News at SDState

AI-enabled safety glasses designed by a group of South Dakota State University engineering students so impressed judges at a NASA contest that State students repeated as champions at the Gateways to Blue Skies competition at Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. The glasses are designed to assist aircraft mechanics, but they could be applied to virtually any field. The system captures images of maintenance tasks, listens to the mechanic during the repair process, and automatically generates a complete maintenance report that becomes part of the aircraft’s service record. The SDSU team dubbed Wingman was one of eight teams selected to compete in the NASA contest finals May 18-19 at the NASA facility.

Success has carried over from one year to the next for the South Dakota State University Livestock Judging program. Last year’s team had a successful run, and this year’s team is continuing that momentum as members move through their competition schedule.

Although SDSU has been recognized as a leader in precision agriculture, a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering noticed a gap in precision technology coursework related to livestock. This gap prompted Dick and Jeune Nicolai's gift to the university.

The South Dakota State University Soil Judging Team returned from the National Collegiate Soils Contest in Raleigh, North Carolina, with strong results. Competing against 28 universities and more than 300 students to properly identify and characterize regional soils, SDSU secured a 20th overall finish and a 14th-place ranking in the team judging category.

Austin Allen, a student in the South Dakota State University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, has been selected as a Pharm4Me Student Ambassador by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

The American Academy of Health Behavior recently honored Christopher Robbins, assistant professor of allied and population health in South Dakota State University’s College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, and his colleagues with the 2025 Paper of the Year award.

The South Dakota State University Department of Animal Science hosted its annual Celebration of Animal Science Achievements and Excellence on April 23 at McCrory Gardens.

Isabel Dalton, a graduate student from the South Dakota State University Department of Natural Resource Management, has been accepted into the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

This episode features Sara Schoenfelder, Ryann Davis and Andrew Lewno, current students and members of student media at South Dakota State University.From writing and reporting to broadcasting and podcasting, they’re gaining real-world experience while creating content that informs, connects and engages the campus community — and helping shape the future of student media.

Three individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to South Dakota and beyond will receive honorary doctorates from South Dakota State University and the South Dakota Board of Regents at the university’s 140th commencement May 9 at First Bank & Trust Arena.