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Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵers in Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ's Department of Dairy and Food Science are improving the shelf life of strawberries and raspberries using biodegradable packaging material.

Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵers in Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ's Animal Disease Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ and Diagnostic Laboratory were the first to identify a new strain of avian metapneumovirus — a highly contagious disease that is currently causing significant problems for the U.S. poultry industry — and are now working toward developing a safe and effective vaccine.

A new project from Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ's College of Natural Sciences looks to improve the soybean plant's ability to naturally fix nitrogen, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.

Rachel Short and Gazala Ameen, two assistant professors in Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ's College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, have each received one of the National Science Foundation's most prestigious grants for early career faculty to pursue biology research projects.

Adam Devlin, a recent master’s graduate in the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science, worked on a collaborative project with faculty in the School of Design to bring awareness to the hardships of South Dakota farmers and the effects of soil composition in various subjects.

Londa Nwadike, a Bruce native and 2000 Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ alumna, has been named the David A. Thompson Endowed Department Head and Professor of Dairy and Food Science at SDSU.

By the narrowest of margins — two points out of more than 2,000 — the SDSU 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 Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ team placed third out of 21 teams.

In the heart of the Midwest, Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ is guided by the leadership of President Barry Dunn. He brings expertise from his time as a farmer, rancher, researcher and academic to the state’s land-grant university.

The annual Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ 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.

Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓƵ researcher Srinivas Janaswamy has demonstrated how switchgrass can be utilized to create bioplastics.