South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD is a land-grant university that dates back to the days when South Dakota first became a state in 1889. Here are some of the highlights from their most recent Research Report.

Educators from SDSU have been trying to find the best ways to educate Native American elders at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation about living wills and end of life care.

SDSU educators are working with 4-H’s icook program to teach children how to make healthy meals. 4-H is the largest youth development organization in the country that many people have never heard of.

A professor in SDSU’s literature department is helping students learn about ethics and character development by studying Renaissance writers.

SDSU researchers are studying the environmental impact of Indonesia’s annual forest fires. One wonders how researchers in South Dakota ended up doing research half way around the world in Indonesia.

If SDSU is known for anything it is known for its agricultural programs and research. One such project is finding ways to control the devastating swine virus.

SDSU is working to make the city of Brookings the first breast-feeding friendly city in South Dakota.

Another SDSU researcher is working to find ways to use proteins from milk to make high-protein foods taste better, thus reducing the need for artificial additives.

More agricultural research; SDSU is studying the mutually beneficial relationship between plants and fungi in hopes that it can reduce the need for chemical fertilizers.

Finally, another SDSU researcher is trying to find out why two commonly used antibiotics often cause kidney failure.

The SDSU mascot is the jackrabbit, which is in the same family as rabbits but with some distinct differences. One sometimes hears stories about the mythical jackelope which is a jackrabbit with antlers like a deer.