��«Ӱҵ

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?

Algae pull nutrients from swine facility manure, air. Swine manure is a rich source of nutrients, but its high phosphorus content in comparison to the other nutrients the crop needs means only so much can be spread on a field.

Associate professor Guanghui Hua, professor Chris Schmit and lecturer Kyungnan “Karen” Min are evaluating the efficiency of fresh and weathered woodchips at removing nitrates from tile drainage water.

The future of America’s national mammal continued to brighten this week as officials from ��«Ӱҵ, the National Bison Association and the National Buffalo Foundation formally launched the Center of Excellence for Bison Studies, to be headquartered at SDSU’s West River Research and Extension facility in Rapid City.

This spring, Pine Ridge native Dillon Nelson began doctoral work at SDSU after completing his bachelor's degree at Oglala Lakota College. His experience with a USDA-funded fellowship program fueled his interest in research.

A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ADRDL) on the ��«Ӱҵ campus in Brookings will be held on Sept. 6. The ribbon cutting and a short program will begin at 4:30 p.m. and guided public tours will immediately follow the program, with the last tour departing at 7:30 p.m.

Two Oglala Lakota College students explored careers in science and agriculture through the Future Agriculture and Science Taskforce Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates fellowship program this summer.

Andrea Bjornestad, an assistant professor in the ��«Ӱҵ Department of Counseling and Human Development, received the E. Gordon Poling Administrator Award from the South Dakota Counseling Association.

Gu and his team are making a biosensor that detects DNA segments in animal and environmental samples within a few hours. To do this, Gu is working with virologist Feng Li, a professor in the Department of Biology and Microbiology, as well as Assistant Professors John McMaine and Rachel McDaniel of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.

“You can learn a lot here in a small amount of time.” That sentiment expressed by Dillon Nelson, an Oglala Lakota College junior, typifies the experiences of five undergraduates who did research this summer at ��«Ӱҵ through a National Institute of Food and Agriculture program.