With the financial support of Rivers are Life, Luke Faucheux, undergraduate student at Louisiana State University (LSU), spent the summer working with Glass Half Full. He was involved in the study of the flow rate and settling rate of different types of sands, including recycled bottle sand, natural river sand from the Mississippi River, coastal sand from Grand Isle, and lightweight polymer sand used in LSU's river model. One of the main objectives was to make these experiments accessible to the public, which led to the development of an educational module for the cylinder settling test. This module enables visitors to visually see different sands in containers, with a mechanism that releases all sediments simultaneously for a clear demonstration.

These modules are still in development, with plans to incorporate them into the LSU Center for River Studies' guided tours. This initiative will allow staff and tour guides to educate visitors about sediment transport and coastal processes.

Luke's work in this program has had a significant impact on both his academic development and the ongoing initiatives at Glass Half Full. Through testing ideas and engaging in hands-on projects, he's gained valuable experience that will contribute to future, larger-scale efforts at the LSU Center for River Studies. Additionally, he's have learned the importance of thorough planning and the support needed to ensure the success of future initiatives. Though current experiments are small-scale and low-cost, there is confidence that, with continued support from partners like Glass Half Full, more ambitious projects can be pursued in the future.