By Alexis Casnave
Houma Courier
Construction is set to begin this fall on a $20 million Coastal Center at Nicholls State University that will serve as a hub for research on Louisiana's eroding wetlands and how to preserve and restore them.
It's part of a broader plan to put the Thibodaux university at the center of research and job training for Louisiana's ongoing efforts to protect coastal communities from an encroaching Gulf of Mexico.
Announced in 2019 by Gov. John Bel Edwards, the 33,000-foot building is expected to open in summer 2024, officials said last week.
“We recognized we were perfectly prepared to be a leader in coastal innovation," said Gary LaFleur, an associate professor of biology and director of Nicholls' Center for Bayou Studies.