Dr. Shane Bernard, author of Teche: A History of Louisiana’s Most Famous Bayou will discuss the environmental history of the Bayou Teche, the vital waterway that connects New Iberia to the world.

The FREE program will be followed by a light reception and book signing by the author.

Can’t make it in person? Register for the livestream HERE.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Shane K. Bernard holds a Ph.D. in History from Texas A&M University and degrees in English and History from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is the author of Swamp Pop: Cajun and Creole Rhythm and Blues (1996), The Cajuns: Americanization of a People (2003), Cajuns and Their Acadian Ancestors: A Young Reader’s History (2008), and Teche: A History of Louisiana’s Most Famous Bayou (2016).

Since 1993, Bernard has served as historian and curator to McIlhenny Company, maker of Tabasco brand products, and Avery Island, Inc.

He has been interviewed about south Louisiana history and culture by numerous media outlets, including the BBC, CNN, NPR, The History Channel, the New York Times, and the National Geographic Society.

In 2015 he was chosen as a Research Fellow at UL Lafayette's Center for Louisiana Studies. Bernard is married, has two children, and resides in New Iberia, Louisiana, a short distance from Bayou Teche.

Dr. John Doucet joins us to discuss how hurricanes have shaped settlement patterns across South Louisiana. The great 1893 hurricane at Cheniere Caminanda, which killed more than 2,000 people and caused mass devastation, remains the deadliest storm in Louisiana’s history.

The FREE program will begin with a light reception with the lecture to follow.

Can’t make it in person? Register for the livestream HERE.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Born and raised in the coastal marshes of Bayou Lafourche, Dr. John P. Doucet is a genetics researcher and professor at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, where he serves as Dean of the College of Sciences and Technology and McIlhenny Professor of Human and Environmental Genetics. In addition to science and technical writings, he is the author of 13 Cajun culture plays, two books of poetry, and a monthly column on coastal culture and science for *Point of Vue* magazine (Houma, Louisiana). His article, “A River Ran Through It,” appearing in *Louisiana Folklore Miscellany* Vol. 29 (2019), is a personal history of his hometown, the wetlands village of Golden Meadow, Louisiana. His award-winning play, “Tant que Duera la Terre,” is a dramatization of life on the Louisiana Coast during the Great Cheniere Hurricane of 1893.

Join us for a screening of the documentary Resurgence: From Ida to Recovery, which explores the devastating impact of Hurricane Ida on Louisiana and the subsequent efforts to recover and rebuild.

Produced by Nicholls State University with funding from the Bayou Community Foundation, it features firsthand accounts from residents, community leaders, meteorologists, and government officials.

The program will begin with a light reception and screening to follow at 6:00 PM.

Dr. John P. Doucet, Dean of the College of Sciences and Technology and McIlhenny Professor of Human and Environmental Genetics at Nicholls State University, will be present for the Q&A.

ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY
Resurgence: From Ida to Recovery is a documentary produced by Nicholls State University that chronicles the impact of Hurricane Ida on Southeast Louisiana, particularly in Lafourche, Terrebonne, and Grand Isle. The film presents personal accounts from residents, government officials, community leaders, and meteorologists, offering a comprehensive view of the storm's devastation and the region's ongoing recovery efforts.

Supported by a grant from the Bayou Community Foundation’s Bayou Recovery Fund for Hurricane Ida Relief, the documentary aims to raise awareness about the importance of coastal preservation and the resilience of communities facing environmental threats.