News at SDState

The annual South Dakota State University Celebration of Faculty Excellence recognized 30 faculty members, researchers and scientists Tuesday. The event honors faculty members in the university's colleges for outstanding research, teaching and service.

Professional sports, whether it be playing in or working for, is a goal for many high school and college students across the country. Samuel Pichura, a South Dakota State University senior, is no exception. This past summer, he fulfilled his dreams while interning for his one of favorite professional sports teams, the Minnesota Vikings.

After nearly two years of construction, the POET Bioproducts Center has officially opened its doors to the region's leading bioprocessing scientists. The new laboratory, located in the Research Park at South Dakota State University, will bring researchers from SDSU and South Dakota Mines together with industry partners to scale up innovative biotechnologies and varying South Dakota's economy.

Over the past two decades, the United States has been importing more and more avocados each year, underlining a growing obsession with the nutrient-dense fruit. Simultaneously, the U.S. and the rest of the world have been dealing with a growing environmental crisis spurred on by an overreliance on plastic. Could avocados — specifically avocado peels — provide a potential solution?

South Dakota State University engineering students used down-to-earth knowledge to design an out-of-this-world lunar transport vehicle which won them a NASA-sponsored contest. The SDSU team was one of 15 teams selected as a finalist in NASA’S Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition.

Deirdre Cross is a Human Biology major at South Dakota State University, also pursuing minors in Chemistry and Health Education. She is on a Pre-Physician’s Assistant track, with plans to become a PA after graduation. In addition to pursuing her major, two minors, and being an Honors student, Cross has also earned a Phlebotomy Certificate.

Myah Selland and Tori Nelson, both exercise science/community and public health majors, will be part of Jackrabbits women’s basketball lore for years. Careers that included winning conference championships, playing in NCAA tournaments and winning a WNIT championship are only part of their story.

The SDSU Foundation’s public launch of Bold & Blue came in October 2021, and since then the momentum of the campaign has been felt throughout South Dakota and beyond. With a goal of $500 million, the campaign is more than 87% of its way toward reaching its half-billion-dollar mark. Bold & Blue is the third and largest comprehensive campaign in South Dakota State University history, focusing on people, traditions, places and innovations.

Bold & Blue is the third and largest comprehensive capital campaign in South Dakota State University’s history with an ambitious goal of $500 million.

Started in 2016, the Wokini Initiative is SDSU’s collaborative and holistic framework to support American Indian student success and Indigenous nation-building. The initiative builds upon current tribal partnerships and the American Indian Student Center services to enhance cultural programs and support for American Indian students while increasing research and outreach partnerships with tribes, tribal colleges and other organizations.