You can't complain about boring classes in Louisiana. At Northwestern State University, science students are trying to find out why their crawfish turned bright blue, and at LSUS, they now have a barge they can take out on the water to research the Red River.

The barge is on loan from Caddo Parish to LSUS's Red River Watershed Management Institute. They'll use it to take invasive plants out of the water, bring them ashore for study, and to monitor and test the water. The barge could even help with some construction projects.

NSU students are having their own watery research fun. Aquaculture Research Center say crawfish may turn permanently blue. "We are thinking of calling them Cajun Blues," says Dr. Julie Delabbio, director of the Center. "Or maybe fleur de lis crawfish because the blue color is really close to the royal blue color of the French king."

A research project begun last summer placed ordinary brown-red Louisiana crawfish in aquaria at the Aquaculture Center. Four months later, more than 60% had turned a vivid blue. Researchers say it may be a form a camouflauge, since the crawfish were in a blue tank. The project was designed to determine whether the amount of light crawfish are exposed to affects their growth. The color change, Delabbio says, was a complete surprise.

From Jill Davies, Assignments Editor