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ImpulseJerome J. Lohr College of EngineeringSouth Dakota State University Spring 2015

PURPLEHEART

Dear ALUMNI AND FRIENDS,We’re counting down until the 24th

The excitement is building here at the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering as weanticipate the dedication of the Architecture, Mathematics and Engineering Building April 24.

The contractor is now wrapping up the final punch list and we will begin classes in the61,750-square-foot building this fall. We will begin moving in as soon as the spring semesterends in mid-May. The $17 million facility is a combination of private giving and $10 million inpublic funds through the Higher Education Facility Fund, which draws its dollars from studenttuition.

This building is the final jewel in the college’s facility crown, which has been almost totallyrevamped since 2001.

To see the old Solberg Annex and a parking lot become a three-story, state-of-the-art facilityto serve the state’s and nation’s future architects, mathematicians, statisticians and mechanicalengineers has me as excited as I have ever been in my time as dean. I can’t wait for you to see it.

Please see our invitation on the back cover of this edition or go to the SDSU Foundationwebsite (SDSUfoundation.org). If you can’t join us, please follow the day on our Facebook page.

Good news aboundsOf course, that’s not the only good news found in the college. In fact, this issue is full of good

words I like to hear, such as:• “Getting a doctorate will give me more options.” That’s from a student in our new civil

engineering doctoral program, one of two new Ph.D. programs started in the fall. Theother is in agricultural, biosystems and mechanical engineering.

• “It has been gaining steam ever since.” That’s from a program coordinator with sustainableenergy, which is a minor that was created five years ago. We’re expecting a similar resultfrom three new minors that were started this fall.

• “SDSU produces some of the hardest-working, motivated engineers.” That’s from analumnus, donor and employer who has made it his practice to attend our career fairs formany years.

Hats off to our veteransAs I conclude, I salute those with the Lohr College of Engineering who have served or are

currently serving our country in military service.Most notable is Richard L. Bogue, a May 2014 graduate who was honored at a Purple Heart

ceremony at SDSU Dec. 13, 2014. It was the first such ceremony on campus in recent memoryand I’m proud of the effort by those within the SDSU Department of Agricultural andBiosystems Engineering to aid Sgt. Bogue in earning his degree.

Seven members of our faculty and staff are military veterans, including Janet Merriman, a 20-year Navy veteran who joined us three years ago.

These faculty members are among many reasons why veterans feel comfortable when theyenroll at State. Don’t just take my word for it. Read the article on Page 10 of this issue.

Stay tunedThese are just a sample of the reasons that it’s exciting to be the dean of the Jerome J. Lohr

College of Engineering. Thank you for your support. I hope to see you at our dedication event on April 24.

Lewis Brown, Ph.D.Dean of Engineering

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY 1

IMPULSEis published twice annually by University Marketing andCommunications and the Jerome J. Lohr College ofEngineering, South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D.

DAVID L. CHICOINE, SDSU presidentANDREA KIECKHEFER, publications editorMATT SCHMIDT, editorDAVE GRAVES, KARISSA KUHLE, MADELIN MACK,EMILY WEBER, writers and photographersVIRGINIA COUDRON, graphic design

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITYOffice of University Marketing and CommunicationsCommunications Center Brookings, S.D. 57007-1498(605) 688-6161

Features2 Two new doctorates

Terminal degrees in civil engineering and ag, biosystems and mechanical engineeringwere added to the list of Ph.D. programs at State in fall 2014.

4 Minors meet major needsMinors in construction, precision ag and engineering for precision ag began in fall 2014.

6 Giving back to StateThanks to a $250,000 gift, it is now the RIchard and Karen McComish Power and EnergySystems Laboratory in Daktronics Engineering Hall.

7 Chris SchmitThe water/wastewater engineer was named as the college’s Outstanding Researcher.

Students8 Purple Heart

May 2014 graduate Richard L. Bogue was honored with the prestigious Purple Heart.10 Serving the serviceman

SDSU ranks as one of the nation’s most veteran-friendly schools. The reasons are myriad.Faculty12 Patriotic professors

The resumes of seven members of the college list service with Uncle Sam, includingNaval Academy graduate Janet Merriman, who joined SDSU three years ago.

14 Forensic statisticians Assistant professors Chris Saunders and Cedric Neumann are a rare breed—two of onlyabout 25 forensic statisticians worldwide; and they’re doing major research here.

College16 Award winners

From basketball to fishing bobbers, SDSU students show national level ability.18 Engineering career fair

Record company turnout reflects strong job market for engineering graduates.20 By the numbers

Most popular programs? Number of female students? Percentage of internationalstudents? Numbers for those questions and more are listed here.

22 Goodbye GalipeauEndowed professor David Galipeau retired Jan. 21 after 23 years with the college.

Alumni26 Mike Headley

The 1992 computer science grad directs Sanford Underground Research Facility.28 Nicole Tomaszewski

Young civil grad serves as development review engineer for the City of Rapid City.30 Distinguished Engineers

Calvin Vaudrey, Donald Veal and Jane McKee Smith will be honored April 28.32 David Schiller

The 2010 mechanical engineering graduate holds a patent for ElastiTabs.33 Alumni news34 Dean’s Club36 Development Director’s column

Impulse Spring 2015

ABOUT THE COVER Sgt. Richard Bogue, center, shakes hands with Col. StanCarrigan after receiving his Purple Heart medal at aceremony at the Performing Arts Center at South DakotaState University Dec. 13, 2014. Bogue, of White, is a May2014 graduate of SDSU. At right is Staff Sgt. Walter Scott.

He completed his degree after being injured inAfghanistan in May 2011.

See story Page 8.

18 26

2015 DEAN’S ADVISORY COUNCIL• Keith Bartels ’67/’74, retired vice president, MartinGroup�

• Jay Bender ’82, president, Falcon Plastics• Richard Berreth ’58, retired vice president, Haworth • Paul Bezdicek, ’06, senior sales engineer, IngersollRand Industrial Technologies

• Jim Edwards ’82, assistant general manager ofoperations, East River Electric Power Cooperative

• Daryl Englund ’72, retired president, Banner Associates • Jack Finger ’73, president/CEO, Sioux Corporation�• Richard Gustaf ’73, chief executive officer, TSP• Kurt Hansen ’80, senior engineering manager, GEAviation�

• Chuck Hendrickson, president/CEO, CAPITAL CardServices

• Al Heuton, executive director, Brookings EconomicDevelopment Corporation�

• Brian Hoellein ’85/’88, vice president, Bartlett & West • Dale Jans ’74, president and owner, Jans Corporation�• Allen Lee ’78, design engineer manager, LarsonManufacturing�

• Blair Metzger ’86, president, DeWild Grant Reckert &Associates

• Brian Miller ’93, president, Mechanical Sales Inc. • Kevin Moe ’88, second-line manager, IBM• Susan Moe ’76, planning and resource programmanager, Federal Highway Administration (Minnesota)

• James Morgan ’69/’71, member, Daktronics Board ofDirectors�

• Dana Nachreiner, vice president of operations, Sencore • Rich Naser Jr. ’91, executive director, South DakotaTechnology Business Center

• Wanda Reder ’86 vice president, Power SystemsServices Division, S&C Electric�

• Leo Reynolds, retired president, Electronic Systems�• Jon Rippke ’70, retired chair of the board, Bolton andMenk

• Dan Rykhus, president/CEO, Raven Industries�• Mark Shoup ’95, manufacturing engineering manager,3M Brookings�

• Gregg Stedronsky ’84, vice president of engineering,General Mills�

• Kathryn Walker ’81, executive, Openair Ventures�• Jim Wilcox ’76, manager of government and regulatoryaffairs, Xcel Energy

2 Impulse | Spring 2015

Calculating excellence in higher educationoften is done with the measuring rod ofdoctoral programs.

Consequently, the addition of two doctoralprograms within the Lohr College of Engineering infall 2014 creates not only pride but also greateropportunities. The new research-based doctoratesare in civil engineering and a joint program inagricultural, biosystems and mechanicalengineering.

There are three students in the civil programnow with eight in ag, biosystems and mechanical; allon the ag-bio track.

Nadim Wehbe, head of the department of civiland environmental engineering, said adding adoctorate is “a natural growth for any civilengineering program trying to achieve excellence.The rigor of research at the Ph.D. level is muchhigher than that at the master’s level.

“When you a have a Ph.D. program, you alsoattract high-quality faculty who want to doresearch.”

Dean Lew Brown echoed that. “The Ph.D. degreeis a research degree that is completed by doctoralstudents working on the highest level of researchwork. The highest achieving faculty memberscannot be recruited without a Ph.D. program intheir discipline because their achievements wouldbe limited without the doctoral program.

“Additionally, the highest quality graduatestudents also cannot be recruited without an activePh.D. program.”

Now 5 doctoral programs in collegeThe two new programs give the college five

doctoral programs. A doctorate in electricalengineering was created in 2007 and has had 16graduates with 10 current students. Working underfive faculty members, students have specialized inphotovoltaics and alternate energy systems,according to department head Steve Hietpas.

Of the three civil doctoral students, two arespecializing in environmental engineering and onein structural engineering.

doctoral Newdegrees

“Getting adoctorate will giveme more optionsfor getting differentjobs and a choiceto work in schoolsas an academicand still doresearch.”

Ibrahim Abusallout,doctoral student

add prestige,research power


Transitioning from master’s to doctorateOne of those in the environmental

engineering program is Ibrahim Abusallout,a Palestinian who earned his bachelor’sdegree from the Islamic University of Gazaand then arrived at SDSU in January 2013 topursue his civil engineering master’s degree,which he completed in December 2014.

As a master’s degree student, he studiedhow sunlight decomposes the chemicals indisinfection byproducts in surface watersupplies.

His doctoral research will be extended toinclude the degradation of disinfectionbyproducts by both natural sunlight andengineered ultraviolet light in the presence ofcatalysts.

His adviser, assistant professor GuanghuiHua, said, “The objective of his research is toprovide a fundamental understanding ofdegradation mechanisms of disinfectionbyproducts by photolysis so that we candevelop efficient photolysis processes toremove these hazardous chemicals fromwater to protect public health.”

Doctorate provides more optionsAbusallout added, “I like doing research”

and he said he chose to pursue a doctorate sohe could not only continue doing researchhimself but also allow him to teach at auniversity level and help others do research.

“Getting a doctorate will give me moreoptions for getting different jobs and a choiceto work in schools as an academic and stilldo research,” Abusallout said.

After having an accomplished researchspan as a master’s degree student, Huaoffered him a position as a graduate researchassistant in the doctoral program.

Hua said, “He shows a very high level ofinitiative and self-motivation toward hisresearch project. Through his master study,he also demonstrated good critical-thinkingability and a strong potential to performhigh-quality independent research.

“He has made three presentations at stateand national conferences over the past two

years. I was very impressed with the progresshe made on his written and oralcommunication skills. These qualities makehim a good candidate to pursue a doctorate.”

Longer commitment benefits researchDoctoral programs typically take three to

four years to complete compared with twoyears for a master’s program.

Kurt Bassett, head of the mechanicalengineering department, said, “As theuniversity expands its influence, one of thegoals has been to increase the researchactivity at the institution. The Ph.D. programis needed to get research that is sustainable.

“The master’s students are not here longenough to keep a project going. There is somuch turnover. Ph.D. students are herelonger and have a deeper background.They’re going to be much more productive insupporting a project that lasts longer than ayear or two.”

High interest among internationalsBassett expects the program to attract

four to five students in the next three to fouryears.

Van Kelley, head of the department ofagricultural and biosystems engineering,expects 20 to 30 doctoral students from theag-bio area in the coming years. He saidnearly all of the eight students currently inthe program are international students.

Kelley explains, “Right now, the U.S. jobmarket (for ag-bio students) is really good. Abachelor’s degree graduate has a very goodcareer before him. The international studentdoesn’t always have that opportunity.”

Bassett said he sees the same thing amongmechanical engineering students.

While his faculty does not yet have anydoctoral students to advise, enrollment in thedepartment’s master’s degree has boomed.

“Our faculty members are swampedmanaging to advise those people. Suddenlywe ended up with a lot of people in theprogram,” Bassett said.

Last year there were 21 students, whichwas typical. Of them, three or four would beU.S. students. In 2014-15, there are 38students with 29 being international, he said.Of the nine U.S.-born students, two are fromMinnesota schools with the rest continuingtheir education at SDSU, Bassett said.

Master’s degree students are researchingbiofuels and ag energy, such as grain drying,and material testing and composites.

At the Ph.D. level, that research willcontinue and will support a growing interestin precision agriculture, Bassett said. Thatresearch will include the design and use ofsensors for sensing physical parameters, i.e.,moisture contents, flow rates, temperatures;and sophisticated control systems fortargeting delivery of pesticides andherbicides, he said.

Ph.D. programs benefit students, collegeIn the agriculture, biosystems and

mechanical engineering doctorate, studentscould enter the program from the bachelor’sor master’s level.

Wehbe said civil engineering studentsalready have their master’s degree beforepursuing a doctorate.

Brown noted having a doctoral programwithin a department enhances its overallresearch activities. In addition, “studentswho desire a career as a researchscientist/engineer will no longer have toleave South Dakota to compete their degrees.Having the new Ph.D. programs will alsohelp us compete with peer institutions forthe very brightest graduate students.”

Kelley added, “For a lot of the questionswe need to answer in South Dakota, this isone way to pull in the talent to get theanswers.”

Dave Graves

Doctoral student Ibrahim Abusallout works in theenvironmental engineering lab in Crothers EngineeringHall preparing carbon columns for total organic halogenabsorption to measure the concentration ofhalogenerated compounds. He is one of three students inthe civil engineering Ph.D. program that started in fall2014.

“The Ph.D. degree is a research degree that is completed by doctoral studentsworking on the highest level of research work. The highest achieving facultymembers cannot be recruited without a Ph.D. program in their disciplinebecause their achievements would be limited without the doctoral program.”

Dean Lew Brown

4 Impulse | SPRING 2015

College officials hope to see three newlycreated minors mirror the growth of adeveloping sustainable energy systems

minor.The South Dakota Board of Regents approved

that minor in summer 2011 with the firststudents graduating in fall 2011. “It has beengaining steam ever since,” said programcoordinator Mike Twedt. “The first full year wehad two (graduates). From there, we’ve built.”

The minor has gone from two to threestudents per semester to five at the December2014 graduation and six are slated for graduationin May.

“In the area of HVAC design, a lot ofcompanies find this minor a very valuable tool.Their engineers deal with energy conversion on aday-to-day basis. This training also will preparestudents to achieve certifications in LEED(Leadership in Energy and EnvironmentalDesign), which is very valuable.

“Also, many manufacturers are developing asustainability program for their processes. A

student with this minor is a logical fit to leadthose efforts. There’s quite a large net we can castfor applicability for these students—wind andsolar energy, solar thermal design, and energygeneration for the electric or natural gasindustries.

It is a bonus that will separate the studentsfrom all the other competition. It’s not required(in order to be hired) at this point, but itdefinitely enhances their employability,” Twedtsaid.

Grad realizing benefits of minorOne student benefiting from the sustainable

energy systems minor is Chris Maks, a Decembermechanical engineering graduate.

After graduation, he returned to hishometown of Rapid City and is doing HVACdesign work at TSP’s engineering division.

“I can’t say that is why I was hired, but Idefinitely think it helped. The guy who hired metalked about energy-modeling software. That waspart of my senior design project. We used

Newminorsmeeting major needs

“The job market forstudents with precision agskills has just exploded inthe last three to four years.Students coming into SDSUare interested in precisionag. We’re just trying tomeet that demand from thestudents and theemployers.”

Van Kelley, department head


eQUEST, a free energy-modeling software, toanalyze energy loads of a farm out in Pierre,”Maks said.

In his current work with mechanicalsystems, “a lot of people are looking to maketheir energy usage smaller, so my trainingdoes come into play,” Maks said.

He said his sustainable energy systemsminor curriculum gave him confidence tobegin his career as a practicing engineer.

“It does a really good job of tying some ofthe theoretical classes, like heat transfer andthermodynamics, with elective classes whereyou get to put that theory to work. (Theminor was) a pretty good opportunity and itsounds like more people are taking it,” Makssaid.

Grad list could grow to 20 annuallySo far, most of the people who are taking

the minor are mechanical engineers. “Mechanicals do a lot of energy

conversion, so it’s more popular with themechanical students. They do a lot moreenergy conversion work in their core classesand find an interest,” said Twedt, noting thatany engineering major would have thebackground for the minor. “I would think itcould be reasonable to have 15-20 graduatesa year.”

He added that 25 to 35 students take hisrenewable energy class yearly. “All of themcould be eligible for the minor,” Twedt said.

Construction minor started in fallIn contrast to the well-established

sustainable energy systems minor, theconstruction minor is just getting started.

But it’s not a new program. Theconstruction management major has beenaround for a couple of decades and hit itspeak before the 2008 recession. There were155 majors in fall 2014. The new minor isgeared for students in architecture,engineering and service firms, according to

Byron Garry, program coordinator in thedepartment of construction and operationsmanagement.

The new architecture program at Statewas part of the impetus for creating theminor, Garry said.

“It covers cost estimating, projectmanagement and scheduling. Thearchitecture program wouldn’t have thoseofferings,” he said. The 18-credit hourprogram also covers construction materialsand methods, risk management andconstruction law.

At this point, a handful have declared theminor, but department head Teresa Hallexpects at least 15 students to declare by fall.

“We have experienced exponentialgrowth in recruitment on campus by ourconstruction industry partners over the pasttwo years,” department head Teresa Hall said.“This minor is a good fit for persons who areinterested in a career with design-buildfirms, commercial subtrades like plumbingor electrical contractors, and sales-serviceindustries affiliated with the industry.”

Two precision ag minors taking rootTwo other minors that began in fall

semester are precision ag and engineering forprecision agriculture, both in the departmentof agriculture and biosystems engineering.

There are 18 students taking the precisionag minor. In engineering for precision ag,two students graduated in December 2014.There is one current student who hasdeclared the minor. Department head VanKelley notes that the tricky thing withminors is that students are not required todeclare a minor until shortly beforegraduation, so numbers could be deceptivelysmall.

He said the minor was created in directresponse to industry needs.

“The job market for students withprecision ag skills has just exploded in the

last three to four years. Students coming intoSDSU are interested in precision ag. We’rejust trying to meet that demand from thestudents and the employers,” said Kelley,adding that enrollment could hit 50 in bothprograms in the future.

Engineering for precision ag is “acollection of existing classes just to makesure students get an appropriatebackground,” he said.

Precision ag has one new class—electricaldiagnostics for farm machinery, taught bynew faculty member Aaron Franzen. Thisspring is the first time the class has beenoffered and 54 students are enrolled. Acouple other courses in the program havesimilar numbers, Kelley said.

Kelley explained, “The two minors arefairly different from each other. Theengineering minor is focused on studentsdesigning new equipment. The precision agminor is aimed more at appealing to thepractitioner in the field. The person workingfor the agronomics service provider, the largecooperative, machinery companies and somestudents just interested in farming.”

The only class taken by both minors iscrop management and precision farming,and it’s an elective in the engineering forprecision ag program.

Dave Graves

Above left and opposite page: Zack Campbell, a seniorfrom Tracy, Minnesota, receives instruction fromProfessor Daniel Humberg as he plumbs a regenerativecircuit during a hydraulics lab Feb. 11, 2015. Campbell,an ag engineering major, is pursuing the new precisionag minor that is now offered through the agricultural andbiosystems engineering department.

Evan Almberg, a first-year graduate student inmechanical engineering, explains his corn stover projectto ME seniors, from left, Austin VanderWal, ShanePedersen and Sawyer Berg. Like Almberg, they all haveminors in sustainable energy, which has gained a strongfoothold since being established in 2011.


Richard and Karen McComish wanttheir financial gift to help studentsdevelop a love for engineering and

what it brings to society.The Richard and Karen McComish Power

and Energy Systems Laboratory will open fall2015 to give students an opportunity todevelop that love for engineering principlesthrough hands-on experience.

“We want this engineering lab to be part ofthe people who want to do good things forsociety—because that’s what engineeringdoes,” said Richard, an electrical engineeringgraduate and CEO of Electrical ConsultantsInc.

The McComishes’ decision to give back totheir alma mater was based on therelationships the 1975 graduates havemaintained with the university.

Those relationships prompted the coupleto gift $250,000 to the Jerome J. Lohr Collegeof Engineering and $52,000 to the College ofArts and Sciences. The McComishes havedonated to both colleges for years throughphonathons, but decided to make theircontribution more strategic.

The Estelline natives own and operate thefull-service engineering design firm ECI andits subsidiary, Engineer-Procure-ConstructServices Company. Both are based in Billings,Montana.

The close-knit partnership with LohrCollege professors throughout the years hashelped their company identify and hireengineers. “It’s really been a personal effort bythe people at SDSU,” said Richard.

From their donation to the Lohr College,the power engineering systems laboratory inDaktronics Engineering Hall will be renamedthe Richard and Karen McComish Power andEnergy Systems Laboratory.

Recruiting State gradsFor the past 23 years, the McComishes

have visited State biannually for the LohrCollege of Engineering career fairs. They takepride in employing State graduates.

Their pilgrimage to recruit students to jointheir growing companies shows theirconfidence in the quality of State students.

“I’m not being biased when I say thatSDSU produces some of the hardest-working,

motivated engineers,” Richard said. “Maybepart of it is that they’re from the Midwesternbreadbasket and have good work ethicengrained in them. However, based onscholastic ability, common sense andapplication, SDSU engineers are at the top. It’simportant to hire people who are smarterthan you.”

Solid educationRichard grew up creating, building and

designing, and knew he wanted to be anengineer since he was a freshman in highschool.

He remembers two individuals in State’sengineering program who created excitementand motivation while he was a student. “I havea high regard for professor Virgil Ellerbruch,and remember professor Wayne Knabachbeing the heart and soul of the electricalpower program.

“Without a doubt, State provided me witha solid education in the electrical power field,”said Richard. “I’ve always liked math andscience, but my education was instrumental inmy achievements over the years. Theuniversity had a great engineering programthen, and has a great program now.”

Fresh out of college, Richard worked foranother consultant company in Billings, firstserving as an electrical engineer and projectmanager and subsequently as vice presidentengineering manager. After working for hisformer employer for 15 years, Richard said hislove for business management formed.

Team and cultureIn 1990, Richard joined Electrical

Consultants Inc.—a company formed in 1985.In its humble beginnings, ECI employed fourpeople, but now employs 440 engineers,surveyors and technical staff out of 12national offices.

The engineering design firm specializes inpower delivery, wind and solar energy fields,battery energy storage and technologyapplications. According to Richard,consultations with electric utilities are thebread and butter of ECI.

In 2000, Richard started ECI’s subsidiarycompany, EPC Services Company, which isranked today in the top seven engineering

construction companiesnationally in its field in terms of size andreach.

Richard attributes both companies’ successto his team and company culture.

“Our company truly exists for theemployee,” Richard said, noting that ECI hasnever had to lay off an employee.

“If you want to build a successful companyin services, the focus has to be on each andevery one of your employees. Employees needmotivation to do their part. If the employeefeels the company genuinely cares about themindividually, they put out their best work. Theclients they are working with are now theirown clients.”

Despite the company’s fast-paced growth,Richard said they do not exist to grow. “Ourcompany has healthy growth because it’sorganic growth,” said Richard. “We areaggressive when it comes to challenges. Wemake plans and are willing to succeed.”

Karen’s contributionKaren, who serves as ECI’s vice president

of corporate operations, also wanted to giveback. The couple’s gift to the College of Artsand Sciences’ Department of Sociology andRural Studies is an Endowment ChallengeGift, which will begin funding an annual$2,000 distribution for departmental supportin fall 2015.

The McComishes wanted to offer theendowment to encourage other alumni toincrease their contributions and provide thedepartment ongoing annual support.

“I know the department has had troublereceiving donations for scholarships andunrestricted use,” said Karen. “I wanted tooffer this challenge endowment to initiateawareness for other alumni to give or increasetheir gifts.”

The couple’s financial commitment to Statestarted because of the relationships theyformed here and has strengthened because ofthem.

“We both received an excellent educationat State,” said Karen. “Our main goal is to giveback and help future students receive thequality education we did.”

Karissa Kuhle

McComishRichard and Karen McComish giveback to engineering, sociology


Civil and environmental engineeringprofessor Christopher Schmitrecently received the Jerome J. Lohr

College of Engineering OutstandingResearcher Award.

Along with 18 other faculty members,researchers and scientists, Schmit washonored at the annual Celebration of FacultyExcellence banquet held Feb. 17. The eventawards faculty members in each of theuniversity’s colleges for outstanding research,teaching and service.

Schmit, director of SDSU’s water andenvironmental engineering research center,recently completed work on a filtration pilotplant study for John Morrell WastewaterTreatment Plant. The project began in April2014 and ended in March.

Two of Schmit’s recently completedprojects involved improving waste treatmentsystems with the City of Sioux Falls.

Grease collectionsA yearlong project researching how to use

grease to reduce the energy demands of thewastewater plant ended in January 2014.

When restaurants dispose of their grease,it goes through the wet-processing portionof the wastewater plant. “That’s expensive,”Schmit said.

The plant collects grease directly fromrestaurants and then processes it in thedigester to make electricity. Schmitexplained, “This makes it a more sustainableprocess.”

SDSU conducted a series of studies todetermine how well certain greases orsubstrates impact methane production.

The results of the research indicated thatadding fats, oils and grease to anaerobicdigesters most likely will significantlyincrease methane production. While it ispossible to add too much and inhibitanaerobic bacteria, the problem will not ariseif the digester and digester feed are closelymonitored.

Filtering wastewater more efficientlyThe City of Sioux Falls now saves an

estimated 1 million gallons of water a day,thanks to a wastewater filtration projectdone in collaboration with the SDSU Waterand Environmental Engineering ResearchCenter, the City of Sioux Falls and the city’s

consulting firm,H.R. GreenEngineering ofCedar Rapids,Iowa.

In 2010, theSioux Falls WaterReclamationPlant set out toreplace the filtersthat trap theremaining solidsjust beforewastewater isreleased into theBig Sioux River.

The goal wasto increase theflow rate throughthe filters andautomate thebackwash system.

The plant’sdual-media filters,which use acombination ofanthracite andsand to filterwater, wereoperating wellbeyond theirdesign life,explained Schmit.The filters wouldclog and then haveto be backwashedevery 24 hours.

With guidance from Schmit, graduatestudent Sean Sieler worked with H.R. GreenEngineering and the City of Sioux Falls tocome up with a filtration system that wouldmeet the city’s needs.

The wastewater filtration project hasproven the value of investing in research forthe City of Sioux Falls, one that has beenrecognized by engineers nationwide. Twopapers were published in the WaterEnvironment Federation magazine andpresentations given at national WaterEnvironment Federation Conferences in2012 and 2013.

For more than a decade, the City of SiouxFalls set aside $20,000 each year from itscapital improvement program to fund

graduate research that will increase theefficiency of its wastewater treatment plant.

The City of Sioux Falls and its taxpayershave reaped the rewards of investing inresearch and serve as an example for whatother communities might be able toaccomplish through the partnership withSDSU.

Karissa Kuhle

Top: These monomedia filters at the Sioux Falls WaterReclamation Plant save the city an average of 1 milliongallons of water per day.

Above: Professor Christopher Schmit determines the bestmethod of removing nitrates from a sludge sample usinga lab-scale reactor.

ExcellenceFaculty

Chris Schmit Outstanding Researcher Award

Three and one-half yearsafter being

wounded in the city ofKandahar, Afghanistan,

U.S. Army Reserve Sgt.Richard L. Bogue is wearing

a Purple Heart on hisuniform.

Bogue, 44, of White,received the revered

medal at anhourlongceremony atSDSU’sPerformingArts CenterDec. 13, 2014,in the first

Purple Heartceremony at the

university in recentmemory.The May 2014

graduate of the SDSUDepartment of Agricultural

and Biosystems Engineeringdisdains the spotlight, but the

opportunity to hear the messages brought bysome of his former officers and fellowservicemen offset the discomfort of the stagelights.

Bogue serves as an agricultural specialistwith the 407th Civil Affairs Battalion inArden Hills, Minnesota, part of the TwinCities metropolitan area.

But traumatic brain injuries that hereceived while serving in Afghanistan leaves

him unable to travel the four hours to hisbattalion’s headquarters, so arrangementswere made by his unit and Michelle Ruesinkwith the SDSU Veteran’s Affairs Office tohave the Purple Heart ceremony on campus.

Honored guest at the ceremony was ChiefMaster Sgt. Richard Simonsen, who wasriding with Bogue in the back of a V-hulledtroop carrier as part of a six-truck convoywhen the 32,000-pound, four-wheel drivevehicle went over a culvert and a commandwire set off an explosive that rocked thecarrier even though it was 6 feet off theground.

Bogue exited the vehicle, which wasstruck while going through a market area,and began firing at the enemy.

Simonsen, a public affairs officer, recalledBogue had asked him the day before if hewanted to go on a mission with him the nextday. “It was basically to go out and look atsome ditches,” Simonsen playfully chidedBogue, who responded with a smile. Theditches were created for agriculturalirrigation.

Bogue developed irrigation plans andsystems for farmers and assisted indeveloping a link between KandaharUniversity, Farmer Extension Services andlocal farmers.

“These projects helped the region developpartnerships and equipment sharing to alloweven the poorest farmers to increaseproduction. He was assigned to the nationalwater board and the environmentalreclamation board to help addresscountrywide concerns,” according toinformation provided by the military.

It was application of what Bogue had beenstudying at SDSU before being deployed.

Joins military at 39A native of Stuart, Nebraska, Bogue grew

up in Rapid City and joined the U.S. ArmyReserve in 2008 at 39. He marked his 40thbirthday with basic training exercises at FortBragg, North Carolina.

Joining the military was his manifestationof the midlife crisis.

“It was something I had always wanted todo. I’m a patriotic guy,” Bogue said. “A lot ofyoung guys were going in and I thought itwas the correct thing to do; to go in and domy part. I had been thinking about enlistingfor a while. It just kind of became time to doit. I was getting toward the upper age limit”for enlisting, which was then 42.

He had already passed the age limit to jointhe U.S. Air Force or Navy reserves.

After six months of training, Boguereturned to White and his job at PerryElectric in Brookings. He then enrolled atSDSU with the aim of completing ageological engineering degree he had beganyears earlier at South Dakota School of Minesand Technology. At SDSU, the courseworkwould apply to ag engineering.

Bogue helped teach a lab for ag andbiosystems engineering department head VanKelley and was a summer student employeefor ag and biosystems engineering professorTodd Trooien.

“Rick would send pictures of the waterprojects he was working on. In fact, he gotinternship credit for the projects,” notedKelley, adding that Bogue worked for him as


at SDSU ceremonyPURPLE HEARTAfghan vet awarded


an electricity lab assistant for three semestersbefore being deployed.

Deployed!Within a year of being home from

training, Bogue volunteered for deployment.After three months of training at a hot CampAtterbury in southern Indiana, the companyheaded for the rural northern mountainousprovince of Nuristan near the border withPakistan. It was the allied coalition’snorthernmost base.

The Nuristan Provincial ReconstructionTeam was responsible for its own securityand board, Bogue said.

He worked with Afghanistan officials todevelop alternative crops to poppies, newvarieties of wheat and a drip irrigationsystem. But the team stayed less than threemonths, leaving about Christmas 2010because “the area was deemed too hostile toset up a government.

“The base was under almost daily attackfrom Taliban coming out of Pakistan. Ourconvoys were hit by IEDs (improvisedexplosive devices) several times while tryingto go out and do our job,” Bogue said.

He was in one of the convoys that wasstruck, but didn’t receive serious injuriesthen, he explained in an interview prior tothe ceremony.

Bogue’s next assignment was in Jalalabad,a farming district south of Nuristan and eastof Kabul where the Russians had builtelaborate olive tree farms in the 1960s.

The team’s mission was to help transitionthe complex from inefficient governmentmanagement to a privately run operation,Bogue said. But their work was hampered byIEDs planted by the Taliban in fields and byolive trees. Again, Bogue receivednondisabling injuries from an IED, he said.

Serving in KandaharThe unit put in 17-hour days for about

two months and in spring 2011 wastransferred to Kandahar to replace aCanadian provincial reconstruction team.Bogue worked with the U.S. Agency forInternational Development and its Canadiancounterpart to write agricultural plans tohelp individual communities.

Trooien recalls fielding irrigationquestions from Bogue and “trying to helphim apply the principles of irrigation” to theregion.

Bogue was serving a farming communitywhere crops were planted with a cow pullinga wooden plow, wheat was separated fromthe chaff using a wooden pitchfork and theaverage person farmed one-half to 1 acre.

Large-scale, technology-based farmingcommon in North America wouldn’t workthere, but Bogue said he enjoyed workingwith the people.

Bogue said, “My experience inAfghanistan was more positive than negative.I would go back again, even with everythingthat has happened.”

IED that changed his lifeThat “everything” included being hit with

an IED for the fourth and final time duringhis year in Afghanistan. Bogue was workingwith the 4th Infantry Division and the AirForce Public Affairs in May 2011—the onlyone from his unit on this assignment. Thesergeant’s resiliency was about to be tested.

Bogue received brain damage from thesound waves that resulted from being in theenclosed “metal tin can (the troop carrier).Your head is not designed to take that abuse.”He suffered, and still suffers from, massiveheadaches, dizziness, “even to the point Ican’t stand, ringing in the ears so loud youcan’t hear conversations and memory loss—that’s the kicker,” Bogue said.

He said the symptoms subsided after aweek. “I opted not to go to the Kandaharhospital. There’s nothing they can do foryou.”

He went back to work after a couple ofweeks and then returned home at the end ofJuly 2011, one day short of being gone for ayear.

Injuries worsen with timeInitially after returning home, his

symptoms were tolerable, but they haveworsened, Bogue said. “About once a weekI’m in the Brookings hospital to get strongmedication for headaches … Thingscontinue to deteriorate.”

He is making arrangements to go to theNational Intrepid Center of Excellence, in

Bethesda, Maryland, the Department ofDefense’s premier facility for brain injuries.Bogue hopes treatment there will be able to“level the symptoms out so I can live a littlemore normally.”

Bogue has done his best to live a normallife since returning to White. He returned toschool in August 2011, needing two to threesemesters to earn his degree. But Bogue saidhe “missed more classes than I was there.”Plus, he couldn’t retain the calculus heneeded for a degree in ag and biosystemsengineering.

He graduated in May 2014 with a degreein agriculture systems technology, a majorthat didn’t require the calculus.

Kelley explains, “Todd and I both puttogether a list of classes that were suitable forhim … It’s really just been great knowingRick. Rick is the one that did all the work. Hehad to work really hard to get his degreefinished up.”

Trooien added, “It’s very rewarding to seea student overcome those obstacles and valuethat degree.”

Appreciates help from facultyBogue had nothing but praise for the help

he received from SDSU faculty and staff.Several were among the 250 people at thePurple Heart ceremony.

Ruesink with the SDSU Veterans AffairsOffice specifically cited the efforts of Kelleyand Trooien, who maintained contact withBogue and his wife, Tonia, duringdeployment and after he re-enrolled. “Thesetwo gentlemen have demonstrated the heartand soul of SDSU,” Ruesink said.

Then looking to Bogue, who was on thestage with his wife, son and service dog, shesaid, “You truly are a hero.”

Bogue’s remarks were brief at theceremony.

“It’s been a pretty rough couple of years.It’s pretty much turned us upside down.” Hewent on to thank the town of White, “whichhas been so supportive of us,” his family andmilitary officials, particularly Simonsen. Theaudience responded with a standing ovationas he returned to his seat.

Earlier he noted the significance ofreceiving the Purple Heart, one of the highesthonors that can be received, but added, “it’snot one you want to earn.”

Dave Graves

Posing in the SDSU Veterans Service Office Jan. 20, 2015,are, from left, department head Van Kelley, Veterans AffairsService Officer Michelle Ruesink, Sgt. Richard Bogue andprofessor Todd Trooien.


Transitioning to college isn’t just achallenge faced by the wet-behind-the-ear high school graduate.

Military-hardened veterans also oftenstruggle.

“As I was transitioning out of the UnitedStates Army I was constantly told of thedifficulty in moving back to the civilianworld. That is one of the truest statements Ihave ever been told. It is something onlysomeone who has had to do that wouldunderstand,” Tylor Johnson wrote last March.

“When the plane landed in South Dakotaand classes started the next day, I feltcompletely lost,” he said.

Johnson, originally of Montrose, Iowa,was enrolling in the doctoral program in thebiology/microbiology program after havingbeen a specialist in the U.S. Army from 2008-2012, working as a laboratory technician anda biosciences research specialist from 2010-2012 at San Antonio Military Medical Centerat the U.S. Army Institute of SurgicalResearch.

He enrolled at SDSU because I wanted tomove back to the Midwest. “I contacted BillGibbons because I was interested inindustrial microbiology and after speakingwith him I knew that was the lab I wanted towork in.”

But “I was extremely nervous walking inthe door (of adviser Bill Gibbons) for thefirst time. Within seconds of speaking withhim I knew I had made the right decision incoming to South Dakota State University. Heis the greatest mentor I have ever met and Ihave had some incredible mentors.

“He allows me to put my wife andchildren first while still pursuing mydoctoral degree. When my father was injuredat work, he allowed me to go home for aweek to help him at the farm.

“His constant guidance and support madefor the smoothest transition possible. Therewere times when it would have been easy toquit and get a job or return to the military,but Bill has always been there supportingme,” Johnson wrote in a March 21, 2014,letter in which Gibbons received a militaryappreciation award.

Kelley, Trooien laudedThe ceremony was organized by the

Veterans Affairs Office on campus andincluded recognition of a couple otherfaculty members.

Sgt. Richard Bogue praised agengineering professors Van Kelley and ToddTrooien for showing “a true desire to help meas a student” before and after his deploymentto Afghanistan, where he worked withAfghan agricultural leaders and came homewith a traumatic brain injury. (See separatestory, pages 8-9.)

“I soon learned I did not just have twophenomenal professors who were there forme but a phenomenal department as awhole,” Bogue wrote in his appreciationletter.

Flag awarded to departmentContinuing, he stated, “As my health

declined further due to my injuries, therewas not a single professor in the ABE/AST(ag and biosystems engineering, ag systemstechnology) departments who were notwilling to help and go well out of their way tohelp when I was unable to make class ...

“I am truly humbled by the support Ireceived from the department. I wish I couldspeak about the support each professor gave(me) … There is no average professor in thedepartment. The level that they naturallyperform at is a very rare thing indeed.

“I present this flag, which was flownabove U.S. forces in Nuristan and Kandahar,Afghanistan, to the professors and staff of thedepartment of ABE/AST, South Dakota StateUniversity in recognition of their trulyinspiring support and kindness.

“The length of which cannot be put into asimple speech.”

The words of gratitude these veteransexpress go beyond the two departments inwhich those men studied.

Best for Vets recognitionThe service SDSU provides to veterans

has received national recognition. On Nov.10, 2014, the Military Times, an independentnews source for service members and theirfamilies, produced its fifth annual “Best forVets: Colleges 2015” rankings. Theeditorially independent project ranked SDSU11th in the nation.

“We factor in what is, to our knowledge,the most detailed school-by-school data onveteran students’ academic successanywhere, including graduation, retention,persistence and course completion rates,”said Amanda Miller, editor of Bests for Vets.

The rankings aren’t set by subjectivedecisions or likes on a Facebook page.

Rather, the detailed survey requiresschools to meticulously document atremendous array of services, special rules,accommodations and financial incentivesoffered to military and veteran students andto describe many aspects of veteran cultureon a campus.

SDSU’s top-tier ranking was achievedbecause of the “different programs andsupport we offer. The support we offer issecond to none, and the university andcommunity support are things we’re scoringvery high on,” according to MichelleRuesink, head of the SDSU Veterans AffairsOffice since May 2014.

Myriad services for vetsShe said the services provided by the

office include “everything from certifyingeducation benefits to the Veterans ResourceCenter to organizing a combat supportgroup.”

Formal programs offered at SDSU tomilitary-affiliated students and communitymembers include:

• Monthly combat support group led by the vet center,

• Semimonthly veteran writing groups, • Weekly Veterans Tutoring Veterans

sessions, • Monthly Warrior Wellness events, • Suicide and stress management

presentations, • Two federal tuition assistance and state

tuition assistance workshops, • Hero2Hire presentations and mock

interviews, • Resume and career-building workshops, • Paws for Vets, and• Air Force, Navy, Marines, Army and

National Guard branch birthday celebrations.

Tyler Jacob has experienced SDSU after acouple transitions. He enrolled after servingin Kuwait in 2009-10, continued to serve inthe Guard, and was deployed to Afghanistanin 2013. He returned to SDSU in 2014 andnow is a work-study student in the VeteransAffairs Office while still being in the Guard.

He notes that attending Guard is anexcused school absence.

“As long as I let my professors know I’mgoing to be gone for drill, they are more thanwilling to work with me. I just email and see

University hailed for developing a campus culture friendly to vets

Serving the serviceman


if there is anything I need to do in advance.They’ve always worked really well with me,especially with my ever-changing schedule.That is more than helpful for me,” Jacob said.

Help, comfort at Veterans Resource CenterWith total enrollment more than 12,500

(fall 2014 head count), it would be easy forveterans to feel like a serviceman lined up inthe wrong formation.

But with more than 360 SDSU studentsreceiving military education benefits, they’rea major subgroup on campus.

Jacob said, “SDSU is a very welcomingplace. We have a large veteran population ...Those of us that do associate with each other,we’re a pretty tight-knit group.”

The Veterans Resource Center providesopportunities for peer-to-peer support foracademics and wellness as well ascamaraderie, mentoring and a place to callhome on campus.

Bogue said, “It’s a space in the basement(of the University Student Union) whereveterans can go to study that is a little morequiet.”

The center has been in place since aribbon cutting Nov. 12, 2012. It had beenpart of a student lounge and was renovatedduring the union remodeling in the 2011-12school year. The meeting room includes acomputer with a printing station, extra studyspace and a lounge.

In fall semester, there were more than1,616 student visits.

Writing group reaches to communityThe Veterans Resource Center serves as

the home for the veterans writing group,which usually meets every other Thursdayevening. Bogue, a six-month participant inthe program, said, “It’s helpful because it gets

people with different perspectives. Havingstuff on paper tends to help people withPTSD and memories.”

The program is coordinated by AmberJensen, an English department adjunctinstructor, with support from DistinguishedProfessor of English Charles Woodard, aVietnam veteran who has long participatedin military events on campus.

In the fall, Woodard did three guestreadings, including one at a communityworkshop, which the group holds eachsemester.

Bogue said he is impressed with Ruesink’sefforts to get community veterans involvedwith veterans on campus.

Ruesink, a former member of the SouthDakota Army National Guard and a formercontracted counselor with the Departmentof Defense, said it’s important that the twogroups of veterans connect because“Brookings has a long history of supportingveterans. To be able to bring those groupstogether for role modeling and communityconnection is an amazing opportunity.”

An example of that would be the spring2014 veterans symposium organized oncampus to present information on militaryeducation benefits, transitioning back tocivilian life, post traumatic stress disorderand services offered by community veteransorganizations like the VFW, AmericanLegion, Disabled American Veterans and theRoyal Order of the Purple Heart.

In addition, the SDSU Veterans AffairsOffice was on the planning committee forthe South Dakota Coalition of MilitaryFamilies Symposium in Sioux Falls Sept. 10-11. It brought together 150 professionalsfrom across South Dakota and SDSU wasinvolved in presentations promoting supportfor veterans in higher education.

Ruesink said such outreach by theuniversity is important because “we have avery strong military population and to showthat we are ready to support them is a greatthing for our veterans to see.

“Also, we’ve had tremendous supportfrom our administration. Our leadership atthe top is willing to step up and give amazingsupport.”

ROTC programs steeped in historySeparate from the Veterans Affairs Office

is the Department of Military Science (ArmyROTC) and the Department of AerospaceStudies (Air Force ROTC).

Army ROTC, known as the West Point ofthe Plains, has commissioned more than2,700 officers during its 98-year history andmore than 15 generals got their initialtraining at SDSU. Omar Bradley oversaw theprogram in 1919-20 before going to WestPoint and later fame in World War II.

It currently has 30 cadets contracted forthe four-year program with 225 studentsenrolled in ROTC classes.

The Air Force ROTC has commissionedfour who have gone on to become generalssince the first commissioning June 11, 1948.Its most famous alum is former U.S. SenateMajority Leader Thomas A. Daschle, whoreceived his Air Force commission throughDetachment 780 June 1, 1969. It currentlyhas 21 cadets contracted for the four-yearprogram with 40 students enrolled in ROTCclasses.

Both are housed in DePuy Military Hall,which was built in 1942 and is named afterfour-star general William E. DePuy, a 1941grad.

Dave Graves

From left, Professor Todd Trooien holds an American flag presented to him from RichardBogue at a military appreciation event at SDSU April 14, 2014. Center in the basementof the University Student Union; doctoral student Tylor Johnson, left, presents a U.S. flagto his adviser, Bill Gibbons, at a military appreciation event March 21,2014; an avenue

of flags is formed at the Brookings County Veterans Memorial during a 2014 VeteransDay ceremony honoring the 35 South Dakota service members who gave their lives inmilitary action in Iraq and Afghanistan.


When looking at class options whilepursuing a master’s degree in civilengineering at Penn State, Janet

Merriman vividly recalls one thing.“I remember saying to my mother ‘I don’t

need to do that, Mom, I will never teach in mylife’,” said Merriman, who is now in her thirdyear with the construction and operationsmanagement department. “I always took mycareer as it came. They say you should planyour career but I never really did. The Navykept offering me great opportunities so that’show I stayed for 20 years.”

However, it was during that 20-year careerin the U.S. Navy that Merriman got theopportunity to teach and mentor. That waswhen she realized what she wanted to dofollowing her 2012 retirement ceremony.

That decision has paid off for SouthDakota State and students in construction andoperations management.

“I enjoy her classroom environmentbecause she throws a lot at us, but helps usthrough each step,” said Robbie Jelsma, asenior construction management major fromSpringfield. “We go into great detail with eachassignment, but that is what I enjoy. Shechallenges us, just as the real world will, but ina learning environment. These are things wecan truly apply to our future professionalwork.”

Merriman had plenty of project experiencein the real world. That career started after shegraduated with a bachelor’s degree in oceanengineering from the Naval Academy in 1992.Merriman then received one of six slots forwomen in the Civil Engineer Corps, realizinga goal she focused on as a femalemidshipman.

“Because the Civil Engineer Corps takesengineers of many different flavors, they trainus on construction principles, scheduling,construction management and facilitymanagement principles as well as teach us allof the contract law we need to know,”Merriman said. “They also teach us themilitary skills we need to know to be part ofthe Seabees. It was an all-encompassingcourse.

“It was a lot offun,” she continued,breaking into alaugh. “It was a loteasier than the NavalAcademy.”

Following thatcourse, she thenoversaw 17construction projectsover a three-yearperiod at BarksdaleAir Force Base inLouisiana.

“I was veryfortunate to have alot of good peopleworking for me andwith me. Like everyensign should, I tooka lot of advice,”Merriman said. “Ihad some projectsthat didn’t go so welland some that wentvery well. A lot of it depended on thecontractor and what their experience wasworking on a military project as we have a lotof requirements that civilian contractors aren’tused to.

“I enjoyed the airfield projects the mostbecause we were doing construction on areally big scale,” she continued.

The scale of the projects grew in numberand in dollar figure for Merriman. During athree-year stint at Naval Station GreatLakes—the Navy’s largest training stationwhere annually approximately 40,000 menand women complete the requirements to beNavy sailors—she was part of an $850 millionrenovation of the Navy’s boot camp.

One of her projects for the renovation wasproviding oversight and direction for theconstruction of an $82 million simulator thatinvolved input from Disney and other expertsand contractors in the entertainment industry.

“The project had the recruits come in on apier and go on what looked like a Navydestroyer,” Merriman said. “They’d berunning the ship and then we’d simulate

different scenarios. In one, the ship would gethit by a boat. Then we’d simulate that they’dhave to put out fires or combat a flood. They’dhave to move dummies that were in distress—all of the events were based on differentevents in naval history.

“At that point, I was in more of aleadership role. The people who were directlymanaging the contract were underneath me. Ijust got to go see it every now and then. I gotto deal with the ‘big’ problems,” Merriman

Merriman

Top: Janet Merriman reconnects with U.S. NavalAcademy classmates and members of the Civil EngineerCorps. From left, Charlene Mowery, Holly Johnson,Merriman and Eileen D’Andrea are pictured at Johnson’sretirement ceremony in July 2012.

Bottom: Merriman stands in front of her signed Seabeeflag, a gift from the staff when she transferred from herposition as Executive Officer of the Center for Seabeesand Facilities Engineering and the Civil Engineer CorpsOfficer School.

Right: At Merriman’s July 2012 retirement ceremony, sheis pictured with her husband, Michael, and daughter,Heidi.

Opportunities keep turning out for


Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering Faculty/Staff Who have Served or Who are Serving in the Armed Forces

Name Rank Branch of Service Active/Guard/Reserve Years ServedLarry L. Weiss Col. (Ret) U.S. Army S.D. Army National Guard 37 (8 enlisted, 29 officer)

Janet Merriman Commander U.S. Navy Active 20

Lance Dyer Technical Sergeant U.S. Air Force Active (10 yrs), Air Guard (12 yrs) 22 and still serving

Richard Reid Lt. Col. U.S. Air Force Active (13 yrs) Air Guard (15 yrs) 28 (1981-94; 1996-2011)

Gary Anderson TAC Officer U.S. Army Active (4 yrs) Reserve (3 yrs) 14Individual Ready Reserve (7 yrs)

Lewis Brown E-4 U.S. Air Force Active 4 (1972-76)

Daniel Kemp 1st Lt. U.S. Army/Artillery Active 2 (1965-67)

said, breaking into a smile. “I now get tobring that aspect into my teaching. I cantell the students what the owner is lookingfor and what the owner’s opinions are onconstruction practices. I think that reallyhelps.”

Construction and operationsmanagement department head Teresa Hallagrees.

“In my observations, she’s a mix ofauthority but also willing to guide andhelp them learn,” Hall said. “She finds anice balance in the classroom and in thelab. She’s the total package. She’s been avery nice complement to the other greatpeople we have here.”

Part of Merriman’s balance is humorand stories.

“Like many of our professors, Janet hasmany real-world experiences that she canapply in class,” Jelsma said. “It feels as ifyou are learning from someone who is outin the industry every day, not just aprofessor.

“She throws a few ‘curveballs’ in ourprojects purposely to simulate real-worldissues that we must work around,” Jelsmacontinued. “It is a challenging, but fun,classroom experience. She seems veryexcited to be in class each day, whichmakes us enjoy being there as well.”

Matt Schmidt

“Because the Civil Engineer Corps takes engineers of many different flavors,they train us on construction principles, scheduling, construction managementand facility management principles as well as teach us all of the contract lawwe need to know.”

Janet Merriman


“CSI”and “Numbers”lead many peopleto believe that

forensic science is a highly technical fieldrelying on experts that always have adefinitive answer about culpability.

In fact, forensic statistics is a relativelynew field that is working to establishinvestigative techniques and quantitativemethods that ensure accuracy in suspectidentification. There are about 25statisticians worldwide working in forensicsscience. Two of these happen to be in themathematics and statistics department atSouth Dakota State and have received a$780,300 grant to advance the science.

Assistant professors Chris Saunders andCedric Neumann collaborated to prepare agrant proposal to work on the interpretationof pattern and impression evidence.

In late September 2014, they receivednotice from the National Institute of Justicethat their three-year proposal was beingfunded. It’s the first grant to SDSU facultyfrom the National Institute of Justice, theresearch, development and evaluationagency of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Both Neumann and Saunders are relativenewcomers to SDSU.

Neumann, a Swiss native, is in his secondyear in the mathematics and statisticsdepartment at State, coming from Penn Stateafter working for the United Kingdom’sForensic Science Service.

Saunders, a California native, is in histhird year in the mathematics and statisticsdepartment at State, coming from GeorgeMason University in Fairfax, Virginia, andworked as an intelligence community fellowwith the FBI.

It wasn’t by chance that both ended up onthe Dakota prairie. The men have knowneach other since 2006 and formed a bond

based on mutual respect for their respectivework in forensic statistics. That was what, inlarge part, led Neumann to leave Penn Stateto forge new collaborations on the prairie.

Statistical accuracy in courtIn a February 2012 article in Significance,

the magazine of the Royal Statistical Societyand the American Statistical Society,Neumann said some courts are scrutinizingfingerprints because of shortcomings in theway the probable value of the evidence isweighed and reported.

“Fingerprints have been used for morethan a century as a way of identifyingcriminals. However, fingerprint evidence isnot currently permitted to be reported incourt unless examiners claim with absolutecertainly that a mark has been left by aparticular suspect.

“This courtroom certainly is based purelyon the opinion of experts, formed throughyears of training and experience, but not onscientific data. Less-than-certain fingerprintevidence is not reported at all, withoutregard for the potential weight and relevanceof the evidence in a case,” Neumann wrote inSignificance.

By establishing the accuracy of likelihoodratios, a statistic used to quantify theprobable value of forensic evidence, “courtscan begin trusting statistical models whenused to report evidence,” Neumann said.

Saunders, whose background has been insupporting FBI investigations, added, “Auniform way of evaluating evidence willmake it easier for an agency to decidewhether to pursue a suspect or not.”

As Saunders was completing hisdoctorate in statistics at the University ofKentucky in 2006, he was recruited to dowork for the FBI in pattern recognition andhandwriting identification. He spent the next

two years as an intelligence communitypostdoctoral research fellow at GeorgeMason.

After the fellowship ended, Saunderscontinued as an assistant research professorin the document forensics lab at GeorgeMason until coming to State.

In summer 2013, Saunders was a visitingscientist with the FBI lab doing forensicsresearch. “The FBI is trying to build up agroup of statisticians because forensicsresearchers at the federal level understandthe need for statistical methods to quantifyevidence,” he said.

Research will help law enforcementThe National Institute of Justice-

sponsored project, called “ambitious” by onegrant reviewer, makes classic DNA forensicprofiling seem simple. In fact, from aforensics viewpoint, it is, SDSU facultymembers Saunders and Neumann say.

“With DNA, there is a well-developedprobability structure,” Neumann said,explaining that within a DNA sample, thesequencing falls in a handful of orderedpatterns. Neumann and Sanders will focuson evidence much more complicated thanDNA.

“We will be working on highlydimensional characterization of evidence,where building statistical models isextremely complicated,” Neumann said.

“Numbers” meets “CSI” at State

Chris Saunders Cedric Neumann

SDSU forensic statisticians awarded major federal grant


“Our objective is to build a solid foundationon which other people can build.”

Saunders said, “This work is moretheoretical than we’ve done in the past. Thisgrant funding is to characterize thefoundation for that.”

He said they are starting with objects thatare simple in nature, such as glass fragmentsfrom a broken window, where they wouldlook at low dimension characteristics likechemical composition and refraction index.Neumann called that a “baby problem.”

These initial results are promising andwill be presented at major statistical andforensic conferences this summer and soonwill be submitted for publication, he added.

As their statistical models prove accurate,they would apply them to more complexevidence, such as fingerprints, firearms andmore complicated chemical data, such as thecomposition of fibers, Neumann said.

The bottom line is that investigatorseventually could use their work to determinethe probability that a particular tracerecovered at a crime scene (such as afingerprint or a bullet) was left by a suspector using a particular weapon.

The outcome being that forensicinvestigators could use establishedprobability models to evaluate evidence. “Ifwe can establish how good of an estimate theprobability value is, it will help the agency or

the court trust the forensic evidence,”Neumann said.

Doctoral students to assistIn their SDSU project, Neumann and

Saunders will be assisted by Danica Ommen,and Douglas Armstrong, two doctoralstudents in statistics.

The $780,300 project budget coversNeumann’s and Saunders’ summer salary, 20percent of their academic load, two doctoralstudents and presentations at one conferenceper year for both Neumann and Saundersand one international conference. They alsoplan to publish results in several peer-reviewed journals.

“Statisticians now can come up withradically different probability values for thesame fingerprint,” Saunders said. “We haveto find a way to take raw data and turn it intoprobabilities. Then forensic experts wouldn’thave to say ‘I think’ and make subjectivedeterminations.”

That could have a “lasting impact on thenation’s criminal justice system,” SDSU mathdepartment head Kurt Cogswell said.

Dave Graves

Math and statistics department assistant professors Chris Saunders, left, and Cedric Neumann eye a small portion of themath involved in creating formulas that can be used to evaluate forensics evidence. The men received a $780,300 grantfrom the National Institute of Justice to advance their work.

This drawing illustrates how fingerprint features are extracted and organized for statistical analysis. The black dotsrepresent the features, the arrows represent their direction. The gray lines represent the friction ridges on the skin of thefinger. The grey letters represent the name of the variables used to represent the features.


College News

Senior mechanical engineering major Megan Waytashek, aguard/forward on the SDSU women’s basketball team, was named to theCapital One Academic All-American Team.

While the team annually has one of the best GPAs of any women’sbasketball program in the nation, Waytashek is only the seventh SDSU playerto make the Academic All-American squad.

Waytashek, of Lino Lakes, Minn., holds a 3.97 GPA. She spent summer2014 as an SDSU undergraduate research assistant co-authoring a reporton 3D printing that was presented at an international convention of theAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers.

In May 2013, she had a three-week internship at the Mayo Clinic inRochester, Minnesota. Additionally, Waytashek is secretary of Beta PiEngineering Honor Society and a member of Pi Tau Sigma Honor Society.

The academic teams are determined by a vote of the members of theCollege Sports Information Directors. The group named three five-memberAcademic All-American teams and Waytashek is on the second team with amechanical engineering major from Oregon State.

Waytashek also is a two-time all-district selection.While leading the Jackrabbits to their sixth NCAA Tournament berth in seven

years, Waytashek was named to the All-Summit League Championship Team.She has been a three-time first-team all-league selection.

Waytashek, who finished her career ranked among the team’s all-timeleading scorers, led the Jackrabbits in scoring, three-point field goal shootingpercentage and steals. Her career free-throw percentage was among thenation’s top shooters.

What do you give the fisherman who has enough rods,reels and lures to open his own tackle shop? How aboutcustomized bobbers?

It’s an idea generated by three South Dakota StateUniversity mechanical engineering students last spring. Inshort order, the idea became a prize-winning design thatturned into hard plastic bobbers manufactured on a 3Dprinter at the college. On Nov. 15, 2014, the students won aninternational contest.

Assistant professor Todd Letcher took six studentsrepresenting five SDSU teams to the inaugural IAM3Dcontest in Montreal.

Sponsored by the American Society of MechanicalEngineers, the Innovative Additive Manufacturing 3DChallenge competition selected 24 entries for theinternational contest. Six of those were from SDSU. Thebobber team won the most innovative award. Another teamwas runner-up in best overall design.To qualify, in addition to creating an object with a 3D printer,

students had to submit a written business plan and a video.Letcher didn’t know if the contest judges were fishermen, but he said

they were impressed that team members Eric Chapin, Tyler Tashner andBrandon Westrick could start selling the bobbers immediately, their teachersaid. “Out of all the projects we saw, this is probably the best project set up tobe a business today,” Letcher, an Aberdeen native, said, quoting the judges.

Would a Twins’ bobber sink?Chapin, of Aberdeen, said they made a number of different designs of slip

bobbers, beginning with a generic one.After making changes to obtain buoyancy, they started designing custom

bobbers, such as one in the shape of Minnesota Vikings helmet and anotherin the shape of big C styled after the Chicago Cubs logo. Letcher said thestudents also made logos from other sports teams and crazy shapes.

Chapin said he became proficient on the computer software used todesign the bobbers, completing one in 3 ½ minutes.

The actual printing of the bobber doesn’t take much longer—sevenminutes, said Chapin. He and the other SDSU students entered as a result ofa project in a sophomore level Intro to Mechanical Design class in spring2014.

Letcher said he learned of the contest at last year’s conference andwanted to get his students experience in the developing field.

A future business?At Montreal, judging was based 60 percent on innovation, creativity,

efficiency and feasibility and 40 percent on communication, presentation,business context and relevance. After the bobber was selected for theinternational contest, Chapin did a little refining of the product and a lot ofresearch on the market.

With the most innovative title, the team received $2,000, but there are noimmediate plans to invest it into starting a business, said Chapin, who won’tgraduate until May 2016.

However, he does envision walking into Cabela’s, placing an order, goingto shop for other fishing gear and picking up the bobber on the way out.

“I definitely think there is a future. It’s something I think I am going tocontinue to try sometime,” said Chapin, who was already familiar withdesigning objects using computer software through his part-time position as amanufacturing engineer at sign and scoreboard giant Daktronics.

Among the contest design criteria was the object use less raw materialthan current techniques and be environmentally friendly.

Another top idea: mounts on wheelchairsWinning $500 for being runner-up in best overall design was the team of

Ty Schoellerman, of Alcester; Nick Benz, of Sioux Falls; and Purna Poudyal, ofSioux Falls. They designed a mount that would be placed on a wheelchair tohold a pinwheel and a battery-operated fan, explained Schoellerman, a 2012Alcester-Hudson High School.

The idea came as a result of Schoellerman having two cousins, ages 14and 16, who are confined to wheelchairs.

The project involved measuring the wheelchair, designing a 6-inch mainbeam that was C-clamped to the wheelchair and a 6-inch arm that angledover the cousin’s lap. The pieces were printed separately using the sameplastic filament used for the bobbers and then the pieces were fastened withSuper Glue.

The students used the same plastic, which is similar to the material usedfor Legos, to make an iPad holder/table top, Schoellerman said.

Other SDSU teams qualifying for the contest and their projects: NicholasNielsen, Brandt Schrankler, duck call; Kaleb Stepanek, Zachary Weddington,John Linneman, tabletop wind turbine; Jordan Vanderbush, Spencer Kane,Conrad West, goose decoy; Tyler Finnes, Mitch Vejvoda, Josia Schultz, omni fitcustomized sunglasses.

Letcher said this fall’s class designed projects to submit for the 2015contest in Boston Aug. 2-5 and this spring’s class is doing the same.

Engineering students hook a winning idea

Eric Chapin, a juniormechanical engineeringmajor at SDSU, standsbehind the 3D printerthat he used to makecustomized fishingbobbers. He and histeammates entered theidea in an internationaldesign contest and wonthe $2,000 top prize.

Waytashek named to the Capital One Academic All-American Team

ASCE chapter newsKen Versteeg, executive director of the Community Blood Bank in Sioux

Falls, presented the student chapter with an appreciation plaque forcollecting more than 1,000 units of blood through the blood drives they havesponsored in the past few years.

He also organized a Nov. 20, 2014, luncheon for the students in gratefulappreciation for their efforts.

International conventionSeven members of the SDSU chapter of the American Society of Civil

Engineers traveled to the international convention in Panama in October2014 with professors Nadim Wehbe and Rich Reid.

An expected bonus of the convention was being able to watch an SDSUalum be honored as one of 11 “Distinguished Members” of the ASCE.

Jane McKee Smith, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and a leader in the field ofcoastal engineering, was surprised to see such a strong contingent fromSDSU and had her picture taken with the group. She also spent some timevisiting with the students at her reception.


SDSU electrical engineering students continue to outshine virtually everyother university in the Midwest when it comes to the Power and EnergySociety Scholarship Plus Initiative through the Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers.

For the 2014-15 academic year, four South Dakota State Universitystudents were again selected for the coveted honor, which awards $7,000over the course of three years. Only one school, the University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign (6), had more recipients.

Since the scholarship originated in 2011, SDSU has had 18 recipients,second only to Illinois’ 19 recipients.

Most member schools have one or no recipients. In 2014-15, that listincludes Marquette (0), Michigan (0) and Notre Dame (0) as well as Iowa (1),Iowa State (1) and North Dakota State (1).

SDSU students earning scholarships this year are: Andrew Hora, asophomore from Viborg; Evan Laursen, a junior from Aurelia, Iowa; MitchellYoung, a junior from Harrisburg; and Tyler Fletcher, a junior from DakotaDunes, who is a repeat winner. The award is distributed over three years aslong as the winner meets specific GPA and power internship requirements.

Program includes internship requirementThe “Plus” in the scholarship program refers to a summer internship in a

power-related field.Fletcher’s internship was at Missouri River Energy Systems, a Sioux

Falls-based transmission and generation wholesaler that serves 61 membercommunities in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. He workedwith generation engineers in load management and optimizing energyoperations.

“The internship reaffirmed my interest in a career in the power field. Ienjoyed working in an industry that provides a basic commodity—electricity—yet is filled with complex challenges,” said Fletcher, a 2012graduate of Dakota Valley High School.

Career field favorable for gradsSteve Hietpas, head of the electrical engineering and computer science

department, notes that today’s students are joining the power field at an idealtime as many engineers in the industry are reaching retirement age, while atthe same time there is increased demand for engineers due to advancementsin smart grid and renewable energy technologies.

SDSU’s electrical engineering program began in 1899 and power systemstudies had been a strength for decades before the Center for PowerSystems Studies was formed in 1968 with the regional power industry topromote teaching students through direct involvement with industry.

Formed by Junis Storry, who later became dean of the College ofEngineering, the center is now headed by professor Hietpas.

Load of power scholarships go to State students

Scholarship winners andfaculty members pose inthe Microgrid Lab inDaktronics EngineeringHall. Pictured, from left,are department headSteven Hietpas, EvanLaursen, assistantprofessor Wei Sun, TylerFletcher, Andrew Hora,assistant professorReinaldo Tonkoski andMitchell Young.

Gathering at the international convention of the American Society of Civil Engineers in Panama are,back row, from left, Rich Reid, associate dean of engineering at SDSU; Nicholas Rock ’14; MichaelMingo ’14; Rachel Schwartz ’14; Carley Siewert ’15; Nadim Wehbe, head of the SDSU Department ofCivil and Environmental Engineering.Front row, Courtney Hook ’15, Chelsey Morrow ’15, Jane McKee Smith ’83 and Jessica Lemmerman’15.Smith, a 2013 SDSU distinguished alumnae, was one of 11 civil engineers honored as “DistinguishedMembers” of ASCE.


College News

Engineering students preparing totake their sheepskin and departinto the world of change orders

and service requests are finding noshortage of companies wanting to taketheir resumes.

The Jerome J. Lohr College ofEngineering hosted career fairs Oct. 7,2014, and Feb. 10, 2015. In the fall,more than 400 students registered tovisit a record 105 companies, whichmanned booths that overflowed theVolstorff Ballroom in the UniversityStudent Union and took over the easthallway.

The spring semester fair,traditionally a quieter session, drew 78companies with almost as manystudents as the fall—320.

A new wrinkle with the spring fairwas that the college contracted with theuniversity photographer so thatstudents could have a professionalphotograph to accompany their profile.

“Around 120 took advantage of theservice. The college is working to getstudents connected with LinkedIn andare encouraging students to useprofessional pictures instead of selfies,”according to Barb Dyer, programassistant in the dean’s office.

Lew Brown, dean of the college since2001, said, “This has got to be one of thebest times I’ve seen for a graduatingsenior or one near graduation to belooking for an internship. This isoutstanding.”

Grace Regan, a civil engineeringmajor from Stillwater, Minnesota, cameto the fall Engineering Career Fair witha full-time job offer in hand as well asplans to head to graduate school inJanuary. “But I’m seeing what’s out here.With 105 companies, it never hurts tolook around,” she said.

Cody Herman, a mechanicalengineering major from Freeman, wasfiguratively “out knocking on doors,looking to stay local.”

The senior’s preference is for an ag-related firm, “but I’m open for anythingas long as there is a challenge involved. Ilike solving problems.” He doesn’texpect finding a job to be a long-termchallenge. “There are plenty of jobs outthere. Everybody is hiring or is going tohire in the near future.”

List of job openings growsOne of the firms Herman met with

in the fall was Vermeer, an ag andindustrial equipment manufacturer

Engineering CAREERF A I R


Left: Scott Omland ’12, left, a plant engineer with Otter TailPower Company in Big Stone City, discusses jobopportunities with Jacob Daniels, a senior mechanicalengineering major from Russell, Minn. Otter Tail was oneof 105 firms at the Engineering Career Fair organized bythe Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering at South DakotaState University Oct. 7, 2014.

Above: Andrew Neary ’06, a paint engineer with Vermeerin Pella, Iowa, discusses job opportunities with CodyHerman, a senior mechanical engineering major fromFreeman.

based in Pella, Iowa, with a satellite facilityin Herman’s hometown of Freeman.

Vermeer’s job listings have grown fromthree to seven pages in the past year,according to Andrew Neary ’06, a paintengineer who led the Joint EngineeringCouncil when he was a senior. The councilorganizes the career fair.

“I’ve never seen this place so full. In mysenior year, we had 63 booths and that was arecord year,” Neary said.

The 106 companies represent a 23percent increase from the record 86companies in 2013. Previous career fairshad been attracting between 60 and 70companies.

This year’s expo was the fifth time forNeary to represent Vermeer and the five-hour career fair wasn’t a chance to catch upon emails. “I’ve had times in the past whereit’s been stagnant. Today has been busy” forNeary as well as his Vermeer partner TylerSchiferl ’09.

Expo draws wide student interestThe breadth of companies present at the

career fair also provides students exposureto the wide variety of work available tothose in the engineering, technology andmath fields. “Many students enroll in thecollege not knowing which field to enter,

but knowing they will have plenty of optionsif their first choice doesn’t fit them,” Brownsaid.

The fairs drew students from all nine ofthe college’s majors and for the first year,architectural students were invited.

Regan said, “The College of Engineeringis absolutely awesome about emailingstudents about the career fair; letting themknow when it is, what to bring and how tobe prepared.”

One of the recruiters working theVolstorff hallways in the fall was DelvinDeBoer, who retired in 2012 after 33 yearson the civil engineering department faculty.

“The words I said to students as aprofessor are the same as I say to them as anemployer. You are seeking a workenvironment that is mutually attractive toyou and the employer, so learn thecharacteristics of companies and approachthem in a professional manner.

“Those minutes spent with companyrepresentatives at the career fair make asignificant first impression,” said DeBoer,who is now in Fargo, North Dakota, withAdvanced Engineering and EnvironmentalServices.

‘It’s really competitive’Scott Omland was at the career fair for a

second year with Otter Tail Power Co. of Big

Stone City. The 2012 graduate went severaltimes as a student and he has found a bigdifference being on the other side of thetable. “It’s a little less nerve wracking,” themechanical engineering graduate said witha laugh.

Of course, for this year’s crop of seniors,the tension is less.

Dean Brown said, “I remember the yearswhen students would look around hopingfor one offer. Now they’ve got several offers.You ask any of these employers, they’ll tellyou it’s really competitive.”

Omland agreed, “It’s a time whencompanies are really looking to theengineering field. Everybody is looking forgood engineers.”

Dave Graves


College NewsENROLLMENTS BY DEGREE (fall 2014)

Undergraduate MajorsFemale Male Total Percent

Ag & Biosystems Engineering 10 83 93 6.36Civil & Environmental Eng. 35 195 230 15.72Construction Management 5 150 155 10.59Computer Science 23 155 178 12.16Electrical Engineering 14 135 149 10.18Electronics Engineering Tech 2 21 23 1.57General Engineering 4 26 30 2.05Operations Management 4 65 69 4.71Mathematics & Statistics 56 73 129 8.82Mechanical Engineering 45 362 407 27.82Total 198 1,265 1,463 100.00Total (2013) 186 1,247 1,433Total (2012) 181 1,218 1,399

Master of Science MajorsFemale Male Total Percent

Ag & Biosystems Engineering 7 8 15 5.62Civil & Environmental Eng. 5 44 49 18.35Computer Science 16 35 51 19.10Data Science 2 10 12 4.49Electrical Engineering 8 31 39 14.61Operations Management 8 15 23 8.61Mathematics 6 11 17 6.37Mechanical Engineering 6 32 38 14.23Statistics 9 14 23 8.61Total 67 260 267 100.00Total (2013) 57 156 213Total (2012) 43 138 181

Doctoral MajorsFemale Male Total Percent

*Ag & Biosystems Engineering 1 5 6 14.63*Civil & Environmental Eng. 0 0 0 0Computer Science & Statistics 2 18 20 48.78Electrical Engineering 1 13 14 34.14Geospatial Science & Eng. 0 1 1 2.43*Mechanical Engineering 0 0 0 0Total 4 37 41 100.00Total (2013) 5 34 39Total (2012) 8 28 36* Programs began in fall 2014.

ENROLLMENTS BY PROGRAM (fall 2014)

DEGREES CONFERRED (2013-14)

UndergraduateFemale Male Total

Ag & Biosystems Engineering 0 9 9Civil Engineering 13 34 47Construction Management 2 48 50Computer Science 3 22 25Electrical Engineering 4 23 27Electronics Engineering Tech. 0 5 5Mathematics & Statistics 10 20 30Mechanical Engineering 6 36 42Manufacturing Engineering Tech. 0 9 9 Operations Management 0 4 4Total 38 210 248

Master of Science MajorsFemale Male Total

Ag & Biosystems Engineering 0 5 5Civil Engineering 4 7 11Computer Science 0 3 3Electrical Engineering 4 19 23Mathematics 2 2 4Mechanical Engineering 0 4 4Operations Management 0 1 1Statistics 1 6 7Total 11 47 58

Doctoral MajorsFemale Male Total

Computer Science & Statistics 1 3 4Electrical Engineering 2 1 3

College of Engineering FacilitiesSq. Ft.

Agricultural Engineering 48,696Crothers Engineering Hall 89,960Daktronics Engineering 73,464Solberg Hall 55,735Harding Hall 28,441Architecture, Math & 62,000Engineering Building** Open for classes in August 2015

Jackrabbit Guarantee Scholarship recipients (2013-14)

First Year $429,350 200Second Year $274,950 115Third Year $198,708 82Fourth Year $171,100 78Total $1,074,108 475Total enrollment: 1,450


COE EXTERNAL FUNDING (FY2014)

A mantle of white blankets the future green space on the south, front, side of the new Architecture, Mathematics andEngineering Building, which will be dedicated April 24. To the west of the $17 million facility is Solberg Hall, which was built in1901 and completely renovated in 2003. See back cover for specifics on the dedication.

COE external funding explanation

FY14 Awards: $3,742,960FY14 Expenditures: $4,426,109

Note: Awards don’t match expenditures because awards are usually recorded inthe year the award is made, even though it may be for a multiyear project.Because the expenditures for a project occur after the award is made there isnot a one-to-one correspondence between the two.

A second reason for the difference is that the COE was finishing some largeawards made a few years ago, so expenditures from those projects wereoccurring in recent years even though the original award may have been fiveyears ago or so. The plot shows how expenditures and awards are actuallyconverging again.

Grand Total Student EnrollmentsYea B.S. M.S. Ph.D. Grand Total2014 1450 266 41 17572013 1412 215 39 16662012 1361 181 35 1577

Total COE Undergraduate Student Makeup:Year % Female % Male % Non-US

Citizens2014 86.4% 13.6% 8.8%2013 86.7% 13.3% 7.7%2012 86.7% 13.3% 5.7%

Total Graduate Student MakeupYear % Female % Male % Non-US

Citizens2014 15.7% 84.3% 63.8%2013 24.4% 75.6% 55.5%2012 24.1% 75.9% 53.2%


Turning off the teaching lightElectrical engineering professor retires after 23 years

College News

Faculty

“I was allowed to hone creativity as a professor. It was an advantage having thefreedom and flexibility to research and experiment.” David Galipeau


Not everyone knows or cares aboutelectronic devices and systems butafter talking with professor David

Galipeau, they probably would.His energy is electric.Although Galipeau recently retired, he

still lights up when talking about electricalengineering. The Harold HohbachProfessor of Electrical Engineering’s lastday was Jan. 21.

“I’ve been interested in chemistry,science and physics my entire life,” saidGalipeau. “But electrical engineeringseemed to be the most rewarding in termsof timely gratification. You connect wiresand the light comes on.”

When he was in junior high, Galipeau’sparents bought him a chemistry set. “It’snot like my dad pushed electricalengineering on me at all,” he said, notinghis dad was an electrical engineer. “I justwatched him and thought the work he didwas fascinating. It must be a biologicalinterest because both of my sons areelectrical engineers, too.”

Galipeau’s interest in electronic audiosystems drew him to learning more aboutrecord players, radios and electric guitars.He started studying them and hisfascination grew.

From that fascination, the New Jerseynative decided to pursue an engineeringeducation and earned a bachelor’s degreein electrical engineering in 1971 from theUniversity of Rhode Island, Kingston.

Galipeau later earned a master’s degreein electrical engineering in 1989 from theUniversity of Maine, Orono, and adoctorate in electrical engineering in 1992from the University of Maine.

Opportunity in academicsTeaching at South Dakota State

appealed to Galipeau because of theresearch opportunities associated withinthe academic arena.

Great opportunities lie in academicwork, according to Galipeau. “A lot ofpeople go into the industry right aftercollege and miss out on the creative aspectof engineering,” said Galipeau. “I was

allowed to hone creativity as a professor. Itwas an advantage having the freedom andflexibility to research and experiment.”

Galipeau has enjoyed the opportunityto discover and self-direct his research,which included photovoltaic devices,alternative power, microsensors,microelectronics and electronic materials.

As coordinator of the graduateprogram, Galipeau formed closerelationships with his students, many ofwhom were international students.

“I think it goes without saying whatchallenges a new international student whohas never been to the United States mayhave,” said Roya Naderi, an electricalengineering graduate student fromChalous, Iran. “Dr. Galipeau was always alistening ear. He stressed the points, ‘Bebrief, be exact and don’t waste people’stime. Don’t go too far, just see the facts andevaluate the elements that lead to itsemergence. What can be the finalintegration of the elements? Analyze yourapproach and conclude.’

“That was what he tried to teach meevery single time I went to his office. Therewere times I walked out of his office withtears in my eyes, but I still miss himbecause he made me believe thatimprovement is an endless story.”

Contributions to collegeAt State, Galipeau led the Alternative

Power Technology program, supported bythe U.S. Department of Defense. He alsostarted the Center for AdvancedPhotovoltaics, a research group supportingSouth Dakota’s focus on alternative energy.The program’s goal is to develop andcommercialize new photovoltaic systemsthat provide cost-effective solutions for thenation’s energy needs.

Associate professor Qiquan Qiao tookover the graduate program and serves asthe center’s senior member.

Galipeau also started the electricalengineering clean room now housed inDaktronics Engineering Hall. The labincludes five bays for extensive research on

micro- and nanoelectronics materials anddevices fabrication.

According to Galipeau, some of thebiggest innovations involving electronicdevices systems have been discovered andcreated in the clean room.

“Professor Galipeau was the firstrecipient of a named professorship in ourcollege, and it is very fitting,” said LewBrown, dean.

“He is an outstanding teacher, adviser,researcher and scholar. He has always hada reputation for setting high standards ofrigor for students and advisees, andconsequently, his students have reallyexcelled. His research has also positivelyimpacted the microelectronic sensorsdiscipline.

“Dave has a reputation for having a veryfun sense of humor. I will truly miss him.”

Retirement plansGalipeau and his wife, Patricia, will

keep their home in Brookings but plan tospend the rest of the winter in Florida withfamily. The couple have three children—Jeff, Catherine and James—and fourgrandchildren.

Galipeau has family living in Florida,and his parents live in New York, so thecouple plans to split their time between thethree states.

Galipeau has always had many hobbies,and looks forward to pursuing them moreconsistently. Boating, home repair andconstruction and car repair and restorationare just a few of his activities.

Galipeau will return to South Dakota inApril for graduate student dissertations. Heis co-teaching a class with Qiao and thedissertations will wrap his professor career.

“SDSU has been a great place to work inevery aspect, but mostly because of thepeople. But it’s time for me to step awayfrom teaching and clear the slate,” saidGalipeau. “Watching my students developand grow has been the most rewardingpart of my time at State.”

Karissa Kuhle


Vandever memorialengineering prof honored by peers

College News

Professor Emeritus JanJ. Vandever, 69, ofPalmer, Alaska, died

Oct. 1, 2014, while inhospice care at ProvidenceHospital in Anchorage,Alaska, after a long battlewith cancer.

Vandever was an award-winning math professor at

SDSU from 1981 to 2003.Among her honors were the F.O. Butler Award forOutstanding Service to Students in 1988 and theLarson Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence in1998.

Vandever enjoyed hunting and fishing while livingin South Dakota, and while growing up she often bowhunted with her father. So it is no surprise that after atrip to Alaska, she decided she wanted to live there.

As soon as she returned home to South Dakota,she worked toward moving to Alaska, and in Alaskashe lived in a log cabin that she had built in thewoods outside of Palmer. She enjoyed Alaska, mademany friends and traveled to several remotelocations.

Vandever retired from SDSU in May 2003 andstarted teaching at Matanuska Susitna College, a partof the University of Alaska-Anchorage, in August2003.

During the 10 years she taught for Mat-SuCollege, there was always a core group of studentswho would do their homework in a classroom nearher office so that they could ask for her patient helpand guidance.

Educator to the massesAt SDSU she was known as an educator to the

masses and SDSU’s premier front-line instructor inmathematics. Vandever was known for a knack tohelp even the most mathematically intimidatedstudents.

Testimony to this is the fact that her greatestsupporters seem to have been the people who havestruggled the most, according to a press releasewritten after she won the Larson teaching award.Teacher evaluations give credence to the appreciationoffered by so many of her students and peers.

Vandever was born Oct. 28, 1944, in Newark,New Jersey, raised in Jackson, New Jersey, andattended Lakewood (New Jersey) High Schools. Shegraduated from Monmouth College in West Long

Branch, New Jersey, in 1967 with a degree inelementary education.

Taught nearly 50 yearsWhile still attending Monmouth College, Vandever

began teaching mathematics at St. Mary’s School inMiddletown, New Jersey, which would be her firstteaching job in a teaching career that spanned justless than 50 years. After graduating from MonmouthCollege, she taught mathematics in grades 9-12 andserved as the mathematics coordinator/supervisor forBurlington Township School District in New Jerseyuntil 1974.

The remainder of her career was spent in highereducation. She earned a master’s in mathematicseducation from Rutgers University in 1971, a master’sin mathematics from Colorado State University in1973 and a doctorate in measurement and statisticsfrom the University of North Dakota in 1976.

Vandever had brief stints as an assistantprofessor of mathematics at Moorhead StateUniversity and Concordia College, both in Minnesota,before joining SDSU.

Vandever is survived by her sister Nancy Rogers,of Manchester, New Jersey, a nephew and a niece.

Vandever attended St. Michael Catholic Church inPalmer. A funeral mass was held there Oct. 17, 2014.

FINDHELPONTHEWEB

JEROME J. LOHR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING HOME PAGE www.sdstate.edu/engr/index.cfm FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/southdakotastateEngineeringYOUTUBE www.youtube.com/user/SouthDakotaState

SDSU HOME PAGEwww.sdstate.edu

CAREER FAIRwww.sdstate.edu/engr/career-fair/index.cfm

YOUTH CAMPS[Jackrabbit BEST Robotics; Youth Engineering Adventure;Aerospace Careers Education; Girls, Engineering, Math andScience; Ready SET (Science, Engineering Technology) Go!] www.sdstate.edu/engr/camps/index.cfm

ADMISSIONSwww.sdstate.edu/admissions/index.cfm

ALUMNIwww.statealum.com

ATHLETICSwww.gojacks.com

FOUNDATION www.sdsufoundation.org

MUSICwww.sdstate.edu/mus/index.cfm

SOUTH DAKOTA ART MUSEUMwww.sdstate.edu/southdakotaartmuseum/index.cfm

THEATER(State University Theatre/Prairie Repertory Theatre)www.sdstate.edu/cst/sut/index.cfmwww.prairierep.org

ENGINEERING EXPO DATE: April 24, 2015LOCATION: Swiftel Center, Brookings. High school students compete in contests for prizes and braggingrights in such events as human wallpaper, photovoltaic cannon androcket car. Math and physics competitions also are held. The expoannually attracts about 400 high schoolers from eastern SouthDakota, western Minnesota and Iowa, and eastern Nebraska. It is heldin conjunction with the college’s senior design project display andcompetition.

COST: Free, advanced high school registration requested.CONTACT: Barb Dyer, 605-688-4161, [email protected] ENGINEERING ADVENTUREDATE: June 21-25, 2015 LOCATION: on campus. The camp allows high school students to discover the world ofengineering through tours, demonstrations, hands-on projects andinteraction with engineering professionals. Students are divided intogroups of 10 and each group works closely with an engineer in theirhands-on activities.

COST: Cost: $100, advanced registration required.CONTACT: Geoffrey Bonvallet, physics department lecturer,[email protected], 605-688-4977ACE (AEROSPACE CAREER AND EDUCATION) CAMPDATE: July 12-15, 2015LOCATION: on campus. Sponsored by NASA and hosted at SDSU, this four-day camp provideshigh school students a look at aviation and aerospace careers.Students will receive two hours of flight and ground training, getbehind the controls of an aircraft, build and launch air rockets, lookinto the workings of a jet engine, explore an F-16 fighter jet and visitwith aviation professionals.COST: $350, advanced registration required. Tuition assistance up to$200 available.

CONTACT: Cody Christensen, assistant professor, aviation,[email protected], 605-688-4983BEST ROBOTICS DATE: Oct. 31, 2015LOCATION: Swiftel Center, Brookings. BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) Robotics is partof a national robotics competition for high school and middle schoolteams. Local winners advance to regions. Kick-Off Day: Sept. 19,SDSU Volstorff Ballroom. Participants receive kits and learn gameobjectives.

COST: There is no registration fee, but teams must have entered sixweeks in advance of the local contest.CONTACT: Kim Prohaska, Jackrabbit BEST hub director,[email protected] or 605-688-6268.

READY, SET (SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY)-GO!DATE: Nov. 14, 2015LOCATION: Crothers Engineering Hall. The annual all-day session isthe high school version of GEMS. It uses professional women andhands-on activities, such as electrical circuitry, electrical consumptionand water treatment, to inspire girls to pursue courses of studyintroduced during the workshop. There also is a separate session toshare college information with parents.COST: $25, advanced registration requested.CONTACT: Rich Reid, associate dean for academics,[email protected], 605-688-4161.

TEAMS (TESTS OF ENGINEERING APTITUDE,MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE) DATE: Feb. 24, 2016LOCATION: University Student Union. TEAMS is a one-day national competition that gives high-school andmiddle-school students an opportunity to discover engineering andapply knowledge. Teams of four to eight students work together tosolve real-world engineering problems in a two-part competition,including multiple choice and short-answer essay questions.COST: $125 per team

CONTACT: Kim Prohaska, lecturer, computer science,[email protected] or 605-688-6268.EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA SCIENCE ANDENGINEERING FAIR DATE: March 22, 2016 (tentative)LOCATION: Frost Arena.An all-day, judged exhibit for middle school and high school studentswho first compete at their local science fair. Grand-prize winners in thesenior category receive an all-expense-paid trip to the IntelInternational Science and Engineering Fair, held in a new locationevery year.

COST: No charge to enter, but advanced registration required.CONTACT: Brad Blaha, science fair director,[email protected], 688-5133.

GEMS (GIRLS, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS ANDSCIENCE)DATE: April 2, 2016LOCATION: Crothers Engineering Hall. The annual all-day session is designed to stimulate eighth-grade girlsto pursue courses of study introduced during the hands-on workshop,which includes robots, bridge building and forensic science. There alsois a separate session to share college information with parents.COST: $25, advanced registration requested.CONTACT: Rich Reid, associate dean for academics,[email protected], 605-688-4161.

CampsJerome J. Lohr College of Engineering

Ready tovisit

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Alumni News

Mike Headley Whether it’s overseeing projects miles in thesky or nearly a mile underground, MikeHeadley ’92 can say he’s done it.

Now the executive director of the South DakotaScience and Technology Authority and laboratorydirector of the Sanford Underground ResearchFacility, Headley oversees 126 full-time employeeswho work in the United States’ deepest undergroundlab, located in Lead.

Following graduation, Headley dealt withoperating satellite systems while working for the U.S.Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Officebefore a position with the U.S. Geological Survey’sEarth Resources Observation and Science Centerbrought him back to the state and in contact withSouth Dakota State.

Needing a change, Headley applied to be the SouthDakota Science and Technology Authority’s executivedirector. While he did not get the position, Headleywas hired to be the laboratory’s project manager. Hewas promoted to be the laboratory director beforetaking on the executive director role in July 2013.

The desire to further research in the United Stateswas one reason for Headley’s switch from the skies toan underground lab. The site allows scientists andtheir world-class experiments to be shielded fromcosmic radiation that could alter the extremelysensitive measurements.

Detecting dark matter“We are trying to figure out how the universe

works. For example, neutrinos were discovereddecades ago, but scientists are still trying to improvetheir understanding of how neutrinos behave andfigure out their mass. We know it within a range butnot to an absolute value,” Headley said. “Trying tounderstand neutrinos is a big part of what we do. Wealso want to understand a substance called darkmatter. One of the experiments we have undergroundis the most sensitive dark matter experiment in theworld. It hasn’t directly detected dark matter yet butit’s basically detected nothing better than anyone elsein the world. They did an initial, 85-day, data-takingrun to shake out the detector. They started anotherrun in October 2014 and the hope is that they wouldhave a chance to directly detect dark matter.”

When the Sanford laboratory or another sitedetects dark matter, Headley can only speculate howthose findings will change the world.

“There are advancements that have come out ofthis type of work that are incredibly valuable tohumankind right now. On the other hand, if you askme what’s the practical application going to be of usfinding dark matter, I can’t give you an answer. It’s oneof those things I don’t think we’re going to know untilwe get there and figure it out,” he said. “When theelectron was discovered, we really had no idea thatmany, many years later, electrons and the electronicsthat use them, are in everything we do and in everypart of our life. There are things that we can point at

Figuring out how the universe works

“Trying tounderstandneutrinos is a bigpart of what wedo. We also wantto understand asubstance calleddark matter.”

Mike Headley

that are good applications but there is aportion of this we don’t know yet.”

Headley said Canada, China and severalEuropean countries also are pursuingunderground physics experiments.

“This is a worldwide competition to seehow the universe is put together,” Headleysaid. “We are not the only country in theworld spending money on this. It’sincredibly competitive and the work that’sbeing done is really part of being able todevelop and maintain a technical edge. Notonly for what we know, but also fordeveloping the bright minds who arefiguring that out from a national capabilityperspective.”

Familiar with StateBefore walking on campus as a freshman,

Headley had a unique perspective of SouthDakota State. His grandfather, John W.Headley, was president at State from 1952 to1957.

“We’ve had a relationship with SDSUforever. Growing up in Brookings a fewblocks from campus, we were alwaysinvolved in activities at SDSU,” he said. “Iknew it was a great school. I hadrelationships with some of the professorsgrowing up, as far as Boy Scouts and thosesorts of things. So I knew people who wereup on campus, knew it was a great schooland had an interest in the Air Force ROTC

program. I knew the Air Force ROTCprogram was strong at SDSU as well. I endedup having an interest in computer scienceand that’s why I pursued it at SDSU.

“My computer science background fromSDSU taught me how to approach and solvehighly technical and management problems.It gave me valuable skills I’ve usedthroughout my career.”

Dennis Helder, the Jerome J. LohrCollege of Engineering’s associate dean forresearch, recognized those skills when theyworked together during Headley’s time withEROS.

“Mike was very good at what he neededto do to coordinate the Landsat groundsystem; that is, pull all of the necessary itemstogether to make sure we had a schedule thatwas workable and identify any issues thatcould possibly be problematic,” Helder said.“He was quite adept at keeping all the ballsin the air on a very complex project. Mike isable to filter through the chaff to find thekey elements of an issue. That is a veryimportant quality to have when you aretrying to make sure that many elementscome together correctly to put a satellite intospace and build a ground system together toreceive the data and make imagery.”

And Headley now uses that ability to putthe U.S. first in the race.

Matt Schmidt

Top: Headley uses a chart to describe the SanfordUnderground Research Facility’s space in the formerHomestake gold mine.

These elevators, or ‘cages,’ transport personnel andequipment to the Davis Campus, apprxomiately 1mile underground.

The Yates Shaft hoist system, which uses wire ropes,was installed in 1939 and is used today. The systemis checked regularly to ensure the safety of thoseoperating and riding in the conveyances.

Left: Headley stands on the hoist operator platform.The hoists are used to lower and raise the cages tothe Davis Campus.



Alumni News

When driving by a new housingdevelopment or retail space inRapid City, Nicole Tomaszewski

Lecy ’06/’08 takes a sense of pride andownership.

Currently working as the developmentreview engineer for the City of Rapid City,she is responsible for reviewing newdevelopments, specifically reviewing thepublic infrastructure associated with thoseareas.

“When a project I’ve worked on frombeginning to end is actually built and I candrive by and actually see it—knowing I hada part in a project like that—is what issatisfying to me,” said Lecy, noting thosefeelings happen whether the developmentwas a retail area that used to be an openfield or older part of town that was rundown so a developer demolished andredeveloped that area. “That’s probablywhat makes me come to work every day,knowing I’m working to benefit the City ofRapid City and seeing it improve and grow.”

While planning on majoring inengineering at State, she was unsure whatarea until she was invited to an AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers meeting.

“Even though I wasn’t a dedicated civilmajor at the time, I attended an ASCEmeeting my freshman year and gotinvolved in that. It piqued my interest,” shesaid. “Going to college, I didn’t quite knowwhat I wanted to do but I liked math andscience so I thought maybe engineeringwould be something. I was looking for asmaller school that had a reputableengineering program and, for me, it had tobe just far enough away from home so myparents couldn’t just show upunannounced. I visited a couple of collegesand when I visited SDSU, it felt right, that’sultimately why I chose SDSU.

“Civil engineering is a very broad field.As a student, you learn about water,wastewater, streets, geotechnical surveying

... there are a lot of components to civilengineering,” continued Lecy, a native ofBlaine, Minnesota. “Today, my job is morebroad and encompasses all aspects of civilengineering, you could say it ties them alltogether. I work with a little bit ofeverything in the civil engineering field inthis position. One thing that was beneficialabout being at SDSU was I gainedknowledge in all of these areas so I’m ableto apply it and use it today.”

After receiving her master’s degree in2008, Lecy landed a position with CarolloEngineers in Phoenix. She worked there forthree years as a process engineer, primarilyworking on the water and wastewateraspects of the field.

Return to South DakotaAfter getting married, she returned to

South Dakota. Her husband, Dustin, is anassistant golf professional at Hart RanchGolf Course. That return brought her toher current position with the City of RapidCity.

“Being involved in the engineering fieldallows me to make a contribution tosociety, which I feel like I’m making adifference,” she said. “The engineering fielditself is very broad. There are so manyaspects to engineering but it means gettingpeople together, solving problems, creatingsolutions and improving our societywhether it be what I do, in terms of streetsor public infrastructure, or medicaladvances in the biomedical engineeringfield.”

Takes different approachLecy admits she sometimes takes a

different approach to solving problems.“We (women) have a different way of

looking at things than men,” she said.“Women come at problems from a differentangle than men do. There are times when Ifeel like I’m able to break things down to a

simpler form than others I work with. Istart with the basics, start at the root of theproblem and come to an ultimate solution.”

That approach also helps when workingwith the citizens of Rapid City, too.

“We get a lot of calls from concernedcitizens about something they see or theyhave an issue with or want to do somethingon their property and see if that’s allowedby the city. Oftentimes, I can’t speak in myengineering terms to relay that message tothem, I have to say it in a way they’llunderstand,” Lecy said. “Oftentimes, I putsomething on paper to help themunderstand or explain issues.

“I had many presentations in collegethat helped me prepare for presentationsnow,” she continued. “The biggestpresentation that sticks out in my mind wasmy thesis because your heart and soul goesinto that. I looked at water demand trendsin residential water use in the City ofBrookings.”

During her time in Brookings, Lecydiscovered a few other items she did notquite predict upon arriving on campus.One was the number of women enrolled inthe Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering.

“It was definitely an adjustment. It wasusually me and one other girl in the typicalclass of 30,” she said. “It took someadjusting. I don’t know if it made thingseasier but you just find a way to work withmales.

“Knowing that’s the way it is in schooland thinking that’s what my future career

Nicole Lecy “When a project I’veworked on from beginningto end is actually built and Ican drive by and actuallysee it—knowing I had a partin a project like that—iswhat is satisfying to me,”

Nicole Lecy

Civil engineer works to benefit the City of Rapid City


THIS MANY

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would be as well, you just have to adjust to it,” Lecycontinued. “Now, there are days when I’m the onlyfemale in most of my meetings. You just learn youhave to fend for yourself.”

Willing to help othersBut Lecy is also looking out to help anyone,

male or female, who is interested in engineering.That interest started at State. She participated in thecollege’s GEMS (Girls, Engineering, Mathematicsand Science) workshop and put on a program toshowcase the field at Medary Elementary School.

“Anyone who expresses an interest or I knowwho has an interest in the math or sciences area, Ihighly encourage them to look into the engineeringfield,” she said. “Whether it is to job shadowsomebody for a day to see what they do or attend acamp or is just interested in learning more, I tellthem definitely to look into it.

“I just see it as a career that is very fulfilling,especially if you like to get in and solve problems,”Lecy continued. “If I know of any females who areinterested in math and the sciences or are interestedin how things work or are put together, I try tomake a little extra effort to talk to them about whatI do and the potential there is by being an engineer.The firms I’ve worked with have seen females inengineering as being an asset. There are a lot ofopportunities because there are so many things youcan do in engineering, especially in civil. You cantake so many different avenues with it once you getthat degree. You can really do what you want.”

Matt Schmidt


Distinguished Engineers

CALVIN VAUDREYVaudrey, age 90,headed the office ofBanner AssociatesInc. for nearly fourdecades.

Born on thefamily ranch 2 milesnorth of Glendo,Wyoming, April 27,1924, he graduatedfrom Glendo High

School in 1942, served in the U.S. Army AirCorps from December 1943 to October1945, and then enrolled in the civilengineering program at the University ofWyoming in 1946.

It was while he was a student in Laramiethat Vaudrey met his future employer andlater business partner, Joe T. Banner.

Vaudrey was a nose-to-the-grindstonestudent who lived in a basement while hisfamily was back in Vermillion, thehometown of his wife. Taking a rare studybreak, Vaudrey decided to go bowling. Twomen bowling on the alley next to Vaudreyinvited him to join them. One of those menwas Banner.

That was the start of a partnership thatwould last until Banner’s unexpected deathDec. 25, 1971, at age 61.

Banner invited Vaudrey to help him witha couple surveying projects. After a 1947 fireburned two full blocks of downtownLaramie, Banner was deluged in work, soVaudrey joined him in the office whilefinishing his degree.

He proved his worth when GreyhoundLines Inc. officials called to say they wouldbe in town the next day to look at busterminal expansion plans that Banner wasdoing. But Banner was out of town andVaudrey could only find the original plans.He visited his professors to see if they werehelping on the project.

They weren’t and suggested that Vaudreytrace over the original plans and create hisown plans for the expansion.

After swallowing a couple of times,Vaudrey decided he could give it a try.Equipped with plenty of midnight oil,

Vaudrey had plans in hand when theGreyhound officials arrived. After examiningthem for a couple of hours, the contingentreturned with the message to go on andcreate final plans.

Banner liked the plans as well. Vaudreycontinued to work out of the Laramie officeuntil earning his bachelor’s degree in 1948.

After graduation, he immediately begangraduate work in Laramie while consideringa teaching offer from South Dakota State.The Vaudreys moved to his wife’s home stateand Banner accepted Vaudrey’s idea ofstarting a partnership in Brookings after hebecame a professional licensed engineer.

Vaudrey earned his master’s in 1950,when he also advanced in rank frominstructor to assistant professor. InNovember 1952, Vaudrey became a licensedpracticing engineer. Banner loaned himmoney to set up an office in the Vaudreyhome at 1104 Fifth St. and by January 1953he was meeting with city councils and countycommissioners looking for work.

Also in 1953 Vaudrey became associateprofessor. “I enjoyed teaching, but I stillwanted to be an engineer in private practicebecause I wanted to be in construction. Iwanted to design something and build it,” hesaid.

Vaudrey resigned in May 1957 to manageJ.T. Banner & Associates. That year he alsobuilt a new home at 1432 Second St. that hada room in the basement for the three menwho were working for him as drafters.

In 1961, Vaudrey became vice presidentof the firm, and it continued growing. Its firsttrue office, 2,000 square feet in the upstairsof a building south of the post office, becamereality in the mid-1960s.

By 1968, the office was on the moveagain, relocating to a 4,000-square-footbuilding the firm designed at 11th Avenueand Sixth Street.

Vaudrey became president in 1967 andwith Joe Banner’s death on Christmas Day1971, Vaudrey also became chairman of theboard, holding those offices until 1986.

In 1976 the corporate name was changedto Banner Associates Inc. By 1978, thecompany was again in need of space and

property was purchased on 22nd Avenue.Construction was completed in lateDecember 1979 on what is now corporateheadquarters—409 22nd Ave. S. The doorsofficially opened in January 1980.

Vaudrey reduced his role to chairman ofthe board in 1986 and retired from Banner in1989. At the time, there were about 130employees with Banner offices in Rapid City,Grand Junction, Colorado, Laramie andCheyenne, Wyo.

“Banner became a multiple disciplinedesign firm. We designed architectural, waterand wastewater projects as well as roads,bridges and a couple dams in Wyoming,”Vaudrey said. The firm designed many milesof Interstates 29 and 90 in South Dakota aswell as facilities associated with theMinuteman missiles near Ellsworth AirForce Base.

But a lot of Banner’s projects weren’t jobsthat put its name on a plaque.

“We never did think a project was toosmall. We did a lot of small projects,”Vaudrey said.

That philosophy, hard work and “being atthe right place at the right time” meantBanner was working on as many as 150projects at a time, he said. Consequently,most of Vaudrey’s time was spent writingproject specifications, promoting thecompany and hiring good people.

“The pool of engineers that South DakotaState produced was top-notch. They reallyput out some great engineers,” he declared.

In addition to working at Banner,Vaudrey was a charter member of the boardof Daktronics, serving from 1968 to 1978,stepping down due to possible conflict ofinterest. He was a director for NorthwesternPublic Service Co. from 1978 to 1994 andalso served a number of years on theNorwest Bank-Brookings advisory board.

Vaudrey and his wife, Denice, had oneson, Kennon, who lives in San Luis Obispo,California, after retiring as a consultingengineer in sea ice engineering. Denice diedApril 9, 1997.

Alumni News

The 39th class of Distinguished Engineers will add three plaques to the Wall of Fame in Crothers Engineering Hall,bringing the total to 135 persons since Dean Junis O. Storry initiated the award in 1977. To be honored at anApril 28 banquet will be Cal Vaudrey, of Litchfield Park, Arizona; Donald L. Veal ’53, of Longmont, Colorado; andJane McKee Smith ’83, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, who were all schooled in the field of civil engineering.


DONALD VEALVeal, who attendeda one-room ruralschool for the firsteight grades,distinguishedhimself in the air,academia and thebusiness world.

The fifth ofseven children,Veal was born on a

ranch at Chance in northwest South DakotaApril 17, 1931. He went to Lemmon HighSchool, about 45 miles from the ranch. Aftergraduating in 1949, he enrolled in the civilengineering program at South Dakota StateCollege, where he played football all fouryears.

Veal also was part of the U.S. Air ForceROTC program all four years at State andwas commissioned as a second lieutenantupon graduation.

Just before graduation, May 8, 1953, hemarried Bonita D. Larson, a farm girl fromRedfield whom he met at college. DaughtersSherrill and Barbara were born in 1954 and1958, respectively.

After graduation, he worked for a shorttime for the state of California. In the fall, heentered the U.S. Air Force Pilot TrainingProgram and earned his pilot wings in 1954.He was then assigned to the Air ForceTraining Command, where he was aninstructor pilot until he was honorablydischarged in 1957.

Veal then entered grad school at SDSUand later transferred to the University ofWyoming, earning a master’s degree andthen a doctorate. While a graduate student,he taught in the civil engineeringdepartment, specializing in fluid mechanics.

Veal also flew as a research pilot for theuniversity while he was a student and longafterward. He also flew for the U.S. ForestService and gave private instruction, loggingmore than 11,000 hours in the cockpit.

Veal served the University of Wyoming inseveral capacities, including professor,assistant director of the Natural ResourcesResearch Institute, the first head of theDepartment of Atmospheric Science, which

he started and nurtured; vice president forresearch, and ultimately, president from 1981to 1987.

After nearly 30 years at the University ofWyoming, Veal retired to become presidentand chief executive officer of ParticleMeasuring Systems in Boulder, Colorado, acompany that specializes in manufacturinginstruments to optically observe smallparticles in various media.

Veal received the Distinguished AlumnusAward from SDSU in 1983 and theMedallion Service Award from theUniversity of Wyoming in 1990. He also is amember of the Wyoming Engineering andWyoming Aviation Halls of Fame.

JANE McKEE SMITHThe daughter ofCharles and ShirleyMcKee graduatedfrom Rapid CityStevens HighSchool and enrolledin the civilengineeringprogram at State.

There shedeveloped a passion

for hydraulics under professor Alan Prasuhnand met her future husband, Ernie Smith,while attending a civil engineering class.

Upon graduation in 1983, with nobackground or experience in coastalengineering, she accepted a job with theCoastal Engineering Research Center of theWaterways Experiment Station (now theEngineer Research and DevelopmentCenter) in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and hasspent her career with the Corps of Engineerslearning and advancing the field of coastalengineering.

Smith has achieved international acclaimin the field and in fall 2014 was honored as aDistinguished Member of the AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers.

She is the waves group leader at theVicksburg center. The redesign of the NewOrleans levees, based in part on a wavemodel she co-developed, was successful inprotecting the city during Hurricane Isaac in2012.

Smith also worked with emergencymanagers in Hawaii and the NationalHurricane Center to implement fast andaccurate forecasts for hurricane inundationin Hawaii and her expertise has been soughtfor reviewing design standards followingHurricane Sandy.

In an article in the Society of WomenEngineers magazine, Smith states, “My roleafter Hurricane Katrina was determiningwhat drove the winds, the waves and thesurge during the hurricane.”

She developed a computer model thatsimulates how wind separates storm wavesand how the waves interact with other waves,currents and the ocean bottom and withlevees, floodwalls and other structures.

She also devised a model known asSWIMS (surge and wave island modelingstudies) to quickly forecast hurricane waves,surges and flooding on the Hawaiian Islands.The model simulates the processes in a fewseconds and displays results within thegeographic information system, quantifyingthe dangers approaching the islands.

Smith’s work on numerical wave andsurge modeling was featured on the“Megastorm Aftermath” episode of the PBSseries NOVA, which aired in 2013.

At age 26, when she was just four yearsout of college, Smith became the youngestperson to receive the Waterways ExperimentStation Woman of the Year Award in 1987.In 2010, she was named Government CivilEngineer of the Year by the AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers.

Her honors at SDSU included beingnamed a Distinguished Alumna by theAlumni Association in 2013, and theoutstanding civil engineering student herfreshman (1980) and senior (1983) years.

Within her profession, Smith chairs theCoastal Engineering Research Council of theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers, was2013-14 president of the governing board ofthe Coasts, Oceans, Ports and RiversInstitute of ASCE, and has served as editor ofseveral trade publications.

Smith and her husband have one son,Tyler.


Alumni News

Following four years of study in the Jerome J,Lohr College of Engineering, mechanicalengineering graduate David Schiller found

his learning was only beginning.Armed with a solid background in heat transfer,

thermodynamics and material properties, theTracy (Minnesota) Area High School graduatebegan work at Bedford Industries in Worthington,Minn., shortly after graduating from SDSU in2010. He had worked with a lot of materials atState, but plastics wasn’t one of them.

At Bedford, a manufacturer of twist ties andsimilar products, Schiller began his study ofelastomers and plastics.

“It’s much more of an industry-taughtknowledge,” Schiller said of the on-the-job-schooling he has received in extrusions and plasticcoatings. Evidently, Schiller is paying attention inclass. The U.S. Patent Office notified him inSeptember 2014 that his application for ElastiTabshad been approved.

ElastiTabs is a loop and an adhesive label thatallows sachets, packets or other lightweight itemsto be attached to larger bottles and containers foron-pack promotions, he explained.

Bedford, which has been working withelastomers for about 10 years, sells several Elastiproducts. “What makes ElastiTabs unique is it isthe first process we’ve made with automatedprocessing in mind and the ability for customers to

apply it to their product using existing industryequipment.

“Our current products were developed forbundling applications, bag closures, productidentification or marketing of consumer products,including bundling of produce, bread twist ties,coffee bag closures and wine tags.

“ElastiTabs is one of the first products we’vemade to do a cross promotion with a sampleproduct, creating value for a customer to deliver aproduct,” Schiller said.

He began working on ElastiTabs within his firstyear at Bedford. Schiller, who shares the patentwith Bedford graphic artist Curt Heinrichs, filedfor the patent Nov. 21, 2012. Within two months ofstarting on the project, Schiller said he had aproduct that was “very close to the end product.”

It took another four months for testing and toget the production line in place at Bedford, Schillersaid.

A sticky challengeThe biggest challenge was working with

adhesives. “The world of adhesives is like theworld of steel. There can be a lot of steels thatwork, but when you really get down to it, it is hardto find a unique product that fits the need,”Schiller said. “Cost is a factor. I can’t go withconstruction-grade adhesive. I have to use an

David Schiller holds a plaque representingthe patent he received for ElastiTabs, aproduct he created as a mechanicalengineer at Bedford Industries. The items onhis desk are a roll of ElastiTabs and someexamples of products using the ElastiTab.

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Gerad Johnson ’10 was elected to the board of theFort Pierre Development Corp. at its annual meeting inJanuary.

Johnson, project superintendent with A.G.E. Corp., willserve a three-year term on the board. He is a 2003 graduateof Stanley County High School and earned a constructionmanagement degree at State. He and his brother, Andy, arethe fourth generation of Johnsons to be involved with A.G.E.

Fritz Kub, a scientist at theU.S. Naval Research Laboratoryin Washington, D.C., has beeninducted into the University ofMaryland's Innovation Hall ofFame. The 1972 grad wasrecognized for his technologyinnovations related to galliumnitride (GaN) Light EmittingDiodes (LED) and microwavetransistors.

The award was presented ata ceremony at the University of Maryland Nov. 25, 2014.

Kub, head of the Power Electronics Branch in NRL’sElectronic Science and Technology Division, received hisdoctorate and master’s degree in electrical engineering fromthe University of Maryland (1985) and the University ofMinnesota (1976), respectively.

Kub invented a novel gallium nitride engineeredsubstrate (up to 300 mm), which can reduce the cost ofLEDs for lighting applications.

Kub has played key technical and leadership roles inresearch and development of microelectronic devices suchas: wafer bonded materials and devices, GaN powertransistors, integration of diamond with GaN power transistorsilicon carbide power transistors, neutron detectors andanalog CMOS circuits.

He holds 53 U.S. patents and has written more than 180journal publications.

In 2011, Kub was designated a Fellow of the Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers and received theDistinguished Engineer Award from SDSU in 2010.

He has received two NRL Best Publication Awards andfive NRL Technology Transfer Awards.

The Innovation Hall of Fame recognizes Marylandengineering alumni, faculty and associates who havepioneered many of the most significant engineeringadvances in the past century. Inductees include RobertBriskman, the co-founder of Sirius Satellite Radio; andGeorge Laurer, inventor of the Universal Product Code.

Alan Roy Sternquist ’68, mechanical engineering,died Jan. 1, 2015, at his home in Pleasanton, California, atage 68.

After graduation, he moved to California to work as anengineer at the Naval Ship Yards in Alameda. He spent mostof his career improving the design of steam turbines topropel naval aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines. Hewas lead engineer for Northrup Grumman Corp. from 1986until his death.

A memorial service was March 28 at DalesburgLutheran Church near where he grew up. Survivors includetwo brothers, a sister and nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to the SDSU mechanicalengineering department.

Steven Warren, ’81 civil engineering, was promoted tochief of staff with the South Dakota Air National Guard at JoeFoss Field in Sioux Falls Oct. 4, 2014.

Also during the ceremony, Warren was promoted tobrigadier general. His daughter, Ashley, and his son, Kyle,handled the pinning. Warren had been serving as vicecommander of the 114th Fighter Wing and commander ofthe 114th Mission Support Team in Sioux Falls.

In his new position, Warren reports directly to Brig. Gen.Matt Jamison, assistant adjutant general for combatreadiness and operational effectiveness.

Warren and Jamison are the only brigadier generals inSouth Dakota Air National Guard.

ALUMNI NEWS

Jennifer Kay Hahn, amember of the Dean’sAdvisory Council since 2008,died Feb. 16, 2015, at AveraDougherty Hospice House inSioux Falls after a battle withmelanoma.

Hahn, 58, of Sioux Falls,earned her bachelor’s degreein biomedical and electricalengineering from Duke

University and her master’s degree in systemsengineering from George Washington University.

An ROTC scholarship student, Hahn spent eightyears in the Army and then joined Science ApplicationsInternational Corp. (SAIC), working in San Antonio,Germany and Denver. In 2007, she moved to Sioux Fallsas program manager at EROS Data Center, eventuallybecoming vice president before transitioning to seniorcapture manager in business development.

She is survived by her husband, Dick; three children,Sergio “Alex,” Lucy and Anthony Benitez, as well as herparents, stepparents, a brother and a sister.

HAHN MEMORIAL

adhesive that is dollars per pound rather than$10-$20 per pound.

“We went through four or five iterations ofadhesives to find one that would hold up andmeet the customer’s expectations. Everyadhesive had to go through 12 weeks oftesting. We had the first couple adhesiveshold up to 10 weeks, but that’s not 12 weeks,”Schiller said.

All told, he spent more than a year testingadhesives to assure the customer thatElastiTabs would hold onto the product, hesaid.

Beats doing it by handSchiller explained how ElastiTabs truly are

an improvement: “Before the tab, a fewcustomers were having to spend extra moneyto increase the height of the product to createholes and then would have to manuallythread rubber bands through the holes tobind the products.

“They wanted to bind 200 to 300 piecesper minute, so it took 30 to 40 people to dothat much work in a minute.”

The ElastiTabs loop is “very similar to asoft rubber band. The adhesive is very similarto a sticky label,” Schiller said. However,

ElastiTabs can be applied to products usingstandard equipment at a rate of 200 to 300pieces per minute.

The consumer market isn’t the only placethe ElastiTab will be getting use. A variationof ElastiTab is going to enter the medicalmarket for labeling of instruments, scopes,containers, carts and surgical trays in thenear future.

Also, ElastiTabs probably won’t be his onlypatent. Four more patent applications havebeen filed from his work at Bedford.

These will include another State gradTrevor Wintz (ag engineering 2010) as a co-author. He started at Bedford around thesame time as Schiller.

Schiller said, “Both of us are alwaysthinking of new products to make orprocesses that can be improved here atBedford. Most mornings start with one of usgoing to the other’s office and saying, I had anidea last night …

“Its exciting when work is not work, it’sdesigning new things, testing them, buildingthe machines to produce them and finallyseeing them out in use. What could be morefulfilling to an engineer?”

Dave Graves


Alumni News

DEAN’S CLUBJanuary 1, 2014 through February 2015

3M - Brookings3M - Matching Gifts3M - St. PaulAE2S Industrial LLCAGCO CorporationAgland CooperativeMary A. AkkermanAmerican Council of EngineeringCompanies of S.D.

American Society of Civil EngineersEastern Branch

American Tower CorporationTimothy T. AmertDaniel L. and Ginny AmundsonDavid A. AndersonJames M. AndersonMarilyn C. AndersonRobert M. AndersonRoderick B. AndersonAssociated Consulting Engineering Inc.Associated General Contractors ofS.D.-Building Chapter

ATKUmasankar AtluriAurora CooperativeAvera McKennan HospitalGladys BahnsonBall CorporationBanner Associates Inc.Keith A. and Glynn E. BartelsBartlett & West Inc.Basin Electric Power CooperativeRichard R. BellGayland J. and Carolyn BenderJay Thomas BenderJustin BensonLyle L. BergGerald E. and Shirley BergumBerkshire Hathaway Energy CompanyRichard and Beth BerrethBest Robotics Inc.Deepak L. BhojwaniKelly L. BiddleWayne E. and Jacqueline K. BietzDavid L. and Cindy L. BjornebergBlack Hills Utilities Holdings LLC

Charles N. BlackmanFrancis M. and Beverly A. BlazeGary L. BlissLori S. BocklundBoeingDuane D. BoiceBrian A. BorgstadtSteve W. and Jean BrockmuellerBrookings Economic DevelopmentCorp.

Brookings Regional BuildersAssociation

Lewis F. and Danelle M. BrownJon R. and Wendy A. BrownCurtis D. and Phyllis E. BrudosMichael A. BucherTim and Suzette BurckhardRonald J. BymersEdward and Judy CannonCAPITAL SERVICESCargill Inc.Caterpillar FoundationRaymond C. ChaoChevron HumankindDavid A. and Mary Jo ChristensenNoel L. and Rita D. ChristensenGregg A. ChristiansenDavid E. and Barbara A. ChristiansonRobert M. ClarkRichard A. and Eleanor J. CoddingtonKurt and Mary CogswellCooper Power SystemsLeon D. CrossmanDakota Plains Ag CenterDaktronics Inc.Larry D. De MersKevin B. and Debra K. De VriesDelvin E. and Davonne R. DeBoerGlenn DeGrootTate Profilet and Mary J. DeJongArlo B. and Barbara DeKraaiJohn T. DenigerRobert C. DeVaneyJason L. and Jodi L. DevineDGR EngineeringScott A. Dooley

Dow Corning CorporationNeal D. DrefkeBurdette H. DugdaleEAPC PartnershipEast River Electric Power CooperativeInc.

Eastern Chapter South DakotaEngineering Society

Delvin D. and Athene M. EberleinEdinger Brothers PartnershipJames O. and Rita M. EdwardsErrol P. EerNisse and Sonja ChesleyCharles P. EggenElectronic Systems Inc.Thomas D. ElversonBenjamin J. and Kelli J. EndorfExxonMobil FoundationFalcon Plastics Inc.Adolph FejfarJoseph M. FergenJack W. and Judith A. FingerBruce D. and Debra FirkinsFirst Premier Bank-Sioux FallsDaniel P. Fischbach and MarjorieSkubic

Fishback Financial CorporationSteve J. FlanaganDavid M. and Shelley R. FrazeeDaniel A. FriedrichsWilliam A. FrierDonell P. and Janice M. FroehlichFull Circle AgG. A. Johnson Construction Inc.William L. GambleJerome J. and Olimpia GasparGE FundGlenn S. and Janice C. GehringGeotek Engineering & Testing ServicesInc.

Regg A. and Barbara J. GlaweMark D. GlissmanMarlin H. and Shirley K. GolnitzTerry L. GosmireGraco FoundationGrand Electric CooperativeCheryl A. Greenhagen

Richard L. GundersonDale A. and Barbara A. HaackPreston C. and Patricia HaglinBruce C. and Cathy M. HallKurt L. and Dori HansenMichael R. HarmsJohn D. HaugeHDR Engineering Inc.Jerome D. HeerenAllen D. and Roxanne HeidenMichael R. HeierJames A. and Sandra L. HembdHenry Carlson CompanyKent L. HoferWallace J. Hoff Jr.Hormel Foods CorporationBurton and Gladys HorstedHR Green Inc.IBM - New YorkIBM CorporationIBM Corporation-Rochester, MinnesotaRoger N. IversonRoy L. JacksonDale A. and Diane JansBruce A. and Debra J. JenningsDeloris E. JensenJohn Deere FoundationAlan C. and Carole L. JohnsonCorey L. JohnsonDean H. JohnsonGene A. and Diane JohnsonPeter S. JohnsonMatthew C. JonesThomas G. and DeeDee JostenJohn G. KappenmanCarmen C. KasnerElizabeth K. KassingM. Thomas and Margaret KellyMichelle M. KellyDaniel C. and Michele A. KempVirgil D. KemptonKinze ManufacturingJames F. KirbyShirley F. KlosterbuerKatherine J. KnabachClayton and Audrey Knofczynski

Dean’s club membership consists of alumni and friends who have contributed $500 or more annually to the Jerome J. Lohr Collegeof Engineering. Dean’s Club members are recognized as devoted friends of the college who make significant impact on thecollege’s future. Member names will be listed in the SDSU Honor Roll and the college newsletters. They also will receive invitationsto special college and university functions, updates from the college dean, and an SDSU Dean’s Club car decal.


Alumni News

DEAN’S CLUBJanuary 1, 2014 through February 2015

Charles W. KnofczynskiDelores L. KoepsellFritz and Joan KubAelred J. and Irene KurtenbachReece A. and Kami L. KurtenbachDavid L. and LaVonne I. KurtzJohn A. LaBrieLamp, Rynearson & Associates, Inc.Larson Manufacturing CompanyCarl E. and Carol C. LarsonCraig A. LarsonDarrell D. and Vicki K. LarsonRonald J. LaValleeDallas G. and Janice M. LienRalph E. LindnerDennis R. LittleGeorge E. and Bobbie LohrJerome J. and Jolene M. LohrWilliam R. and Pamela J. LohrKeith A. LuckeSue E. MabeeJoseph H. and Ellen A. MacekJohn M. MaddenLyle P. and Melissa S. MangenJames L. and Marvel MannJack C. and Ellie E. MarshmanMary P. MatternMichelle L. McCarvilleRichard L. and Karen A. McComishDuane L. McDonnelK. John McNellis and Paul D. ConradJames W. and Jo Ann F. MenteleBlair A. MetzgerBrian D. and Ruth A. MeyerKevin L. MickoDennis B. and La Donna MickoMicrosoft CorporationGlen D. MiddletonMidwest Glass Inc.Midwestern Mechanical Inc.Eugene A. and Debra R. MillerGregory D. and Karen J. MillerTanya L. and Timothy MillerMills Construction Inc.John H. and Joy E. MillsHarlow J. and Carol MinerMinnesota County EngineersAssociation

Minnesota PowerMissouri River Energy ServicesMitchell Manufacturing LLCMJ AviationKevin L. MoeVaughn K. Jensen and Susan L. Moe

Brian J. and Jamie L. MundtBarbara A. MurphyMaynard A. and Sharon D. NagelhoutNational Association of Home BuildersNebraska Public Power DistrictGary L. and Jan R. NelsenJeffrey L. and Trudiann NelsonAllan F. and Bonnie NereimPeter W. NeyhartHoward and Norma NielsenGene A. NinnemannSusan A. Lahr and Gordon D. NivaThe Northrop Grumman FoundationNorthWestern EnergyThomas D. and Marilyn F. NovotnySteven F. OaklandDavid C. and Diane OdensDouglas A. OlesonGeorge W. OlsenGordon W. and JeriLynn OmmenDouglas D. and Julie B. OsnesDrew J. OsnesOtter Tail Power Company - FergusFalls

Steven C. and Kathy F. OtterbyJohn F. and Linda L. OuradaP & M Steel CompanySteven Rames & Marysz Palczewski-Rames

Ed A. ParkhurstVirgil A. PaulsonRoger D. and Karen Y. PavlisAlan R. and Janice M. PetersonDavid L. and Susan J. PetersonRaymond C. and Rose T. PetersonRodney D. and Lisa K. PiersonMerle E. PochopPOETD.W. Proehl Construction, Inc.Dieter W. ProehlRobert J. PurcellErik J. Perry and Erika L. Quam-PerryHarlan J. and Janice E. QuenzerDaniel L. RaapBruce O. RandallRandy E. RathMark W. and Katie K. RauRobert G. RaymondShirley S. ReedTim S. and Mary K. ReedRichard A. and Kathy K. ReidRobert C. RennerGuy F. RhoadesJon A. and Cheryl K. Rippke

Fred J. and Ardyne M. RittershausLes RobertsAlan M. and Jeraldine E. RogersFrank and Carolyn J. RoitschDwayne A. and Helen L. RollagKenneth A. and Mary Margaret RowenVivian E. RuchStephen and Karen RuddRonald A. RustKenneth C. RyeSAICDuane E. and Phyllis SanderLela F. SandfortSanford HealthSayre Associates Inc.Richard F. SayreVernon R. and Ruth A. SchaeferRodney C. H. ScheelDrew P. and Kathy L. SchellpeperPaul E. and Kay C. SchellpeperRobert C. SchmidtRebecca S. SchmiedingAllen F. SchmitRobert J. SchragJoe H. SchrickerDonald H. SchroederBrian A. SchuelkeRonald D. and Jeanne SchultzSDN CommunicationsLynn G. SeppalaMark S. and Laura ShoupSideline ProductionsRichard E. SievertSioux CorporationSioux Falls ConstructionSiouxland Chapter of ConstructionFinancial Mgt

Mark A. SippelJames and Joanne SkybergSolar, Wind and Renewable EnergySystems LLC

Lyle D. and Donna M. SolemRonald C. and Roberta R. SorenSD Water and Wastewater AssociationJames L. and Linda L. SpanjersGregg E. and Kathryn A. StedronskyLoren M. and Susan J. SteensonWallace R. SternDale M. StevensBruce R. StordahlClayton L. and Mary E. StorleyWayne A. StowsandWilliam J. StrandellNoel E. and Lois M. Stratmoen

Richard A. and Katherine SvandaLaDell R. and Phyllis L. SwidenTennant FoundationTexas Instruments FoundationThomas L. and Susan L. ThelenKeith B. ThompsonJay E. TolleEmil J. TrebeschVernon L. TrimbleLynette L. TrygstadWesley G. and Lois J. TschetterTSP Inc.Steven G. TurnerTwin City Fan Companies Ltd.Donald A. UffordUSG Foundation Inc.Valero Energy CorporationVan Buskirk CompaniesMyron R. and Joan K. Van BuskirkA.J. Van DierendonckAllen M. VandenHoekCalvin VaudreyJames A. and Kathleen A. VellengaVernon P. and Cathrene M. VoelzkeJoseph P. VogelCharles L. and Judith R. WaggonerStuart A. WahlstromMark T. and Kathryn A. WalkerDaniel J. WalkesThomas L. WeaverNadim Wehbe and Haifa R. SamraSharon B. and James R. WeinelWest Plains Engineering Inc.West River Cooperative TelephoneCompany

Western Area Power AssociationShawn M. and Sandra A. WhalenDiane M. WilabyArchie D. WilcoxJames C. and Doniese M. WilcoxRoss K. WilcoxonRobert A. and Barbara M. WilkensJoseph D. and Lynne C. WilliamsSidney P. and Judy WilliamsonNorman Andenas & Cecelia WittmayerWalter L. and Sheila WollesMark M. WrightXcel Energy Services Inc.Xcel Energy-MinneapolisStanley J. ZimmerKenneth O. Zoellner


“HELP US SERVE THE NEXT GENERATION.Remember the SDSU Foundation in your will.”

– David L. ChicoinePresident of South Dakota State University

For a free Will Information Kit, visithttp://plannedgiving.sdsufoundation.org.

When then-Dean Duane Sander used his own money to fund a facilities study for theCollege of Engineering in the fall of 1996, his intent was to learn what steps the collegeneeded to take to address the limitations that had emerged in terms of quality and quantity ofspace.

No one could imagine the transformation that would occur as a result of that $100,000investment by Dean Sander.

The addition and renovation to Crothers Hall began less than five years after that study, inthe winter of 2001. A year later, construction began to restore the historic Solberg Hall.

By the fall of 2007, construction began on the first phase of Daktronics Engineering Hall.Three years later, work began on phase two.

On April 24, 2015, the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering will be the focal point of afifth building dedication in a 13-year span with the Architecture, Mathematics andEngineering Building.

In simple terms, there has not been a time since 2000 when the Lohr College ofEngineering wasn’t either in the midst of construction or in the planning stages of a nextbuilding. Fundraising for capital projects for engineering has been a constant throughout thetime.

This transformation has been amazing to watch. Time and again, donors stepped forwardto fulfill the plan that was born from the Sander-funded study nearly two decades ago. Wehave to thank alumni, friends and private industry for the investments they have made, alongwith the students who contributed $10 million to the Architecture, Mathematics andEngineering Building through the Higher Education Facility Fund.

Through it all, Jerry Lohr has been a relentless and passionate donor and fundraiser forthe cause. For much of the past decade, Tim Reed was overseeing the fundraising efforts asdevelopment director for the Lohr College of Engineering. Reed left the Foundation at theend of 2014 to devote more time to family and his role as the Mayor of Brookings.

Fittingly, a donor who Reed worked with provided a $250,000 gift on New Year’s Eve—hislast day on the job—that helped the Foundation reach its fundraising goal for this project.

Engineering has a rich history at SDSU and it’s been a remarkable run to address thecollege’s facilities needs. We hope everyone can join us April 24 for the dedication of thislatest milestone.

Steve ErpenbachPresident & CEOSDSU Foundation

Transformation results of investments

www.daktronics.com

SDSU ENGINEERING GRADUATES HELPED US BUILD THE WORLD’S LARGEST LED VIDEO DISPLAYS.YOU COULD TOO!

EverBank Field | Jacksonville Jaguars | Jacksonville, FL

South Dakota State University

JEROME J. LOHR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING Crothers Engineering HallBrookings, SD 57007

NON-PROFITUS POSTAGE PAIDBROOKINGS SDPERMIT 24

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

9,750 copies of this publication were printed with financial support of alumni and friends EG001 3-15

The 62,000-square-foot Architecture, Mathematics and Engineering Buildingcost $17 million. Private donors provided $7 million of that total; $10 million

came from the Higher Education Facilities Fund, which is built from 20 centsfor every $1 in tuition paid by students. The new facility will be used starting

in fall 2015.

ARCHITECTURE, MATHEMATICS, AND ENGINEERING

Please join the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineeringand the College of Arts and Sciences for an afternoon of celebration

ARCHITECTURE, MATHEMATICS AND ENGINEERINGBUILDING DEDICATION

Friday, April 24, 20154 pm

Architecture, Mathematics and Engineering Building atriumBuilding Tours: 3 - 3:45 pm

impulse - south dakota state university

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