Israt Jahan, a Doctor of Design student and teaching assistant in the School of Interior Design, received the Best Poster Presentation Award at the 2025 Louisiana Social, Environmental, and Economic Resilience (LA-SEER) Center Conference, “20 Years After Katrina: Louisiana’s Journey to Resilience.”

Held on August 29, 2025, at the LSU Dalton J. Woods Auditorium, the event commemorated the twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history. The event was organized by the LA-SEER Center, in collaboration with the LSU AgCenter’s LA House Research & Education Center and the College of the Coast & Environment’s Coastal Environment Graduate Organization. The conference brought together academics, researchers, professionals, and community stakeholders to reflect on Louisiana’s ongoing journey of risk, recovery, and resilience.

Israt’s award-winning poster, “Multi-Scale Design Framework for Disaster-Resilient Communities in Coastal Louisiana,” presents an interdisciplinary framework that integrates architecture, disaster management, policy, and community-based design. The research introduces a three-tiered design approach including macro, mezzo, and micro—to support the development of safer, more sustainable, and culturally resilient coastal communities. By combining spatial planning, stakeholder collaboration, and resilience-based design principles, the framework offers practical strategies for addressing the growing environmental and social challenges facing Louisiana’s vulnerable coastal regions.

Building on this research, she plans to develop an online collaborative platform that connects residents, planners, policymakers, researchers, and designers to support knowledge sharing and evidence-based decision-making for disaster resilience in coastal Louisiana.

“Growing up in Bangladesh taught me what resilience means. In Louisiana, I see that same spirit—and through design, I strive to connect these stories,” Israt said.

Israt holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of Science in Disaster Management. In addition, she instructs in the LSU School of Interior Design, where she teaches ID 2770 – Color and Illumination I and ID 2410 – Interior Design Lab. Through her teaching, she encourages students to integrate creativity, environmental responsibility, technical knowledge, and human-centered design into the design process while preparing future designers to address complex challenges through innovative thinking.

Israt has also contributed as a researcher with LSU’s Coastal Ecosystem Design Studio (CEDS), where she has worked on interdisciplinary projects focused on nature-based solutions, living shorelines, coastal restoration, and climate adaptation along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Through collaborations with landscape architects, planners, ecologists, engineers, and local communities, she has gained valuable experience translating research into practical design strategies that strengthen ecological resilience while preserving cultural heritage and community identity.

Her ongoing doctoral research examines how thoughtfully designed public spaces can foster social integration, belonging, and resilience for climate-induced migrants and receiving communities. Ultimately, her work aims to develop evidence-based design guidelines that help communities become more inclusive, resilient, and better prepared for future climate challenges.

Receiving the Best Poster Presentation Award reflects Israt’s continued commitment to advancing interdisciplinary research that bridges design, resilience, and community engagement, she said. Through her research and teaching, she aims to help communities better prepare for and recover from climate-related challenges.