South Dakota State University

In a world that can feel divided, South Dakota State University School of Communication and Journalism graduate Annika Hanson chose to focus on what brings people together. Her master's project, rooted in empathy and connection, helped Dakota Prairie Elementary School in Brookings earn the title of Certified Kindness School, a first for the community.

Students in the South Dakota State University School of Communication and Journalism have been honing their skills both inside and outside the classroom through the Brookings Colorectal Cancer Awareness Program. This initiative aims to educate the community about colorectal cancer and promote preventive health measures. The initiative is the focus of coursework in the Integrated Marketing Communications course, where students apply classroom knowledge directly to a communitywide project.

On Friday, May 9, Jessica Pfeifer will join 53 of her classmates in receiving their hoods at the 2025 Doctor of Pharmacy Hooding Ceremony. Pfeifer, who will graduate the Doctor of Pharmacy program this year, has been a recipient of the Avera Wokini Scholarship throughout her time at SDSU. The scholarship has enriched and influenced Pfiefer's education and career as a future pharmacist.

South Dakota State University held its annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Day April 15 in the University Student Union's Volstorff Ballroom. In addition to featuring music performances and selecting top student research posters, the university announced the recipients of the Schultz-Werth Awards for outstanding papers or research reports, the Joseph F. Nelson Undergraduate Research Awards and the Fishback Honors College Undergraduate Research Awards. The event is organized by SDSU's Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College.

Innovative drone technology proposed by a quartet of South Dakota State University mechanical engineering students has lifted them to the finals of NASA contest. The team was one of eight schools chosen to compete in the finals of the NASA Gateways to Blue Skies competition at Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California, May 20-21.

Two South Dakota State University students in the landscape architecture program competed in an international competition in Istanbul, Turkey. Jake Pytleski and Miranda Peck represented the SDSU School of Design in the International Federation of Landscape Architects conference Sept. 4-6. Pytleski's team placed third in the conference competition.

The following students graduated after the spring 2024 semester at South Dakota State University. More than 1,500 students completed all requirements for a degree and/or certificate program, and those requirements have been verified by the appropriate college. Overall, students from 35 states and 24 nations graduated following the spring 2024 semester. More than 70 students received two or more degrees or certificates from a college.

Ideas expressed by a South Dakota State University sophomore for advancing sustainable practices within the concrete industry has earned him a $2,000 scholarship from an industry partner. Jakob Burckhard, a concrete industry management major from Brookings, was one of five essay winners selected by CarbonCure, a Canadian-based carbon solutions technology firm for concrete.

The following students graduated after the summer and fall 2024 semesters at South Dakota State University. Nearly 950 students completed all requirements for a degree and/or certificate program, and those requirements have been verified by the appropriate college. Overall, students from 36 states and 23 nations graduated following the summer and fall 2024 semesters. Nearly 40 students received two or more degrees or certificates from a college.

Four electrical engineering students at South Dakota State University students earned scholarships from a national organization for the current school year. The recipients are seniors Kalen Meyer and Luke Rasmussen, both of Rock Rapids, Iowa; and juniors Nicholas Erickson of Pierce, Nebraska, and Drake Rogers of Milbank.

Little International, also known as Little "I," is the largest two-day student-run agricultural expo in the nation. It takes roughly 160 students and months of planning to put on a successful event. Leading it all as general manager is Teigen Hadrick, a senior animal science production management major from Faulkton.

Serving as the "voice of students," Trinity Peterson is the president of the SDSU Students' Association. Students' Association is the student government at SDSU with student senators elected from each of the academic colleges. As president, Peterson's task is to lead the weekly senate meetings and represent student interests on campus, in the community and beyond.

More than 3,900 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance over the fall 2024 semester at South Dakota State University by being named to the dean's list. To earn dean's list distinctions in SDSU's colleges, students must have completed a minimum of 12 credits and must have earned at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Students with F, I, U, RI or RU grades are not eligible regardless of system term GPA attained. Note that this report includes courses that were taken at other South Dakota institutions this term. A minimum of 12 credits within the 100-699 course range must be taken. A student who passes pregeneral education courses may still qualify, if the student has 12 other credits that do fall within the 100-699 range. Overall, 3,901 students from 40 states and 32 foreign nations are on the list. More than 1,600 students received a 4.0 GPA, and those are indicated with an asterisk. Congratulations to these distinguished scholars on earning this academic achievement.

More than 3,300 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance over the sping 2024 semester at South Dakota State University by being named to the dean's list. To earn dean's list distinctions in SDSU's colleges, students must have completed a minimum of 12 credits and must have earned at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Students with F, I, U, RI or RU grades are not eligible regardless of system term GPA attained. Note that this report includes courses that were taken at other South Dakota institutions this term. A minimum of 12 credits within the 100-699 course range must be taken. A student who passes pregeneral education courses may still qualify, if the student has 12 other credits that do fall within the 100-699 range. Overall, 3,378 students from 40 states and 37 foreign nations are on the list. More than 1,400 students received a 4.0 GPA, and those are indicated with an asterisk. Congratulations to these distinguished scholars on earning this academic achievement.

South Dakota State University Theatre and Dance will bring a popular children's story to life with its production of "James and the Giant Peach." Performance dates and times are April 18-20 at 7:30 p.m. and April 21 at 2 p.m. at the Oscar Larson Theatre in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center on campus.

Eric Lohr, a senior majoring in music education, will present his senior recital at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 14, in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center's Founders Recital Hall on the South Dakota State University campus.

How can marching band members learn the band's formations and their own individual movements more easily? This was the basic question that Grant Sternhagen, a junior in South Dakota State University's Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, asked. The answer has led to a long-term development project that could allow marching band members to learn their spots and moves on a field by following along on their phones through an inexpensive app. And Sterhagen's proclivity to be a changemaker has only grown at SDSU, where he serves in student organizations and activities, volunteers for college events, and even lobbies SDSU and state officials for change on campus.

Two South Dakota State University students were recently selected to receive a $2,500 grant sponsored by the South Dakota Cattlemen's Foundation to support two undergraduate beef cattle research projects.

At age 7, boys and girls dream about being the next Neil Armstrong, Taylor Swift or Michael Phelps. By middle school, or certainly by high school, those dreams have become faded memories for almost everyone. Liam Murray, an SDSU swimmer and mechanical engineering graduate student, is among the exceptions.

Over the past three seasons, South Dakota State University's softball team has transcended from a solid program into one of the top mid-major programs in the Midwest. Since the 2021 season, SDSU has lost a total of three regular season conference games and has won the last three regular season Summit League conference titles. Consistency has been key to the Jackrabbits' success, and few players have been more consistent than outfielder Lindsey Culver, who has played and started in over 95% of the games during the team's remarkable run. Culver, who is in her final year with the softball program, has applied her consistent approach to her academic career, where she has been equally successful. The only member of the team majoring in mechanical engineering in the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, Culver has been named to the Summit League's Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence and the Academic Honor Roll.

Students from SDSU's College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions presented posters at the 2023 Midyear Clinical Meeting of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). The 2023 meeting was held from Dec. 2-7. The ASHP Midyear Meeting is an annual gathering of more than 20,000 pharmacy students and professionals. Posters are presented by pharmacy professionals, residents, fellows and students on a variety of pharmacy-related topics.

National Day of Giving can be the nonprofit equivalent of retailer's Black Friday. However, many smaller agencies don't have the manpower to engage in a robust social media campaign. For five area nonprofits, that need was addressed by students in the Fundraising and Resource Development course at South Dakota State University. The efforts helped the nonprofits raise more than $10,000 on National Day of Giving Nov. 28, according to Kim Gustafson, coordinator of the leadership and management of nonprofit organization's major at SDSU.

NASA has narrowed the field to six in its lunar soil excavating contest, and a team of students from South Dakota State University is among the group left in the hunt for a $1 million top prize. Conceived in 2020, the Break the Ice Lunar Challenge tasked innovators with creating robotic systems that can navigate the rugged terrain of the Lunar South Pole, dig up its icy soil and transport it to another location, where, in theory, water could be extracted from the soil. There were two earlier design and prototype phases in which SDSU advanced. In the latest stage, SDSU was one of 15 finalists invited to give their prototypes a 15-day test.

Two SDSU Wildlife and Fisheries master's students have won the John E. Skinner Memorial Fund award, presented by the American Fisheries Society (AFS). The award, presented at the AFS annual meeting which took place from Aug. 21-25 in Spokane, Washington, with 1,600 attendees, provides monetary travel awards for graduate students to attend. Administered by the AFS Education Section, students active in fisheries or related disciplines are invited to apply. Each year 10 students are selected to win.

Men's hockey is back at South Dakota State University for the first time in four years, with students taking to the ice at Larson Ice Center for the past few months as an official club sport.

Professional sports, whether it be playing in or working for, is a goal for many high school and college students across the country. A pair of South Dakota State University students spent this past summer interning for professional sports teams.