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News @SDState

Can dental plaque be used to strengthen soils?

In South Dakota, expansive and sulfate-rich soils can cause serious problems for civil infrastructure, like roads and bridges, and agriculture production. In certain climatic conditions, these expansive — or "problematic" — soils will crack and swell. A new National Science Foundation-backed project from South Dakota State University will explore if biofilms made from dental plaque can help improve the stability of problematic soils.

Basu Lab attends national conference

Saikat Basu, assistant professor in South Dakota State University's Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, traveled to the 76th annual American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting in Washington, D.C., this past November. A group of graduate assistants who conduct research in his lab — the Basu Lab — accompanied him on the trip.

Faculty Profile: John VerSteeg

When it comes to undergraduate instruction in South Dakota State University's Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, John VerSteeg, a Department of Mechanical Engineering faculty member, is consistently cited as being one of the students’ favorite instructors.

SDSU researchers explore farmers' response to high fertilizer prices

In 2022, fertilizer prices reached an all-time high. In a new study, South Dakota State University researchers explored how farmers in the Upper Midwest are dealing with the increased costs.

Study shows region's live bait trade as a potential pathway for invasive species

A new study from South Dakota State University was the first of its kind to explore the live bait trade in the Missouri River basin.

SDSU, Oglala Lakota College partner for drone training

A collaboration between South Dakota State University and Oglala Lakota College this past summer brought uncrewed aircraft systems technology to tribal members at the college in Kyle and at Lower Brule High School.

SDSU advances in NASA contest as one of six finalists

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.

SDSU electrical engineering students set standard for academic awards

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has announced the 2023-24 recipients of the Power and Energy Society Scholarships. For the second year in a row, SDSU dominated. The nine current selections are one better than the mark the program set last year. The list includes four repeat winners and five newcomers.

SDSU team set to lead NIH AIM-AHEAD project

South Dakota State University has been selected to lead a research project that will analyze the racial and geographic disparities in mortality with end-stage renal (kidney) disease with a focus on Native American and Hispanic populations in South Dakota.

SDSU researcher turning switchgrass into bioplastics

South Dakota State University researcher Srinivas Janaswamy has demonstrated how switchgrass can be utilized to create bioplastics.