From Small Beginnings to Big Impact: Madison Woodson's Journey in Environmental Management at LSU

When searching for colleges, Madison Woodson, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and resident of Houston, was looking for a small university but instead found a major at LSU that felt like being at a small school with the amenities and excitement of a big university.

Woodson is majoring in environmental management systems and said she didn’t have to trade game days in Tiger Stadium for personal attention from her professors.

“When I first visited, I got the sense that LSU really cares about you as a person,” Woodson said.

Woodson described herself as a child who loved the outdoors and nature, and when she met with curriculum coordinator Maud Walsh and learned about environmental management systems, she realized that was the path for her.

Small class sizes, professors that know her and coursework that ignites her passion have been the hallmarks of her studies. She said in her major she is getting more than an education.

“Dr. Walsh really helps prepare you for a career. She also helps us work on our resume and LinkedIn profile,” Woodson said.

Outside of the classroom, Woodson has had opportunities to expand her experiences in environmental management systems. She is working with M.P. Hayes, an assistant professor of agricultural and industrial water quality who directs the Water Quality Extension Lab. She is assisting Hayes with research on nutrient levels across Louisiana waterways using a fluorescence fingerprinting machine. She will participate in an experiment at LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden.

“The experiment will be conducted to understand the pulse of   nutrients and organic matter from Ward Creek into the borrow   pit wetlands, which will help forecast long-term impacts to water   crediting for wetland systems,” she said.

 Woodson is in the Honors College and will write a thesis under   the direction of Hayes. She is also pursuing the LSU   Distinguished Communicator medal.

 Woodson earned a scholarship from LS-LAMP (Louis Stokes Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation), a program that helps minority and underrepresented students pursuing degrees in science. With the award, she attended the Emerging Researchers National Conference in Atlanta hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

These opportunities have helped Woodson focus on her future. She said her sights are set on graduate school. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health so she can write policies that make positive changes.

“I am in a class now writing policy briefs,” she said. “I didn’t expect to get that experience as an undergraduate.”

Woodson sees this as a full circle moment. Her mom recently sent her a picture from middle school. A young Woodson stands in front of a science fair project, investigating fertilizer’s influence on grass growth.

“My mom said I’ve always been working in the dirt,” she said. “I’ve always been working towards this path.”