A marine and environmental biology graduate student died in a single vehicle accident Monday morning on her way to school.
Catina Marie Brandt, 24, from Marrero, was traveling north on Highway 308 when she failed to navigate a left hand curve, ran off the road and struck a highway sign about three quarters of a mile north of St. Charles Church at 8:57 a.m., according to Louisiana State Police.
The vehicle continued on before striking a magnolia tree. Brandt was pronounced dead at the scene. According to police reports, she was wearing a seatbelt and alcohol is not suspected.
Flags in Rienzi Circle were lowered Tuesday in remembrance of her death.
Brandt received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Nicholls and was starting her second year in the master’s program. She was working on her graduate project to create a database of all the genes in the Human Genome Project that are regulated by the environment.
“She was always helpful and was always looking for something to do to help,” John Doucet, biological sciences assistant professor, said. “Even if she didn’t know how to do it, she was willing to try. She was selfless in that regard.”
Brandt was also known to many in the biology department for her willingness to help other graduate students get samples for research.
“Another graduate student was doing a project to determine the bacteria levels in water from Bayou Segnette. Brandt would stop on her way to school and pick up samples for the other graduate student,” Doucet said. “Sometimes she would pick up samples for me from the LSU Medical Center in downtown New Orleans. When I confronted her about my concerns of her going out of her way to pick up the samples she said it just gave her an excuse to go shopping downtown.”
Doucet said Brandt suffered as a child from cerebral palsy and had a slight disability but “her willingness to help others overcame any limitation she may have had.”
Brandt was also interning at the USDA laboratory once a week working on ways to make genetically modified fungi.
Doucet said Brandt was very sharp with computers and had just given her first presentation as a graduate student at a LUMCON symposium.
“She was just becoming a professional,” Doucet said. “She was excited to be here (at Nicholls). She was always happy to come to school.”
Visitation began Wednesday and will continue through today until 1 p.m. at Mothe Funeral Home, 2100 Westbank Expressway in Harvey. A funeral mass will be held at 1 p.m. today at the funeral home.