The South Dakotan Arts & sciences
The South Dakotan Arts & Sciences is the story hub of the USD College of Arts & Sciences. Here you’ll find stories and news highlighting the meaningful contributions of our students, faculty and staff, and alumni.
Innovation & Workforce Development
USD Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Program Earns Prestigious ABET Accreditation
The Latest
Nov 12, 2025
USD Team Achieves Milestone in Germanium Detector Fabrication
Dongming Mei, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Physics, and his research group at the University of South Dakota have successfully fabricated high-purity germanium detectors across multiple geometries.
Oct 27, 2025
Three USD Anthropology Students Awarded Prestigious Archaeology Scholarship
University of South Dakota anthropology students Eva Rindelaub, Elyn Krohn and Angel Vazquez were recently awarded the 2025 Justin Runestad Scholarship from the South Dakota Archaeological Society.
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Oct 09, 2025
USD Alumnus Frank Leibfarth Named 2025 Laureate in Chemical Sciences
Frank Leibfarth, Ph.D., a 2008 graduate who studied physics and chemistry at the University of South Dakota, and was one of three laureates chosen, was honored on Oct. 7 at the American Museum of Natural History as the 2025 Laureate in Chemical Sciences for the Blavatnik National Awards—one of the country’s most significant prizes for early-career researchers.
Oct 08, 2025
Computer Science Ph.D. Candidate Casey Wall Breaks Down Explainable AI, Studies Whale Sounds
USD doctoral student Casey Wall, M.S. ’22, is prying open the black box of artificial intelligence models to shed light on the decision-making process these systems use to produce results.
Alumni
USD to Host Truman Scholars' Panel Moderated by Clifton Truman Daniel
The University of South Dakota will host a public panel discussion featuring a selection of USD’s Truman Scholars, moderated by President Harry S. Truman’s grandson, on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 4 p.m. in Farber Hall, located inside Old Main.
USD Alumnus and Chicago White Sox Biomechanist Receives Distinguished Dissertation Award
University of South Dakota alumnus and Chicago White Sox biomechanist Aaron Trunt was awarded the 2024 USD Distinguished Dissertation Award in the category of Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Engineering for his dissertation, “Skeletal Modeling Parameters and Clinical Factors Related to Injury Risk in Baseball Pitchers.”
USD to Celebrate Outstanding Alumni October 11
The University of South Dakota is recognizing four alumni for their personal and professional achievements on Oct. 11 during the Unleash Your Legacy Alumni Achievement Award Ceremony. In addition, the Legacy Family of the Year will be honored.
More Headlines
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USD to Host 2025 Missouri River Science and Management Symposium
Summary: The University of South Dakota will host the 2025 Missouri River Science and Management Symposium on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in the Al Neuharth Media Center on the USD campus in Vermillion.
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USD Department of English Announces Second Biennial Vermillion Writing and Literature Conference
Summary: The University of South Dakota’s Department of English is excited to announce that the second biennial Vermillion Writing and Literature Conference will take place on the Vermillion campus, Oct. 9-11, 2025.
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USD Biologist Discovers Chameleons and Salamanders Independently Invented the Same 'Tongue Catapult'
Summary: A new study published in “Current Biology” reveals that chameleons and lungless salamanders independently evolved a remarkably similar solution for launching their tongues: a muscular compressor that squeezes against a skeletal rod to project the tongue ballistically at prey.
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NSF Awards $7 Million to South Dakota to Launch Ge-STAR, a Germanium Research Initiative
Summary: The National Science Foundation has awarded a $7 million EPSCoR RII E-RISE grant to launch Ge-STAR: Germanium-based Science and Technology Advancement Research, a transformative project led by the University of South Dakota.
Guest Column
The media & journalism program at USD checks all the boxes when it comes to preparing students to attack the intense world of media. From access to top of the line equipment, to a beautiful Coyote News studio, to endless opportunities to get hands on experience in a variety of media settings, students can literally dabble in everything and figure out which path they want to take with their media career.
Guest Column | Kelly Stewart
Kelly Stewart '16 reflects on her time at USD, her career at Midco and how her passion and career are one and the same.
