News at SDState

South Dakota State University moved another step closer to Research 1 status following the South Dakota Board of Regents July meeting in Spearfish.

The South Dakota Board of Regents approved a request by South Dakota State University on Thursday to offer a new program in engineering.

Three graduates from the 1970s, two graduates from the 1980s and a nontraditional graduate from the 1990s comprise the six Jackrabbits who have risen to the top of their fields and have been selected for the 2026 Class of Distinguished Alumni by the SDSU Alumni & Foundation. They are: • Keith Bartels, Classes of ’67 and ’74, Brookings • Kevin Haarberg, Class of ’79, Woodland, California • Doug Hofer, Class of ’72, Pierre • Joan Hogan, Class of ’94/M.S. ’99, Brookings • Mike Huether, Class of ’84, Sioux Falls • Debra Muller, Class of ’83, Sioux Falls

When Susan Immanuel talks about her research, one theme is clear. “I like solving puzzles,” she said. At South Dakota State University’s College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, Immanuel is applying that mindset to pancreatic cancer, exploring new ways to deliver effective cancer drugs more precisely and effectively to tumors.

South Dakota State University’s Center for Online and Professional Education is the first of its kind in the South Dakota Board of Regents system.

The South Dakota State University Dairy Quiz Bowl Team claimed the top spot at the American Dairy Science Association's Annual Meeting in Milwaukee June 21-24.

From handwritten letters to one-of-a-kind artifacts, history isn’t just something we read about — it’s something we preserve, protect and rediscover. As the nation approaches America’s 250th birthday, "The Yellow & Blue Podcast" takes a closer look at the stories that connect our campus to the broader American experience.

Earthquake resistant buildings aren’t a new concept, but applying response-modification techniques to areas afflicted with human-induced earthquakes falls into a different category. Elina Efthymiou, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at South Dakota State University, is taking an interest developed in earthquakes during her childhood in Greece and her academic training to provide options for communities in seismically prone areas.

Noah Richardson didn’t need to be told twice. Associate Professor Todd Letcher told the freshmen gathered at a camp before the start of classes at South Dakota State University in 2024 that freshmen and sophomores should get involved in some of the NASA contests that the mechanical engineering faculty member has overseen for senior capstone projects. “I showed up to the next meeting, the next Thursday, and haven’t missed a meeting since,” said Richardson, who had all-star freshman and sophomore years. In a span of 12 months, the 2024 Omaha North High School graduate has participated in the finals of three NASA competitions — the 2025 RASC-AL competition in June, when SDSU’s entry was awarded best prototype; the Human Exploration Rover Challenge in April 2026, when he captained SDSU’s entry to a second-place finish; and Gateways to Blue Skies in May 2026.

Lined up against some big-name competition, a young group of South Dakota State University engineering students won its category in a prestigious NASA student competition. SDSU was one of three finalists selected to compete in the Lunar Sample Return Concept category. The students were tasked with developing a concept to extract and return to Earth lunar surface and subsurface samples. That was one of four categories in NASA’s Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition. A total of 14 teams were selected as finalists, with three of them coming from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which won the other three categories.