South Dakota State University

A team of South Dakota State University mechanical engineering students has worked to solve this problem by developing a cheap and affordable prosthetic that can be made and built with materials that are readily available around the world.

South Dakota State University's Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering has recently been exploring the viability of automated controlled drainage systems in eastern South Dakota. The systems would allow farmers to maximize the available water and potentially improve their yearly crop yields.

Following a family history of answering the call to serve, Catie Natvig will be commissioned into the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant Friday, May 3. The South Dakota State University senior was preceded in the ROTC program by her grandfather, Virgil Natvig, and her father, David Natvig. There are two more Natvigs in the wings. Sisters Carlee and Kimber Natvig are slated to commission and earn their bachelor's degrees in 2025 and 2027, respectively. Catie Natvig expects 15 family members to gather Friday. For her 6 p.m. Saturday graduation from SDSU, seating capacity at the Dacotah Bank Center limits graduates to six tickets per family.

The career possibilities for athletic trainers in South Dakota are expanding thanks to the efforts of a South Dakota State University clinical assistant professor. Educating future athletic trainers in the SDSU School of Health and Consumer Sciences and serving as the president of the South Dakota Athletic Trainers' Association, Mary Beth Zwart has made an impact on the profession and on her students.

Two faculty members and one graduate student in the School of Communication and Journalism at South Dakota State University received recognition at Central States Communication Association annual conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 2-7. Recognized for their contributions to the discipline and excellence in teaching, these awards underscore the student-focused approach to academia in the School of Communication and Journalism.

Building on the tradition of past student entries in NASA contests, another group of South Dakota State University engineering students has advanced to the finals of a NASA contest. This year's group of five mechanical engineering students will appear before NASA judges to present their idea and prototype of a rover that can explore rugged and permanently shadowed lunar south pole craters searching for water, ice and other volatiles. They are one of 14 teams nationwide that will be in Cocoa Beach, Florida, June 10-12.

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.

Four undergraduate students in South Dakota State University's Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics attended the American Physical Society's annual meeting March 3-8 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Cole Brown, Gavin Baker, Matthew Wieberdink and Jax Wysong - all physics majors - presented their research on Heusler alloys, with Wieberdink's poster being recognized as an "outstanding presentation" by the American Physical Society. The quartet's research is under the direction of Parashu Kharel, an associate professor of physics in SDSU's College of Natural Sciences.

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.

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.

Joseph Daly, a music education major at South Dakota State University, will present his senior recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center's Founders Recital Hall on the SDSU campus.

Students from the South Dakota State University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions made a trip to the South Dakota Capitol Feb. 13-14, advocating for their chosen profession and offering lawmakers free health screenings.

The following students graduated after the summer and fall 2023 semesters at South Dakota State University. Nearly 1,000 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 25 nations graduated following the summer and fall 2023 semesters. Nearly 40 students received two or more degrees or certificates from a college.

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.

Connor Ilchuk, a music education major at South Dakota State University, will present his junior recital at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 18, in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center's Founders Recital Hall on the SDSU campus.

Josh Howard, a senior majoring in music studies, will present his senior recital at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 3, in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center's Founders Recital Hall on the South Dakota State University campus.

South Dakota State University student Kaitlyn Preszler conducted research on the relationship between cattle and wildflowers in South Dakota.

Los Angeles actor and playwright Deb Hiett is coming to South Dakota State University to celebrate the collegiate premiere of her new play, "The Escape Thingy." Performance dates are Feb. 22-24 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center's Fishback Studio Theatre. A public dialogue with Hiett will immediately follow the Friday, Feb. 23, performance.

South Dakota State University juniors Katelyn Plucker and Brianna Renneker will present a joint recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center's Founders Recital Hall on the SDSU campus.

Four South Dakota State University seniors are presenting their Bachelor of Fine Arts thesis exhibition on campus this month. The exhibition, titled "Visual Voyages," is set for Feb. 12-23 and will include paintings, printmaking, ceramics and sculptures, which are the work of students Katelyn Engel, Jake Heunisch, Nicole Strande and Shane Waikel.

One of South Dakota State University's most historical cocurricular teams is preparing to make history at its first international tournament in March. Jackrabbits Forensics, SDSU's competitive speech and debate team, will travel to Dublin, Ireland, March 8-14 to compete in the International Forensics Association contest.

Arianna Rice, a music education major at South Dakota State University, will present her junior recital at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center's Founders Recital Hall on the SDSU campus.

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.

South Dakota State University's Journal of Undergraduate Research returned to publication for the first time since 2019. The journal is one of the avenues in which students can gain experience in the scholarly publication process and features projects from students, or student groups, in physics, food science and mechanical engineering for its 18th volume.

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.

The South Dakota State University Rodeo Team ended the fall 2023 season with the women's team ranked second and the men's team ranked fourth among 15 schools and 280 contestants represented in the Great Plains Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. The team, under the direction of SDSU Rodeo Coach Ron Skovly, is made up of 45 traveling members who hit the road for five consecutive weekends this season.

More than 3,400 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance over the fall 2023 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, 3,475 students from 39 states and 24 foreign nations are on the list. Nearly 1,500 students received a 4.0 GPA, and those are indicated with an asterisk. Congratulations to these distinguished scholars on earning this academic achievement.

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.

Students in the South Dakota State University School of Communication and Journalism completed several projects for various businesses in Sioux Falls this semester. Advertising students presented their work at Startup Sioux Falls on Nov. 30. As part of their Advertising Media Strategies course, students created and pitched individualized social media campaigns to real Sioux Falls businesses.

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.