Building a seed-planting drone on a tight budget
Johnny Appleseed became an American legion in the first half of the 19th century for his apple tree-planting endeavors. In the first half of the 21st century, a group of nine ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ engineering students are hoping to make tree planting a viable high-tech operation anywhere in the world.
They form a senior design team that is creating a seed pod drone and dispenser that is sponsored by Jerry Natzel of Owatonna, Minnesota.Robotics club builds autonomous sprayer
Connoisseurs say a good wine can’t be rushed. Perhaps the same could be said about a good autonomous vineyard sprayer.
Since spring 2022, the ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ Robotics Club has been working on a project for alum Jerry Natzel of Owatonna, Minnesota, to build an autonomous sprayer for his vineyard. The project’s history predates that. But by late April, the club hopes to have all the bugs worked out of this bug-spraying machine.Headley, Schaefer tabbed as ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ Distinguished Engineers
An internationally recognized geotechnical engineer and the director of the Sanford Underground Research Facility have been selected as the 2024 Distinguished Engineers at South Dakota State University. Vernon Schaefer and Mike Headley will be honored at the April 23 Engineering Scholarship Banquet at Club 71 in Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
TRANSFORMATIVE: ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ associate professor selected for groundbreaking renewable energy project
Tim Hansen, the Harold C. Hohbach Endowed Associate Professor in South Dakota State University’s Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, has been selected to help lead a groundbreaking initiative to revolutionize how power systems interact and adapt in an increasingly renewable energy-rich landscape.
Faculty Research Spotlight: Chulwoo Pack
Chulwoo Pack, assistant professor in South Dakota State University's Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, is continuing his research to develop image analysis tools through deep learning, computer vision and reasoning.
³ÉÈËÊÓƵ advances in NASA contest as one of six finalists
NASA has narrowed the field to six in its lunar soil excavating contest, and a team of students from South Dakota State University is among the group left in the hunt for a $1 million top prize. Conceived in 2020, the Break the Ice Lunar Challenge tasked innovators with creating robotic systems that can navigate the rugged terrain of the Lunar South Pole, dig up its icy soil and transport it to another location, where, in theory, water could be extracted from the soil.
³ÉÈËÊÓƵ electrical engineering students set standard for academic awards
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has announced the 2023-24 recipients of the Power and Energy Society Scholarships. For the second year in a row, ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ dominated. The nine current selections are one better than the mark the program set last year. The list includes four repeat winners and five newcomers.