Meggan Franks, Ph.D.

Impact Goals Award

Assistant Professor, LaHouse Research & Education Center at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center

“Visions for a Resilient Louisiana,” led by Dr. Meggan Franks at the LaHouse Research and Education Center with support from the East Baton Rouge Parish Office of Community Development, engaged 136 youth from 37 schools and the Boys & Girls Club in hands-on learning about hurricanes, flooding, wind, urban heat, and emergency preparedness. Through STEM-based activities, students connected hazard science to practical strategies for safer homes and communities. Youth also created an art exhibit that served as a public awareness tool for resiliency strategies, which was displayed at LSU’s 20th Anniversary of Katrina event. There, students shared their work with community members, policymakers, researchers, and university leaders. The program showed strong impact, with major gains in knowledge of wind safety, flood safety, and weather preparedness, and 32 youth committed to building emergency kits at home.

I am an Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension at the LSU AgCenter. I lead community-engaged research, program evaluation, and translation efforts that help people prepare for and mitigate hazards in agriculture and neighborhoods. My work blends mixed-methods evaluation, stakeholder co-design, and accessible communication so evidence is useful, timely, and actionable. I teach and mentor on program evaluation, data visualization and risk assessment, and I collaborate across institutions to build capacity for equitable, place-based resilience.