2020 Annual Research Report

To say this year has been unexpectedly challenging would be an understatement, but at the same time, coping with the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed us to be innovative, creative and nimble.

When the university moved to online learning in March, college research directors and faculty designated personnel to maintain microorganisms, plants and animals and thereby preserve their research. Then, they worked together to put into place COVID-19 safety protocols to establish a new normal in the laboratories. Their dedication to their work and to this university has made this possible.

This annual report begins by highlighting two new National Science Foundation-funded COVID-19 projects, one to improve personal protective equipment and the other to identify the mechanisms through which the novel coronavirus infects cells.

In August, the South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, which does PCR testing to identify viruses—including coronavirus—in animals, became certified to do human COVID-19 testing. One Health Laboratories at ADRDL has helped SDSU’s Student Health Clinic and Counseling Services increase its testing capacity and is available to support the South Dakota Department of Health.

Commercializing the technologies our researchers develop is key to growing our state’s economy. One of those success stories is Prairie AquaTech, which is using a patented SDSU technology to transform soybean meal into a highly digestible protein feed ingredient called ME-PRO®. Its feed ingredient production facility in Volga processes approximately 2.3 million bushels of soybeans annually to produce 30,000 tons of ME-PRO®—and is exporting the feed ingredient to more than a dozen countries.

Other research projects are also having a global impact. Pharmaceutical sciences assistant professor Joshua Reineke is working with researchers in South Africa on a National Institutes of Health project aimed at eradicating tuberculosis.

At the Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence, the work professor Xiaoyang Zhang is doing to improve the global biomass burning model is increasingly important with the increase in wildfires and their impact on air quality.

Overall, this annual report gives you a snapshot of the scope of research at South Dakota State. As we look forward to the coming year, we see that what we have learned in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic has made us stronger and even more committed to seeking innovative solutions to the challenges that we face.

Chemicals from corn may bond durable plastic materials

Chemicals extracted from corn may one day be used to produce durable, heat-resistant plastic parts, according to Distinguished Professor Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan of South Dakota State University’s Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.

SDSU scientist extracts cellulose from cornstalks

Strength and biodegradability—these are the benefits of using cellulose to make plastics and other packaging materials. The cellulose can be harvested from plant materials, such as byproducts of agricultural processing and production, as well as forestry residues.