A Southeastern Louisiana University professor has alleged in a new complaint that publicity over her work uncovering pollution in Lake Maurepas displeased university officials and led to her removal this summer as one of the lead researchers on the project's team.

In a new academic grievance filed Monday, the chemistry professor, Fereshteh Emami, accused the university leadership of improperly restricting her First Amendment rights and violating their own academic freedom and media policies.

They placed restrictions on her speaking to the media after her work first gained local notice on June 19, the grievance alleges, and then removed her from the research project related to a controversial carbon capture plan a little more than a month later as attention grew. The grievance relies on

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