2020 Enrollment

[NewsCopy]

Researchers at the University of Louisiana will develop and analyze new 3-D printing materials and processes as part of a five-university project funded by a $20 million National Science Foundation grant.

The grant established the Louisiana Material Design Alliance, a consortium comprised of UL, LSU, and Louisiana Tech, Southern and Tulane universities. The universities will conduct research that will be shared with federal agencies and industry to address a growing reliance on 3-D printing in manufacturing. UL’s portion of the grant is $2.7 million.

“LAMDA provides a framework for research that will include opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students,” said Dr. Miao Jin, an associate professor in UL’s School of Computing and Informatics. Jin is leading the University’s research for the project.

“LAMDA was also created to help universities enhance curriculums and hire faculty members to educate and train students who will help fill workforce needs. It’s a comprehensive, balanced approach designed to benefit the entire state,” she added.

3-D printing, which is also known as additive manufacturing, involves creating an object from a three-dimensional digital model by “laying down” many thin layers of a material, such as metal or plastic.

The process was developed in the 1980s, and became common in industrial manufacturing the following decade. It is becoming popular in many industries now, said Dr. Jonathan Raush, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

3-D printing is used to make everything from prosthetics and jewelry, to automobile parts and computer components. It is increasingly being implemented for biomedical, energy and aerospace applications.

“Accompanying the growth of 3-D printing is a need to develop materials with a broader range of compositions and properties that make them more durable, or lighter, or otherwise tailored to specific products and applications,” Raush explained.

UL researchers will do that by integrating elements of computer science and engineering.

Researchers will design and analyze complex alloys and polymers. Complex alloys are created by combining two or more metallic elements. All plastics are comprised of polymers, which are long chains of bonded molecules. Not all polymers, however, are plastics.

Researchers will also test materials to see how they react to factors such as heat and pressure to gauge “fatigue” limits, or the highest level of stress a material can withstand.

The process of discovering optimal processes and new materials for specific functions will be guided by machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, Jin explained.

Machine learning models are capable of “learning” from data and making predictions – about which 3-D printing processes or new materials are best suited for a particular application, for example.

Researchers in the School of Computing and Informatics will develop machine learning models based on information gleaned from research into 3-D printing processes and materials.

“Components can be manufactured with more complicated shapes at much lower weights with 3-D printing than with traditional manufacturing methods. The problem is a lack of existing 3-D printing materials that provide a desired fatigue life. Data analysis and machine learning will guide us to new materials or processes that are optimal for specific applications,” Jin said.

Louisiana.edu

[Turbine]

"Dr. Jonathan Raush, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering."

I don't know how many people there are named Jonathan Raush, so I am going to go out on a limb.

1999 football signing class at Louisiana.

From TE recruit, to O-Line, to a NFL free agent, to former Louisiana assistant football coach, to professor.

Not to shabby.

[Boomer]

"Dr. Jonathan Raush, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering."

I don't know how many people there are named Jonathan Raush, so I am going to go out on a limb.

1999 football signing class at Louisiana.

From TE recruit, to O-Line, to a NFL free agent, to former Louisiana assistant football coach, to professor.

Not to shabby.

.........Former UL off tackle.....got his doc and he and his wife love the Cajuns....Anne is a former cheerleader and now ST Farm agent in Youngsville......have a bunch of lil Cajuns that they take to UL events!

[NewsCopy]

The Princeton Review has placed UL among the top 19 percent of the nation’s four-year colleges for undergraduate education.

Editors of the guidebook for prospective college students examined more than 2,000 public and private colleges and universities in the U.S. to compile its 2021 edition of “The Best 386 Colleges.”

The guide does not rank schools from 1 to 386. It evaluated academic programs and life on college campuses based on results of surveys of more than 143,000 students. Profiles of each school are also included.

"Since 1992, our goal in publishing college rankings – and our ongoing mission at The Princeton Review – is to help students find, get accepted to, and thrive at the colleges best for them,” said Robert Franek, the guidebook’s editor-in-chief.

Dr. DeWayne Bowie, UL's vice president for Enrollment Management, said the resource is “especially valuable for people making decisions about where to attend college because the information is provided by students.”

“Their assessments give prospective students advice from a distinctive group of voices – others who recently faced similar choices in determining where to enroll,” Bowie said.

Survey respondents cited academic offerings and diligent faculty members, and the quality of campus and community life among reasons they chose Louisiana.

The importance the University places on community service, extracurricular activities, inclusion and diversity, and access to cultural events such as Festival Acadiens et Créoles and Festival International de Louisiane were also key considerations.

The Princeton Review is an educational services company known for its tutoring, test-prep courses, books, and other student resources. It is not affiliated with Princeton University.

This is the 29th edition of its “Best Colleges” guide.
View a complete list of school profiles and rankings at
https://www.princetonreview.com/coll...t-386-colleges

Louisiana.edu

[B Robinson]

The consistency is nice.

[NewsCopy]

Graduate school enrollment is climbing at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Fall 2020 graduate school enrollment is 2,430 students and marks a 46% growth over the past five years. Louisiana had 1,521 graduate students in Fall 2016.

Enrollment grew by 100 students between Fall 2019 and this semester. Dr. Mary Farmer-Kaiser, dean of the Graduate School, attributed the jump to the continued growth of online delivery of the MBA program and to increased retention rates across the University’s nearly 50 master’s and doctoral degree curriculums.

“The phenomenal enrollment progress we’ve seen reflects an institutional commitment to graduate education and to graduate students and faculty,” she said.

“We continue to add new graduate programs and to expand existing programs, such as the master’s in accounting, into online and executive formats that appeal to professionals who are looking to grow in their careers.”

UL’s overall Fall 2020 undergraduate enrollment is 14,020 students, including 2,338 first-time freshmen. This year’s freshman class:
includes 120 high school valedictorians, a 10% increase over last fall;
averaged a 3.4 cumulative GPA while in high school; and
scored an average 23.26 on the ACT.

An additional 2,728 non-degree-seeking students brings UL's overall Fall 2020 enrollment to 19,178. That figure reflects a 1.1% decrease over last fall’s overall enrollment of 19,403.

But, when dual enrollment figures are reported next month, Louisiana anticipates a stable Fall 2020 enrollment that’s comparable to last year’s.

Dual enrollment students are high school juniors and seniors who take courses and earn college credits while still in high school. UL expects an uptick among these students this semester.

The State of Louisiana’s public colleges and universities take a census of full- and part-time students on the 14th day of classes each fall semester, said Dr. DeWayne Bowie, Louisiana's vice president for Enrollment Management. The totals are reported to the Louisiana Board of Regents and, in the case of UL, to the University of Louisiana System as well.

“The census does more than compile enrollment totals. It also provides the University with a snapshot of who our students are and what key metrics we’ve met as an institution over the past year. That information in turn enables us to ensure that we’re providing academic programs and support services that fuel student success,” Bowie explained.

For example, the fall census shows Louisiana increased its overall student retention rate by 4 percentage points, from 75% in Fall 2019 to 79% this semester.

“Student retention is a national challenge at which we’re excelling,” Bowie said.

The Fall 2020 census also shows: an increase in the number of freshmen who are first-generation college students, from 29.1% last year to 29.9% this fall; the number of Hispanic students increased by 3.3% over last fall. Hispanic students now make up 5.8% of the student body; the number of Black students increased by 1.8% over last fall. Black students now comprise 20.2% of the total student population;

57% of students are female, while 43% are male; and students who hail from 63 parishes in Louisiana; 51 states, U.S. possessions and the District of Columbia; and 88 countries.

Louisiana.edu

[TravlnCajun]

Did I miss addition of a state? 51? Last paragraph

[BeauCajun]

Did I miss addition of a state? 51? Last paragraph

Note the commas after state.

[RaginCajun77]

I would expect to see continued growth in the Graduate School enrollment numbers in the coming years. Many Bachelor's Degrees simply don't equate to job opportunities that pay well; the result is more students heading to Graduate School in hopes of landing a better job. This can create problems however, as it can lead to over saturation. Another problem is you have individuals with a Master's Degree with little to no practical experience.

[Turbine]

Did I miss addition of a state? 51? Last paragraph

I'm thinking there is a State or two that isn't enrolled, but places like Puerto Rico, Guam and since it is specifically mentioned DC bring the total to 51.

Just a guess.