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For �ձ�av��Ƶ pharmacy student Abigail Pape, the path toward becoming a pharmacist has been shaped by equal parts curiosity, connection and the desire to make a meaningful difference.

Despite being the recipient of numerous awards over the years, including this year’s F.O. Butler Award for Excellence in Teaching, Tadd Hellwig, a professor of pharmacy practice in �ձ�av��Ƶ’s College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, didn’t always picture himself as an educator.

The �ձ�av��Ƶ Department of Natural Resource Management invites the public to attend its 2026 International Year of Rangeland and Pastoralists seminar. All are welcome to attend the event on Friday, April 17, at McCrory Gardens in Brookings.

�ձ�av��Ƶ professor Tyler Miller is the newly appointed director of the School of Psychology, Sociology and Rural Studies. He joined the �ձ�av��Ƶ faculty in 2012 after earning his Ph.D. in experimental cognitive psychology from Texas A&M University. Miller’s appointment will officially begin in June 2026.

Two engineering graduates who have become pioneers in their field of expertise will be honored as Distinguished Engineers by the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering at �ձ�av��Ƶ April 28. Selected as the 2026 Distinguished Engineers are Kent Klemme and Steve Warntjes.

Graduate students make up about 10% of the student population across more than 100 master’s degree and Ph.D. programs and specializations and 23 graduate certificate programs offered at �ձ�av��Ƶ. Each graduate student is immersed in research and scholarship with the support of their advisor and the Graduate School staff. April 6-10 is Graduate Student Appreciation Week, a great opportunity to highlight a few graduate students at �ձ�av��Ƶ and the work they are accomplishing.

The Drone Club at �ձ�av��Ƶ is hosting its fourth annual Drone Day on April 17. The event is free and open to the public.

For the fourth year in a row, �ձ�av��Ƶ has qualified a team to the finals of a prestigious NASA competition — and this year’s team is composed of only freshmen and sophomores. “This is an Aerospace Club team, so none of the students on the team are doing this for any class credit, and we have three sophomores and three freshman,” said faculty adviser Todd Letcher, who will lead the mechanical engineering students to the finals of the Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition in Cocoa Beach, Florida, June 2-4.

South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Secretary Hunter Roberts was on campus March 27 to meet with �ձ�av��Ƶ students participating in ECON 319: Seminar with Industry Leaders.

Industry and academic leaders, startup entrepreneurs, graduate students and researchers convened in Sioux Falls to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming critical sectors and industries. Artificial intelligence is transforming nearly every sector of society, and �ձ�av��Ƶ's Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering is leading critical conversations on the role AI is playing in reshaping industries key to South Dakota, the region and the United States. Over 400 industry and academic leaders, startup entrepreneurs, graduate students and researchers congregated on March 27 in Sioux Falls' Sanford Event Barn for the university's first Innovate AI Symposium.