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Former, current and future public servants gathered April 9 to celebrate the creation of the Mike Huether Public Service Academy at ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ.

The annual ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Celebration of Faculty Excellence recognized 30 faculty members, researchers and scientists Tuesday. The event honors faculty members in the university's colleges for outstanding research, teaching and service.

Professional sports, whether it be playing in or working for, is a goal for many high school and college students across the country. Samuel Pichura, a ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ senior, is no exception. This past summer, he fulfilled his dreams while interning for his one of favorite professional sports teams, the Minnesota Vikings.

After nearly two years of construction, the POET Bioproducts Center has officially opened its doors to the region's leading bioprocessing scientists. The new laboratory, located in the Research Park at ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ, will bring researchers from ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ and South Dakota Mines together with industry partners to scale up innovative biotechnologies and varying South Dakota's economy.

Over the past two decades, the United States has been importing more and more avocados each year, underlining a growing obsession with the nutrient-dense fruit. Simultaneously, the U.S. and the rest of the world have been dealing with a growing environmental crisis spurred on by an overreliance on plastic. Could avocados — specifically avocado peels — provide a potential solution?

ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ engineering students used down-to-earth knowledge to design an out-of-this-world lunar transport vehicle which won them a NASA-sponsored contest. The ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ team was one of 15 teams selected as a finalist in NASA’S Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition.

Deirdre Cross is a Human Biology major at ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ, also pursuing minors in Chemistry and Health Education. She is on a Pre-Physician’s Assistant track, with plans to become a PA after graduation. In addition to pursuing her major, two minors, and being an Honors student, Cross has also earned a Phlebotomy Certificate.

Started as the Sioux Falls Academy in July 2021, ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Connect creates meaningful connections to individuals, organizations and communities in the state’s largest and fastest-growing city. The Sioux Falls Academy began with a 40-member task force that included campus partners for several areas of the university.

The National Institutes of Health will fund work in the newly created Center of Biomedical Research Excellence through a $10.9 million, five-year federal grant. Led by Adam Hoppe, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, the center aims to expand existing partnerships with South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and the Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network at the University of South Dakota.

Myah Selland and Tori Nelson, both exercise science/community and public health majors, will be part of Jackrabbits women’s basketball lore for years. Careers that included winning conference championships, playing in NCAA tournaments and winning a WNIT championship are only part of their story.