News at SDState

Before South Dakota was a state, before the Dakota Agricultural College became South Dakota State University and even before the United States Weather Bureau, the precursor to the National Weather Service, was formed, there were people who recognized the value of collecting weather data. The first iteration of a weather station in Brookings began recording daily temperature and precipitation totals on July 1, 1888.

Four new faculty members have joined the Lohr College of Engineering this fall.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin got a firsthand look Saturday at how South Dakota State University is leading the future of technology in the agricultural industry. Zeldin visited campus to discuss the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences’ precision agriculture program and how SDSU is making technology accessible for farmers.

Renaissance man could well describe William Karels. So could groundbreaker. At the close of the past school year, the mechanical engineering senior learned he would receive the Duane Hanson Scholarship, becoming the first South Dakota State University student to receive the $5,000 award from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. He also is only the second SDSU student to receive a scholarship from the international society of more than 50,000 heating, refrigerating and air-conditioning professionals. For the 2013-14 school year, Mitchell Hoesing received a $5,000 general award from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Industry’s plea for specialized training in the field of surface mount technology has been heard, and the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering rolled out a new program last spring. It gained momentum this summer with the formation of an industry advisory council and then the milestone of having its first graduate.

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.

James Kemeshi, a doctoral student in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, has built a low-cost agricultural drone.

The South Dakota State University Robotics Club came home with best design honors after competing at the Vex Robotics World Championship in Dallas May 9-11. VEX competitions make up the largest and fastest growing robotics engineering platform in the world with divisions for elementary and middle schools, middle and high schools and VEX U for colleges and universities. This year’s Vex U game involved placing rings onto various stakes — some stationary and others mounted on mobile goals that could be moved to corner zones to either double the team’s points or result in negative scoring. In addition to winning the design award, the South Dakota State University entry placed 13th out of 54 teams in the math division, one of two divisions in the Vex U competition.

How South Dakota State University's Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory plays a critical role in keeping South Dakota's food supply safe.

AeroFly — a Brookings-based aerospace company bred from South Dakota State University research — is working to bring humanity closer to Mars.