The University of Louisiana at Lafayette presented its 2026 LEAF Awards for Excellence in Research, Creativity and Scholarship for undergraduate student projects as part of the Advance Student Research Experience Program. Honorees are below.
Business
Shelton Edwards – B. I. Moody III College of Business Administration
Ainsley Gauthier – B. I. Moody III College of Business Administration
Creative Work and Media Production
Caleb W. Dixon – College of the Arts
Aniyah Mallard – College of the Arts
Education
Susannah R. Donoghue – Ray P. Authement College of the Sciences
Bree Landry – Ray P. Authement College of the Sciences
Engineering and Technology
Riley Guillory – College of Engineering
Nina C. Kanonye – College of Engineering
Health
Torin Cage – College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Reese Provost – Ray P. Authement College of the Sciences
Humanities
Addison Spencer – College of Liberal Arts
Ava Thibodeaux – College of Liberal Arts
Emma Thomas – College of Liberal Arts
Life Sciences
Tyler A. Borel – Ray P. Authement College of the Sciences
Clinton Vincent – Ray P. Authement College of the Sciences
Math and Statistics
Sydney Francois – Ray P. Authement College of the Sciences
Mikaela Woodard – College of Engineering
Performing Arts
Jacen Agregaard – College of the Arts
Matthew Cooley – College of the Arts
Physical Sciences
Izamary Lara – Ray P. Authement College of the Sciences
Liberty M. Plasek – College of Engineering
Social Sciences
Elizabeth Drell – College of Liberal Arts
Sydnee Johnson – B. I. Moody III College of Business Administration
Community Impact
Kathryn Carrere – B. I. Moody III College of Business Administration
Abbey A. Poirier – College of Education & Human Development
International Impact
Lana Gaspard – Ray P. Authement College of the Sciences
Claire C. Glaeser – College of Liberal Arts
Diversity and Social Justice
Jacques Laughlin – College of Liberal Arts
Ivy Hailar – B. I. Moody III College of Business Administration
Exceptional Performance in Dissemination
Mikaela Woodard – College of Engineering
Izamary Lara – Ray P. Authement College of the Sciences
Matthew Cooley – College of the Arts
Ethan Adams – Ray P. Authement College of the Sciences
Sedric Newman – College of Liberal Arts
The Provost Award
Ethan Adams – Ray P. Authement College of the Sciences
Caleb W. Dixon – College of the Arts
Izamary Lara – Ray P. Authement College of the Sciences
Abbey A. Poirier – College of Education & Human Development
Mikaela Woodard – College of Engineering
Photo caption: UL Lafayette has awarded its 2026 Leaf Awards for Excellence in Research, Creativity and Scholarship in recognition of undergraduate student projects. Leaf Award honorees were recognized during a recent ceremony at the Lite Center. Photo credit: Paul Kieu / University of Louisiana at Lafayette