Research Matters: South Dakota State University's Impact

For 145 years, South Dakota State University has engaged in research and extended knowledge to address complex challenges and improve the lives of citizens across the state and region.

Below is a handful of the transformational research, discoveries and innovations that have shaped our state, region and world.

Drought-resistant varieties of fruits, flowers and grasses

One of the first directors of the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and a professor of horticulture and forestry between 1895 and 1937, Niels Ebbesen (N.E.) Hansen was an innovative plant breeder who scoured the world for plants that could be successfully grown in the harsh conditions of South Dakota. He is credited with the discovery and introduction of Cossack alfalfa, wheat grass and brome grass and developed drought-resistant varieties of fruits, flowers and grasses for the Great Plains. 

Experimental gasoline engines 

While a student at SDSU in the early 1900s, Stephen Briggs, who graduated in 1907, designed an experimental gasoline engine in 1907 while researching in the engineering laboratories on campus. His six-cylinder, two-cycle engine caught the attention of Bill Juneau, the basketball coach, who introduced Briggs to Harold Stratton, a successful grain merchant. The duo of Briggs and Stratton used the early engine design to break into the automobile engine industry. Briggs & Stratton is now a $1.7 billion company and the world's largest small-engine producer. 

Wheat crossbreeding 

Stem and leaf rusts had plagued farmers since bread wheat was first cultivated on the shores of the Caspian Sea 10,000 years ago. That was until Edgar McFadden, a 1918 graduate, successfully crossed two plants to create "Hope," a rust-resistant variety that allowed U.S. farmers to exponentially increase wheat production following its release in 1925. 

Rammed earth structures 

A professor in agricultural engineering, Henry DeLong '28 was an international authority on rammed earth farm buildings and conducted much of this research while a member of SDSU's agricultural engineering department in the 1930s and 1940s. Rammed earth structures have thick walls built from compacted soil and cement that slows the transfer of heat and cold from outside, stabilizing temperatures. These structures could last for more than 100 years and gained worldwide popularity, thanks to DeLong's research. 

Nobel Prize

Theodore Schultz, a 1927 graduate of SDSU, conducted pioneering research into the importance of education following World War II. His work led to the creation of the Theory of Human Capital, which won Schultz the 1979 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. 

Daktronics

Two SDSU electrical engineering faculty members, Al Kurtenbach and Duane Sander, designed a prototype scoreboard to be used for a wrestling meet in 1970. The work eventually morphed into the formation of a company, Daktronics, that is now a globally recognized leader in videoboards and LED display technologies.   

Conversion of surplus crops to ethanol

The rise of the ethanol industry can be traced back to SDSU's research enterprise. In the 1970s, Paul Middaugh, a microbiology professor, revived an old concept to convert surplus crops and crop residue to ethanol. SDSU had the first corn ethanol research facility in the country, with dozens of faculty members and students contributing to this work. Today, the ethanol industry uses approximately 40% of the U.S. corn crop.

Written by Addison DeHaven, University Marketing & Communications