Meet Marc-Ansy Laguerre. Laguerre is a fifth- year Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University. Laguerre is from Haiti and is a Rice Graduate Ambassador. Ambassadors are students who represent the university and help prospective students gain knowledge of student life as a graduate student at Rice.
Laguerre chose Rice as a graduate school because of Rice’s welcoming environment, the research team he’s with, the resources provided for his academic success, and his advisor Reginald DesRoches. His research focuses on seismic retrofit of Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings. He is using computer modeling to identify methods that can strengthen seismically deficient RC buildings.
When he is not conducting research, he is either cooking or serving in various leadership roles within the Rice community. He is a part of Fulbright@Rice, the Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Student Association (CEVE GSA), and founded the Haitian Society at Rice.
Laguerre advises prospective students to socialize and create a community to support them during their time at Rice.
“Work hard and smart in your research and academic work, but also remember to connect with other interesting people at Rice and utilize the resources available to you,” said Laguerre.
Laguerre advises current students to prioritize their overall well-being during their graduate school journey.
“Sometimes we feel we have to work more to be more productive, but often a break to decompress is necessary for productivity,” said Laguerre. “It’s crucial not to forget to have fun and decompress while maintaining your sense of responsibility.”
Graduate ambassadors can be contacted via email at gradambassadors@rice.edu. Marc-Ansy Laguerre can be contacted directly by email at ml96@rice.edu.