News at SDState

A seventh endowed faculty position has been created within the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering at South Dakota State University. The Metzger Educator in Power System Engineering was created in July by Blair and Julie Metzger of Rock Rapids, Iowa. Blair is a 1986 SDSU electrical engineering graduate and the former president of DGR Engineering, headquartered in his hometown of Rock Rapids.

Jeff Lakner was determined to attend South Dakota State University after high school. But his dad didn’t support his decision. “My dad was very much opposed because he firmly felt that I would become a farmer,” Lakner recalled. “In fact, he tried to coerce me by offering to buy me a fancy sports car if I did not go to college.”

A new study from South Dakota State University reveals how grapevine canes can be converted into plastic-like material that is stronger than traditional plastic and will decompose in the environment in a relatively short amount of time.

For the third consecutive year, South Dakota State University has broken its research expenditures record.

Gazala Ameen, assistant professor of plant-pathogen interactions at South Dakota State University, has been awarded the 2025 Early Career Award by the American Phytopathological Society’s North Central Division.

A grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency will support and uplift South Dakota's firefighters — particularly the rural, volunteer workforce — with resources to assist them in meeting the physical demands of firefighting.

Wenfeng An, a professor and pharmaceutical science researcher at South Dakota State University, is engaged in research that has potential to lead to the development of vaccine for a variety of cancers.

A unique opportunity has been given to 14 undergraduate students by the South Dakota State University College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. The students were awarded grants that will allow them to conduct a research project under the mentorship of a college faculty member.

Researchers in South Dakota State University's Department of Dairy and Food Science are developing an innovative solution to defeat listeria and other foodborne pathogens.

Representatives from South Dakota State University and the University of Debrecen came together in Hungary last month to sign an academic cooperation agreement, making official a partnership that will connect the precision agriculture programs of both universities.