ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ

AeroFly — a Brookings-based aerospace company bred from ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ research — is working to bring humanity closer to Mars.

ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ saw its first cohort of elementary education students graduate May 10, making history after the South Dakota Board of Regents approved the program at ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ two years prior. The inaugural class included 11 women who started their studies in other programs but ultimately decided a major in elementary education at ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ was the right fit for them.

In a world that can feel divided, ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ School of Communication and Journalism graduate Annika Hanson chose to focus on what brings people together. Her master’s project, rooted in empathy and connection, helped Dakota Prairie Elementary School in Brookings earn the title of Certified Kindness School, a first for the community.

Students in the ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ School of Communication and Journalism have been honing their skills both inside and outside the classroom through the Brookings Colorectal Cancer Awareness Program. This initiative aims to educate the community about colorectal cancer and promote preventive health measures.

Research doesn’t always land on the lab bench or in a test chamber. Sometimes it’s found in the library, inside the covers of seemingly dry volumes of codified law, peer-reviewed trade journals or stuffy legislative hearings. For Lydia Loken, a senior agricultural and biosystems engineering major at ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ, her research had nothing to do with microscopes or spectrometers. She was poring over literature and news report to generate a 31-page report on balancing private ownership and public interest of nonmeandering waters overlaying private property in the South Dakota prairie pothole region. Loken completed the project as a part of the college’s research requirement for graduates and undertook the report as one of the college’s 12 Future Innovators of America.

The Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and Community Selection Committee is seeking nominations of individuals for ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ's Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and Community Award Program.

Brookings has been ranked the No. 9 best college town in the Midwest in RentCafe’s 2025 Best College Towns in the U.S. report. The recognition places Brookings ahead of all other college towns in South Dakota and in neighboring states of Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota.

Selections for the third class of Future Innovators of America Fellowships have been announced by the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering.

Each winter, a special corner of ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ’s campus comes alive with light and cheer. It feels like something straight out of a holiday film — twinkling lights, festive music, crisp winter air and families and friends coming together to celebrate. The magical scene is set at McCrory Gardens, where Garden Glow transforms the landscape into a winter wonderland, with thousands of sparkling lights illuminating the path.

Students in the ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ School of Communication and Journalism completed several projects for various businesses in Sioux Falls this semester. Advertising students presented their work at Startup Sioux Falls on Nov. 30.