale-Up and Testing of Optimum Conditions to Enhance Methanotrophs’ Growth and Activity for Lipid Production
Faculty reference: Emmanuel Revellame, College of Engineering
Muhammad Towhidul Islam – PhD Student in Systems Engineering: Petroleum Engineering
Visualization of Hydrate Formation of Flowing CO₂ in Low-Temperature Water for CO₂ Disposal onto Seafloor
Faculty reference: Boyun Guo, College of Engineering
Asif Istiak – PhD Student in Systems Engineering: Mechanical Engineering
A Novel Nanocarrier-Driven Therapeutic Strategy for Inhibiting Tissue Damage in Degenerated Joint Disease
Faculty reference: Tanvir Faisal, College of Engineering
Chimezie Izuazu – PhD Student in Mathematics
Stochastic Analysis of Interplay Among Drug Mode of Action, Nutrient Availability, and Antibiotic Resistance
Faculty reference: Cameron Browne, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Jenita Jahangir – PhD Student in Mathematics
Invading Populations by Infections in a Discrete-Time Compartmental Epidemic Models
Faculty reference: Amy Veprauskas, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Afeez Jimoh – PhD Student in Earth & Energy Sciences
Computational Modeling of Ion Transport Dynamics in Ion Exchange Membranes for Sustainable Energy Systems
Faculty reference: Erez Aghion, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Maria Lindquist – MS Student in Psychology
Shaping Attitudes Toward GLP-1 Drugs: The Impact of Realistic Advertisements on Disordered Eating Behaviors
Faculty reference: Manyu Li, College of Liberal Arts
Lovelyn Madu – PhD Student in Mathematics
Optimization and AI-Driven Advances in Detection Tools for Heart Disease and Cancers
Faculty reference: Bruce Wade, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Sydney McDermott – PhD Student in Environmental & Evolutionary Biology
Observations of the Condition of Deep-Sea Benthic Communities in the Immediate Vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon Wreckage
Faculty reference: Craig McClain, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Emily Mulcahy – MS Student in Biology
Growth of and Microzooplankton Grazing on Pico- and Nanoplankton Communities Along Environmental Gradients
Faculty reference: Beth Stauffer, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Sohail Nawab – PhD Student in Systems Engineering: Petroleum Engineering
Microbial Hydrogen Production in Depleted Oil Reservoirs in Louisiana
Faculty reference: Ning Liu, College of Engineering
Jacob Norris – MS Student in Psychology
The Relationships Between Ego Depletion and Social Behaviors Across Different Degrees of Psychological Flexibility
Faculty reference: Emily Sandoz, College of Liberal Arts
Prince Obeng – PhD Student in Systems Engineering: Petroleum Engineering
Experimental Investigation of the Performance of Clay Inhibitor ZCHN71, ZCHN72, ZCHN73 on High and Low Reactive Clays
Faculty reference: Nelson Chavez, College of Engineering
Khairum Orthi – PhD Student in Earth & Energy Sciences
Understanding the Electron Transport Chain in Photosystem I During Photosynthesis
Faculty reference: Wu Xu, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Tasnim Tabassum – PhD Student in Computer Science
Prevent Hospital Finance Failure: An AI-Powered System for Identifying Financial Risk
Faculty reference: Sonya Hsu, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Mohammad Nezam Uddin – PhD Student in Systems Engineering: Petroleum Engineering
A Feasibility Study of Converting End-of-lifetime Oil and Gas Wells into Geothermal Wells
Faculty reference: Boyun Guo, College of Engineering
Gregory Williams – PhD Student in Systems Engineering: Civil Engineering
A Collaboratively Designed and Managed Flood Resilience Framework for Affected Communities in the Caribbean Region
Faculty reference: Emad Habib, College of Engineering
Courtney Poirier Chicola – Postdoctoral Researcher, NASA Regional Application Center and Department of Chemistry
Discovering the Early-Time Photodegradation Mechanisms of Emerging Contaminants in Marine Ecosystems
Xiaobo Lei – Postdoctoral Researcher, Energy Institute of Louisiana
Converting Invasive Giant Salvinia in Louisiana into Renewable Biomethane
Yihe Zhang – Research Scientist, Informatics Research Institute
Accelerating Universal Mental Health Access through AI-Powered Suicide Prevention
Elizabeth Drell – Undergraduate Student in Psychology
Alcohol Intoxication as a Moderator of Bias Against Transgender Victims of Sexual Assault
Faculty reference: Amy Brown, College of Liberal Arts
Bree Landry – Undergraduate Student in Environmental Science, Digital Geography and Researcher with the NASA Regional Application Center
Tracking Troubled Waters: Community-Based Field Research with the AREN AquaROVER
Faculty reference: Courtney Poirier Chicola, Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
Bailey Singleton – Undergraduate Student in Psychology
Consent in Media Consumption: Exploring Content Warnings as Accessibility through Sexual Assault Survivor's Perspectives
Faculty reference: Amy Brown, College of Liberal Arts
The program will continue forward as the Louisiana Impact: Louisiana Research Collaborative. Showcasing research aligned with the people, place, and purpose of Louisiana, the collaborative is a partnership between Academic Affairs, the Office of the Vice President for Research, Innovation & Economic Development, the Graduate School, the Office of Sustainability & Community Engagement, and Dr. Bolton. Dr. Bolton is a Professor of Finance and the Dwight W. Andrus, Jr. / BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Finance.
The MCOBA Student Research Showcase invites business students — undergraduate and graduate, across every major — to present original research to a panel of faculty judges. The inaugural 2026 showcase awarded more than $25,000 across nine finalist teams, judged on the rigor of their research and the clarity of their presentations.
All 9 finalists teams presented their research projects, explained the science and impact of their work and fielded questions from a panel of faculty judges. Presentations were judged based on the rigor of the research and the clarity of the presentation.
We awarded over $25,000 to all participants. Here are the winners, across various categories:
All finalists received $500 per individual project and $900 per group project and all other participants received some cash award for contributing to this inaugural Research Showcase.
We have no idea what the cash awrds will be in the future - we just know we are going to continue the Showcase and we are going to continue investing in our amazing students.
CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who participated - Thank you for creating something special!
The research awards are being provided by: