(06/02/26) BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU student Keana Howard, who will begin as a master’s student at the College of Agriculture this fall, was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship on May 1. The award is given to undergraduate or graduate university students that demonstrate notable achievements in their research and complete a comprehensive application process.

Howard, originally from California, is a first-generation college student who has received a Bachelor of Science in environmental management systems from the College of Agriculture and a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology.

While initially uncertain about being able to pursue a higher-level degree, the fellowship has changed her future for the better.

“This grant has not only allowed me to pursue a project that I’m passionate about, but also just make my dreams of higher education come true,” Howard said.

That project will be researched with M.P. Hayes, an assistant professor in the School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences, and his lab. Howard will study how chemicals known as PFAS, often referred to as forever chemicals, move through environments, focusing on water systems as well as how they interact and impact communities that are exposed to them at high levels.

Howard was mentored by Hayes as an undergrad and worked with his Water Quality Extension Lab. Hayes, when he was a student at LSU, also received an NSF fellowship grant with mentorship from Marybeth Lima, of the AgCenter Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, and sees this as a full-circle moment in his career.

Since his positive experience with the grant, Hayes has been working to find students that have a desire to pursue what he describes as a “rigorous application.”

“Since I joined the AgCenter, I’ve been trying to see if there’s any students that are interested in this pathway,” Hayes said. “Keana was the first student that wanted to pursue the grant, so it was exciting being able to mentor her and bestow some of the knowledge that I was given when I got this fellowship back in the day.”

The application process took almost four months and included putting together an in-depth research proposal and personal narratives from Howard. With the help of Hayes and Maud Walsh, another professor in SPESS, Howard was awarded the grant as an undergraduate student, a feat that is rarely achieved.

For Hayes, this achievement is not a surprise. He is excited to see how Howard’s career progresses.

“This just really solidified the fact that she’s going to be one of the next leaders in the scientific community,” Hayes said.

Keana Howard was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which will allow her to pursue a fully funded research program at the LSU AgCenter. Photo provided by Keana Howard