South Dakota State University sharpens its research focus
Forward-thinking investments in key areas of strategic importance will help SDSU researchers address the complex challenges facing South Dakota, the U.S. and the world.
For 144 years, South Dakota State University has engaged in pivotal research and extended knowledge throughout the state of South Dakota. From N.E. Hansen's discoveries of drought-resistant plants that would survive the harsh conditions of South Dakota to Edgar McFadden's near-miraculous wheat breeding that would save 25 million people from starvation to Paul Middaugh's conversion of surplus crops to ethanol, SDSU research has continuously made an impact both near and far.
To address the complex challenges facing South Dakota and the rest of the United States, the university has sharpened its research focus and has identified three strategic research themes where its strengths and expertise as a research university can make a measurable difference now and in the future. The three themes are: bioproducts innovation, rural health and well-being and agricultural technology innovation.
Bioproducts Innovation
Leveraging South Dakota's strengths to grow the state's economy
Agriculture is at the heart of South Dakota's economy. With millions of corn and soybean bushels produced each year, the state's farmers must find a variety of markets to sell their raw materials.
SDSU is investing strategic resources into bioprocessing and bioproduct innovation research to expand market opportunities for South Dakota's producers.
Researchers from SDSU's College of Natural Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering and the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences are leveraging their strengths and expertise to create a high-performing research innovation group aimed at developing value-added bioproducts.
This will address the global demand for novel bioproducts by utilizing research and development to create advanced biofuels, biofertilizers, bioplastics, biomass and other biomaterials. It will also strengthen South Dakota's innovation ecosystem by developing pathways for moving bench-scale discoveries into commercially viable products, fostering startup companies and spurring economic development.
What is bioprocessing?
Bioprocessing is the use of naturally occurring living organisms — like fungi, bacteria and plant cells — to create products. Scientists use biological processes, like fermentation, as a natural factory to convert agricultural products into value-added solutions.
How will this initiative support South Dakota?
• Create new markets for South Dakota's producers.
• Support rural communities by keeping more of the value-added supply chain in state.
• Strengthen the labor market through the creation of more jobs.
• Develop workforce through hands-on bioprocessing experience.
• Expand South Dakota's economy into the growing biotechnology sector.
POET Bioproducts Center
In 2023, the POET Bioproducts Center officially opened its doors to the region's leading bioprocessing scientists. Strategically located in the , the center, managed by Dakota BioWorx, provides the structure and simplicity to scale up innovative bioproducts and will be key in growing South Dakota's bioeconomy.
Rural Health and Well-Being
Bringing together researchers and community partners to address significant health issues for rural South Dakotans
Nearly half of all South Dakotans live in what is considered rural or frontier areas. These rural residents endure, on average, a great number of chronic illnesses, shorter life expectancies and other health disparities in comparison to their urban counterparts. A compounding list of factors, including geographic isolation and greater distance to health care facilities, specialty care and counseling services, as well as less health insurance coverage, contribute greatly to these disparities. This results in rural South Dakotans paying more out-of-pocket costs for their health care than urban residents.
SDSU is addressing these rural health challenges by making strategic investments into a collaborative research group, designed to bring together researchers with community partners to find innovative solutions for South Dakotans.
Leadership from SDSU's College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, the College of Nursing, the College of Natural Sciences, the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, the College of Education and Human Sciences, and the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will guide researchers to form a rural health and well-being-focused research group.
The research group will facilitate projects that study the social, behavioral and ecological determinants of health disparities and will form community partnerships to develop rural health and well-being interventions.
Current projects include:
• Alleviating the impact of mental health and substance use disorders in frontier populations.
• Translating and commercializing new treatments for metastatic cancers.
• Providing early palliative care to American Indian, rural and frontier residents living with advanced cancer.
• Addressing strategies to improve health among rural volunteer firefighters.
How will this initiative support South Dakota?
• Improve health outcomes for rural South Dakotans.
• Address the rural nursing crisis through education and training.
• Develop new treatments for cancer and other diseases through drug repurposing.
Agricultural Technology Innovation
Supporting South Dakota's producers with data-driven decision-making tools
The global demand for food is increasing, and producers are expected to boost their productivity to keep up with those needs. But in the U.S., overall farmland is actually declining. This means that producers must increase their efficiency while also factoring in sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Key strategic investments are being made by SDSU to solve agricultural challenges and help producers grow their productivity and efficiency with real-time data and artificial intelligence-driven solutions.
Leadership from SDSU's College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences will guide researchers from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering and the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as external experts, stakeholders and consultants, to form a precision agriculture-focused research innovation group.
The average producer can generate roughly 500,000 data points every day. Technology, like satellites and ground sensors, have greatly contributed to the increase in available data for farmers. However, the lack of widely accessible and integrated technology to process this varied range of datasets and deliver actionable insights hinders the potential for scalable innovation in the ag sector. The university's forward-thinking investments will enhance the state's research capacity and innovation, allowing for the development of leading-edge, data-driven, decision-making tools that will help producers make timely, precise and sustainable decisions that enhance productivity and resource efficiency.
The research innovation group will focus on key areas, including precision agriculture, predictive modeling, automated farming technologies, smart irrigation systems, crop yield optimization, livestock management and geosystems engineering.
How can artificial intelligence help farmers?
Artificial intelligence is expanding into nearly every sector of society, and SDSU researchers are focused on harnessing this emerging technology for public good. In the agriculture sector, AI models — like machine learning models — can be leveraged alongside thousands of data points produced each day to develop more accurate predictive models for crop production and protection, disease management and environmental challenges, like droughts and storms.
How will this initiative support South Dakota?
• Increase the productivity and profitability of South Dakota's agricultural sector.
• Train the next generation of scientists, engineers and agricultural professionals equipped with technical expertise in AI-driven solutions.
• Attract businesses and startups focused on agricultural technologies, creating new job opportunities and growing regional rural economies.
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