Author: Emily Gautreaux

LSU and Nexus LA to Offer Support for Louisiana Entrepreneurs

This summer, aspiring Louisiana entrepreneurs will be able to consult industry experts and business mentors thanks to a partnership between Nexus Louisiana and LSU’s Office of Innovation and Technology Commercialization according to a press release from the school.

The program is called Ignition, and it’s been designed as an accelerated entrepreneurial program in which aspiring businessmen and women can assess the practicality, viability, and overall effectiveness of their ideas. The Ignition initiative, which is set to last eight weeks throughout the end of spring, will also offer to its participants a panel of local business leaders and innovators who will guide aspiring entrepreneurs through the building, maintaining, and satisfying of a reliable client base.

In addition to the wealth of knowledge that can only be gained from experiences, Louisiana entrepreneurs and participants will also have reimbursable capital available to them through a grant from Louisiana State University. Candidates will have access to up to $3,000 in reimbursable funds, which they can apply toward what Ignition is calling “customer discovery efforts.” Such efforts may include, but won’t be limited to social media marketing campaigns, registration and attendance costs for a conference or expo, or even admission into product competitions.

The experts offering their two-cents to Ignition participants want to help connect customers with a great idea because often those aspiring inventors and innovators are expertly crafty in the creation of their product or service, but they might lack the business acumen or networking savvy to get their idea in the hands of customers. Thankfully, that’s literally the types of aspiring Louisiana entrepreneurs that Nexus Louisiana had in mind in creating the Ignition program.

Stephen Loy, the Executive Director of Nexus Louisiana Technology Park said of the initiative, “Ignition is ideal for entrepreneurs, dreamers, risk-takers, and anyone who has a business idea seeking to prove or disprove their product or service viability. Our goal is to help entrepreneurs keep from investing significant resources into an idea that might not be viable. We would rather someone decide whether their business idea will work early in the process than find out after they have mortgaged their home.”

The program commences on Wednesday, April 28th with an official program orientation and is set to last until Wednesday, June 30th with participants taking part in weekly innovation sessions. Towards the end of the program, Ignition will host a virtual “Demo Day,” sponsored by the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge as well as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana. On the “Demo Day,” participants will be able to properly showcase and present their business ideas to a larger community.

The total Ignition initiative expects its participants to commit to actively shaping their overall business idea, strategy, and viability outside of class, with approximately five hours a week devoted to this effort. The program is limited to fifteen total Ignition participants with preferences being given to those candidates who submit an application and subsequent business proposal that shows the entrepreneurial promise, aptitude, and mindset required to not only complete the program but successfully launch a scalable, technology-enabled business of their own. While the program doesn’t guarantee success, the moment of the culminating launching of the business at the end of June requires a little bit of risk, just like any promising business venture.

All in-person sessions for the program will be held at the Louisiana Technology Park located in the Mid City area of Baton Rouge. Andrew Maas, the director for the LSU Office of Innovation and Technology Commercialization, said of the venture, “We are excited to be part of Ignition. We know from our experience that you really need to ask some tough questions before you even start a business. You need customers to be successful and customer discovery is the most logical place to start. We hope to give participants the tools and resources to be successful.”

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Renovated Airplane Serves as Social Space in Houma

Anyone curious about airplanes from mechanics to aspiring pilots can now visit an aviation social scene that is housed in a salvaged, decommissioned jet at the Houma-Terrebonne airport, and it’s all thanks to an air traffic controller who had a vision and renovated said airplane, says an article by Houma Today.

Andy Cook has been a registered Air Traffic Controller with the Federal Aviation Administration since 1988, and after he noticed a Boeing 727 collecting dust in a nearby South Louisiana shipyard for two consecutive years, he decided that it was time to act. Subsequently, Cook struck a deal with the owner to not only move the commercial jet to the Houma-Terrebonne airport but to also renovate and transform it into a communal aviation den.  The end result, a now renovated airplane unlike anything you may have ever seen.

What now stands on the green fields beside the tarmac of HUM, or the Houma-Terrebonne Airport and Industrial Park is a completely “decked-out” Boeing 727 cockpit and first-class cabin that is lined inside and out with New Orleans Hornets iconography and memorabilia as well as other impressive amenities. The former Crescent City NBA team used to use the jet as a charter plane as did the Seattle Supersonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder) and the Charlotte Hornets.

After Cook noticed that the jet was exposed to the elements for two years, he had some idea of the amount of work and effort he would have to contribute in order to turn this “decommissioned scrap” into the impressive piece of Louisiana history that it is today. He told reporters: “I can’t tell you how many muddy buckets of water I’ve dragged out of this thing,” Cook said. “It was a tetanus shot waiting to happen.”

After the water was dispelled from the aircraft, Cook put in dozens of additional man-hours to properly deep-clean, refurbish, and revamp the 727 with new carpeting, air conditioning, speakers, and aesthetic Hornets memorabilia lining the interior as well as a logo for the NBA team wrapping the 40-foot perimeter of the jet itself. Cook even took it a step forward by positioning the plane so that it’s west-facing, giving anyone seated in the cockpit an impressive view of the sunset.

As a result and testament to his hard work, the renovated airplane has started to attract its own brand of visitors. For instance Darryl Christen, a Houma attorney also owns and operates a local flight school, and he will have his enrolled flight students study in the first-class cabin to see the infrastructure and engineering up close. Similarly, Neil Thibodaux, a local pilot and chef known by the Houma community as “Chef Nino” took advantage of the opportunity to see the aviation engineering feat up close, as he had never previously gotten the chance to see a cross-section, or industrially separated, passenger aircraft before.

Thibodeaux said of Cook’s project, “Andy is so brilliant,” Thibodaux said. “It’s a gathering place for aviators and airplane mechanics. My favorite part is the history that this plane brings.” Andy Cook hopes that the plane will inspire any interested parties to learn more about aviation, and in the spirit of that optimistic outlook, Cook leaves the plane unlocked and fully accessible to anyone willing to come by, as long as they have access past the airfield’s gate, saying, “I’ll keep it open and unlocked until something goes missing.”

The Boeing 727 aircraft was initially designed to service smaller airport runways and has only grown since its humble 1960’s beginnings to later become one of the greatest commercial jets in history by 1984. Today, only 40 models of the historic aircraft are still flying around the world, but whether they’re airborne or grounded, it’s safe to assume that none are as impressively striking as the partial model that decorates the lawn of the Houma-Terrebonne Airport.

As it stands today, the once massively popular aircraft that is the Boeing 727 only has 40 still operating and flying in the skies today

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Sunday Chili Recipe

This perfect “Sunday Chili” recipe from Pinch of Yum that’s designed to be quickly prepped, set on the stove on low, and essentially forgotten about until it’s time to serve is the perfect addition to any Sunday menu.

Chili is such a versatile dish that is guaranteed to satisfy the hungriest of appetites. While it’s a great dish served fresh, a proper pot of chili almost lives a longer second life as a week of leftovers due to the flavors becoming stronger and more distinct in a tight container in your fridge. Similarly, if you have a Sunday afternoon free, be sure to set up this recipe around lunchtime and expect to have that pot simmering all afternoon long for a truly impressive dinner.

Sunday Chili Ingredients: 

2 teaspoons of salt

1 ½ pound of ground beef

6 slices of bacon, (cut into small pieces)

Half of an onion (diced)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

1 jalapeno (minced)

4 carrots (minced), optional

2 ½ tablespoons of chili powder

2 tablespoons of cumin

1 tablespoon of oregano

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

3-4 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 28-ounce can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

2 14-ounce cans of black, red, or pinto beans (rinsed and drained)

2 ¼ cups of beef or chicken broth

Suggested Toppings for Sunday Chili:

Avocado (carved)

Cheddar cheese (shredded)

Sour Cream

Tortilla Chips

Red Onion (sliced)

Fresh cilantro

Sunday Chili Recipe:

  1. Begin your chili as you always should, by seasoning your ground beef with salt. If you like spice, sprinkle some black and cayenne pepper into the seasoning mix as well. Using a wooden spoon or gloved hands, mix the seasoning into the beef and set it aside while you prep the other ingredients. Slice your uncooked bacon strips into quarter to half-inch pieces, and place them in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crispy. Take out the pieces with your spoon, and drain the excess oil on a folded paper towel, leaving 1-2 tablespoons in the oven for sautéing.
  2. Add your diced onion, minced garlic, and minced carrots into the oil, and brown them in the bacon oil, sautéing them until they are soft and fragrant. After they’re properly browned, add your ground beef and measured spices, mixing it all together. Continue to stir it all together until the beef is fully cooked, and add your tablespoons of tomato paste. Sauté the chili for two to three minutes.
  3. Next, add your fire-roasted tomatoes, preferred beans, and bacon pieces to the pot, mixing it all together. Bring the heat on your dutch oven down to a low simmer, and cover it. Keep it cooking on low heat for at least 30-45 minutes, though it’s always preferred to cook it for two hours or more. After all, this is called a “Sunday Chili” for a reason, and that reason is to have the pot simmering on low all afternoon to develop a fine-tuned flavor. When the chili begins to thicken, you can thin it out with water or any additional broth until the consistency is to your liking. Additionally, you can alternate between the pot resting over low heat or merely resting in the hot dutch oven.
  4. Once it’s done or it’s dinner time after the chili has been cooking in the background all day, it’s time to serve the chili into bowls and top it with you and your guest’s preferred toppings.

Notes:

  • You can certainly substitute canned diced tomatoes for the crushed-tomatoes, if you prefer the thicker consistency.
  • While it’s delicious, the bacon is (of course) optional, as you can also sauté your vegetables in reserved bacon fat.
  • If you need to save time, chop your vegetables in a food processor or add your ingredients into a pressure cooker after it’s all sufficiently browned and the meat is cooked.

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American Bucket List Activities

International travel is assuredly enticing, unforgettable, and unique, but it has a tendency to be expensive, which is why many are turning to their “own backyard,” as it were, and rediscovering the once-in-a-lifetime wonders of the United States. One such company is the premium email-subscription service, Scott’s Cheap Flights, which had its extensive survey results of the “Most Popular Bucket List Activities in Each U.S State” featured recently on Travel Pulse’s blog.

The list is a culminating result of a sample size of 3,000 people who answered the question: “what activities and experiences are at the top of your USA bucket list?” Predictably so, the results revealed some obvious “greatest hits” of California and Hawaii topping the list, but the data set also gave interesting insight such as approximately 70% of all bucket-list activities chosen by travelers taking place outdoors, whether it be exploring the Denali National Park in Alaska national park in or visiting the white-sanded beaches of Georgia’s Jekyll, Cumberland, and Tybee Islands.

Lastly, before diving into a small sampling of the enticing events, it should be remembered that a “bucket list destination” is special because it’s a trip that’s unique to the area that it’s located in for one reason or another while also teeming with memories that could last a lifetime. The bucket list aspect doesn’t need to be grim or morbid, but it should be seen as a goal in which you can perceive some of the more exquisite and spectacular sights, activities, and wonders of nature or man that this world has to offer, while we’re here.

Gazing at the Wild Ponies of Assateague Island National Seashore

Located in close proximity to Ocean City, Maryland & Chincoteague Island, Virginia is a 37-mile beach, inland pine forest, and salt marsh that has stood as a National Park and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuge and State Park for several decades. Besides being stunningly gorgeous, this beach is unique due to its over 300 free-roaming wild ponies and horses that have been trotting down the beach and surrounding areas since the 17th Century. Locals believe that the ponies originally came to the island from a sunken Spanish Galleon ship, which was recently discovered offshore, but no matter the cause, the free-roaming ponies are a truly rare sight that one should demand to see with their own two eyes.

Traversing Nevada’s Valley of Fire

Survey respondents placed experiencing Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park ahead of touring Las Vegas and all its commercial wonders, so that tells you that there’s something special about the breathtakingly panoramic landscapes. Named for its 40,000 acres of strikingly red Aztec sandstone found alongside limestone, the Valley of Fire is also home to ancient, petrified trees and petroglyphs that date back over 2,000 years ago. The landscapes that make up the crimson valley serve as the ideal backdrop for your outdoor excursion, as the State Park is home to dozens of trails for walking, viewing, biking, and hiking. Make it a point to drive down the winging Valley of Fire Highway the next time you need a color compliment to the monotonous, dull hues in your neck of the woods.

View the Natural Wildlife of South Dakota’s Badlands

Reconnect with the early settlers and take in unforgettable sights in the “Land of Stone and Light,” found in the rugged topography of the Badlands. This National Park is home to geological formations that resemble mosaic paintings, one of the world’s richest fossil beds, and approximately 244,000 acres to explore. What’s special about this area is that it is not only home to untold beauty but also countless species of wildlife unique to the area. From Wild Turkey to Buffalo to Kangaroo Rats, the expanse of the Badlands has a unique sight for every visitor on every visit.

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Rabbit Island Restoration Project Aims to Save the Pelicans and Coast

Louisiana engineers are banding together to restore the portion of Calcasieu Lake known as Rabbit Island and save dozens of brown pelican eggs in the process, as reported by The Daily Advertiser.  Details on the Rabbit Island restoration project are below.

Set forth as one of six projects by the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LTIG) in January 2017, the Rabbit Island Restoration Project aims to add more land to the Cameron Parish island and ensure that the march island’s brown pelican population continues to thrive.

Reports indicate that since 1955 at least 89 acres of land have been lost, and the 200 remaining acres only consist of either open water or land that is at or below sea level. The excessively low elevation is a result of tidal effects from nearby shipping channels and wind-driven waves.

As a result of this continual land loss, the population of Louisiana’s official state bird, the brown pelican continues to lose half of its laid eggs annually. This is highly concerning considering that Rabbit Island is Southwest Louisiana’s only brown pelican rookery or dense nesting colony. In 2018 it was reported that the island hosted a population of over 1000 pelicans, but that number has since shrunken to a mere 400. Accordingly, this not only causes detrimental environmental effects, but the symbolic significance and implications of losing the state’s official bird cannot be understated.

The total effect of the project, which is spearheaded by the Lafayette company, Royal Engineering, will raise the island’s elevation from 1 foot to 3.5 feet, giving the pelican population more area for building nests. The process of raising the elevation consists of dredging 606,300 cubic feet of sediment from the nearby Calcasieu Shipping Channel and transporting it to Rabbit Island. The engineering team expects to add 88 acres back to the marsh island, which includes vegetation such as native grasses, shrubs, and plenty of room for the State’s official birds.

The $16.4 million Rabbit Island Restoration Project officially began in August 2020 with funds received from the BP oil settlement from the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The settlement gave the state of Louisiana $5 billion in natural resource damages with $220 million set aside specifically for bird restoration projects.

The restoration of Rabbit Island is the first rebuilding of a waterbird colony since the restoration of Queen Bess Island in early 2020. That project successfully restored 31 of the island’s total 36 acres available for pelican nesting. Located in Jefferson Parish, Queen Bess Island is the state’s fourth-largest Brown Pelican rookery, as it supports approximately 18% of Louisiana’s pelican nesting. The project was a resounding success, as it saw a dramatic increase in nesting activity since the project concluded just on the onset of the traditional nesting season for Brown Pelicans, mid-to-late February.

In light of Louisiana’s recent storm season, the effort to restore Rabbit Island had picked up considerable support from Louisiana officials. State Representative Ryan Bourriaque stated, “last year’s storm season was devastating for the people of Cameron Parish. As we continue to rebuild, I applaud the state for taking on this timely restoration project and for their continual investment in this region.”

Jack Montoucet, a secretary for the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the group who initially announced the Rabbit Island project, said of its impact and importance: “by combining the habitat expertise of Wildlife and Fisheries and the restoration abilities of CPRA, we are making a big difference that will allow our native species to flourish as we continue the mission of restoring and protecting coastal Louisiana.”

As of early April 2021, the restoration of Rabbit Island is nearly complete, thus wrapping up a restoration effort years in the making and ensuring the flourishing of our state’s bird for many years to come.

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Tulane to Purchase Electric Shuttle Buses with Awarded Grant

Soon Tulane University will introduce five electric shuttle buses to their campus transportation fleet, as reported by the University’s press.

The United States Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) approved the initiative that was presented by Tulane University. The EERE awarded the school and its partners $737,500 to make the enterprise a reality, and as a result, Tulane will be purchasing five Grande West Vicinity transit buses equipped with electric vehicle technology (EV) along with five private charging stations.

One of Tulane’s partners in this innovative effort is the Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuel Partnership, which works with local fuel providers, vehicle fleets, community leaders, and other stakeholders to not only save energy but also promote the use of advanced vehicle technologies and domestic alternative fuels when it comes to transportation.

The SLCF Partnership’s director, Courtney Young, said of the school, “Tulane was one of the first universities in the region to install EV charging stations on campus for students, faculty, and staff. Similarly, the electric shuttle bus project is the first of its kind in our area, so we’re looking forward to understanding and showcasing results to comparable fleets as a potential replicable solution to replace the older model, highly polluting diesel shuttles in our communities.”

The project is set to begin with the five EV shuttle buses joining Tulane’s existing university shuttle route that links together the school’s affiliate programs with its uptown and downtown campuses. Though the approved project is set to last three years, the ultimate goal is for the University’s staff to monitor the efficiency, operating performance, and general costs of the EV shuttle buses and share their findings with public transportation fleets across the Crescent City and other Universities.

The wide-accepted notion is that clean, electric vehicle technology-equipped transportation is more environmentally healthy and cost-efficient than traditional means; therefore, the project team at Tulane will test that hypothesis to see if using electric vehicles as public transportation would be a more viable option for other campuses and the larger New Orleans area.

Tulane’s initiative to purchase and incorporate the five Grande West Vicinity EV shuttle buses was one of 55 research and development projects accepted by the EERE. All of the selected projects aimed to further advance vehicle technologies in exciting and innovative ways with assistance from the EERE’s Vehicle Technologies Office.

This total collaborative project is between Tulane’s ByWater Institute and University Campus Services as well as local partners, the Alliance Bus Group, Entergy, and the Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuel Partnership. The Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuel Partnership. Shelley Meaux and Liz Davey of the Tulane Bywater Institute are the principal investigators of the project, and Davey expects the project’s short-term effects to involve the elimination of air pollutants that cause local health issues such as heart and lung damage. Additionally, according to Davey, “In the longer term, especially as electricity generation moves to more clean and renewable sources, the use of electric vehicles will also reduce our carbon footprint.”

While the project is still in its early stages by being awarded this opportunity, it’s obvious that Tulane University and its partners have their eyes and well-intentioned perspective set on the future of New Orleans and the planet at large. Tulane University’s Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Patrick Norton shared his hopes, saying, “This is an exciting opportunity for Tulane as we work to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that result from university operations. Tulane’s shuttles are highly visible in the greater New Orleans area and [w]e are confident that the impacts of this project will extend beyond the boundaries of our physical campuses. By sharing our operational, financial, and environmental impact experiences and data, we hope to serve as a blueprint for other institutions in our region.”

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