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Looking at slides of blood cells, fecal matter and urine has taken on an entirely different perspective this school year thanks to new state-of-the-art equipment in the medical laboratory science lab at �ձ�av��Ƶ. In July, the program received 28 microscopes and an innovative slide scanner as part of a $750,000 award from the South Dakota Department of Health, which was handling workforce development funds from the Centers for Disease Control, according to April Nelsen, the medical lab science clinical coordinator who put a proposal together for the health department.

�ձ�av��Ƶ President Barry Dunn has bestowed presidential medallions upon three �ձ�av��Ƶ Foundation leaders for their contributions to the university. The recipients were Steve Erpenbach, president and CEO of the �ձ�av��Ƶ Foundation; Keith Mahlum, vice president for development; and Tim Dwire, vice president for finance and operations.

As a Davis-Bahcall Scholar, current �ձ�av��Ƶ freshman Mackenzie Hollenbeck traveled more than 5,000 miles this summer going to some of the top science centers in the world. But the one that really grabbed her heart was only a little more than 100 miles from her family’s Edgemont ranch. The biology major was among eight South Dakota students who were chosen to participate in the Davis-Bahcall Scholars Program, which is designed to help rising university freshmen and sophomores entering science, technology, engineering and math fields develop an understanding of where their passions could take them.

The Mellon Foundation has awarded �ձ�av��Ƶ a grant to help �ձ�av��Ƶ provide a pathway to higher education for previously incarcerated individuals looking for a better future. The �ձ�av��Ƶ Post-Carceral Education Opportunity Program is now accepting applicants for the spring 2025 semester.

Charles D. “Sam” Gemar, the only South Dakota-born astronaut, visited the �ձ�av��Ƶ campus Oct. 4 at the invitation of an �ձ�av��Ƶ official. Gemar is originally of Scotland and is a 1973 graduate of Scotland High School. He joined the Army out of high school and got an appointment to a military prep school. That opened the door for an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. He flew military aircraft before being accepted into NASA’s astronaut training program.

Two retired �ձ�av��Ƶ nursing professors were honored by their college for lifetime achievements at a scholarship celebration on campus Oct. 25. Carol J. Peterson, 85, of Brookings, was the inaugural recipient of the College of Nursing's Living Legacy Award. She served as the dean of the �ձ�av��Ƶ College of Nursing from 1977 to 1987, when she became the vice president for academic affairs, a position she held for 22 years. Lois Tschetter, 72, of Brookings, was honored with the College of Nursing’s annual Distinguished Service Award. Tschetter retired in 2019 after a 36-year career at �ձ�av��Ƶ.

Two �ձ�av��Ƶ students in the landscape architecture program competed in an international competition in Istanbul, Turkey. Jake Pytleski and Miranda Peck represented the �ձ�av��Ƶ School of Design in the International Federation of Landscape Architects conference Sept. 4-6.

Marina Hendricks, assistant professor and graduate program coordinator for the online Master of Mass Communication in �ձ�av��Ƶ’s School of Communication and Journalism, has been recognized as the David Adams Scholastic Journalism Division Educator of the Year.

By the narrowest of margins — two points out of more than 2,000 — the �ձ�av��Ƶ Quarter Scale Tractor Team came up just short of winning its third consecutive national title. Competing at the 27th annual International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition at the Expo Gardens Fairgrounds in Peoria, Illinois, the �ձ�av��Ƶ team placed third out of 21 teams.

David C. Earnest, the Odeen-Swanson Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of South Dakota, has been named dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at �ձ�av��Ƶ. Earnest was selected following a national search and will begin working on the �ձ�av��Ƶ campus July 8.