SDSU News Center

SDSU’s Wingman tops NASA’s Blue Skies contest

Dave Graves — Fri, 22 May 2026 11:24:05 -0500

AI-enabled safety glasses designed by a group of Ģ��ý engineering students so impressed judges at a NASA contest that State students repeated as champions at the Gateways to Blue Skies competition at Langley Ģ��ý Center, Hampton, Virginia.
The glasses are designed to assist aircraft mechanics, but they could be applied to virtually any field. The system captures images of maintenance tasks, listens to the mechanic during the repair process, and automatically generates a complete maintenance report that becomes part of the aircraft’s service record.
The SDSU team dubbed Wingman was one of eight teams selected to compete in the NASA contest finals May 18-19 at the NASA facility.

SDSU Livestock Judging Team finds success across two seasons

Madison Weishaar — Thu, 21 May 2026 16:35:05 -0500

Success has carried over from one year to the next for the Ģ��ý Livestock Judging program. Last year’s team had a successful run, and this year’s team is continuing that momentum as members move through their competition schedule.

South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station field days announced

Allie Arp — Thu, 21 May 2026 14:10:39 -0500

Integrated livestock systems, variety trial results and breeding program updates are just some of the topics that will be covered during the 2026 South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station field days presented by the Ģ��ý College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. Events will be happening at locations across the state from June to mid-September, with each one focusing on local topics of interest.

Gift of farmland aims to close gap in precision agriculture technology at SDSU

Karmen Sperr — Wed, 20 May 2026 13:21:28 -0500

Although SDSU has been recognized as a leader in precision agriculture, a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering noticed a gap in precision technology coursework related to livestock. This gap prompted Dick and Jeune Nicolai's gift to the university.

SDSU Soil Judging Team finishes 20th at national contest

SDSU Strategic Communications — Tue, 19 May 2026 11:46:22 -0500

The Ģ��ý Soil Judging Team returned from the National Collegiate Soils Contest in Raleigh, North Carolina, with strong results. Competing against 28 universities and more than 300 students to properly identify and characterize regional soils, SDSU secured a 20th overall finish and a 14th-place ranking in the team judging category.

Q&A with SDSU's researcher of the year

Addison DeHaven — Tue, 19 May 2026 09:09:30 -0500

Tong Wang, associate professor in Ģ��ý's Ness School of Management and Economics and Extension specialist, was awarded the 2026 F.O. Butler Award for Excellence in Ģ��ý at the annual Celebration of Faculty Excellence.

How did the ethanol boom of the 2000s impact farm values in the Midwest?

Addison DeHaven — Thu, 14 May 2026 10:57:49 -0500

A new study from Ģ��ý's Ness School of Management and Economics found that farmland values rose by 44% after changes to U.S. energy policies sparked the ethanol industry's initial boom.

I-Corp program turns ideas into viable products

Dave Graves — Wed, 13 May 2026 10:52:56 -0500

The concept of knowing what the customer wants before plunging headfirst into a business venture can be applied to any industry, including agriculture. In fact, Great Plains I-Corps is beginning an eight-session program in August for teams that are developing agriculture or ag-related technologies.

It is dubbed Great Plains I-Corps: Ag45 because teams will conduct 45 customer discovery interviews, engaging directly with stakeholders across the agriculture ecosystem to test and refine their assumptions.
Six of the eight sessions are virtual with two sessions and two conferences in Fargo. Orientation (Aug. 13) and the next four three-hour sessions are virtual. In-person sessions are Sept. 15 and 18, sandwiching the Big Iron Farm and Construction Show Sept. 16 and the Autonomous Nation conference Sept. 17. The last session is Sept. 24.

Allen selected as national pharmacy ambassador

Heather Brown — Tue, 12 May 2026 13:45:42 -0500

Austin Allen, a student in the Ģ��ý College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, has been selected as a Pharm4Me Student Ambassador by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

How can low-value agricultural waste be transformed into high-value products?

Addison DeHaven — Tue, 12 May 2026 09:31:57 -0500

Five questions with Srinivas Janaswamy, associate professor in Ģ��ý's Department of Dairy and Food Science.