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It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. Scientists searching for the gene or gene combination that affects even one plant or animal characteristic must sort through massive amounts of data, according to associate professor Xijin Ge of the mathematics and statistics department at South Dakota State University. He leads a bioinformatics research group, which provides the expertise that plant and animal scientists need to uncover how genes and proteins affect cell functions. Just one experiment to analyze gene expression can produce one terabyte of sequence data, Ge explained. “That’s a little beyond many biologists' comfort zone.”

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Most running magazines contain articles endorsing hill training for serious long distance runners, “but there was virtually no research to support it,” explained Derek Ferley, education and research coordinator at Avera Sports Institution. As part of his doctoral work in health and nutritional sciences at South Dakota State University, he confirmed that running on a 10 percent incline can improve the overall performance of long distance runners.

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When the October blizzard hit western South Dakota, neither man nor beast was prepared. Amid changing climate conditions, what can we expect this year? Using climate modeling techniques, scientists from South Dakota and Idaho found no consensus regarding whether the blizzard could be attributed to a changing climate. Their findings are part of an American Meteorological Society publication, Explaining Extreme Events of 2013 from a Climate Perspective.

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By manipulating the molecular mechanisms that regulate soybean nodules formation, assistant professor Senthil Subramanian hopes to develop soybeans that are more efficient in making nodules and fixing nitrogen. The South Dakota State University plant scientist has documented how micro-RNA 160 affect nodule development and will identify the key roles of specific micro-RNAs in the formation of the two nodule zones through a five-year National Science Foundation Early Career Award. Crops that produce more nitrogen will require less fertilizer, thus lowering production costs and reducing the potential for runoff that can impact the environment.

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Korean white winter wheat is particularly susceptible to preharvest sprouting, according to Dae Wook Kim, a scientist at National Institute of Crop Science in Suwaon, South Korea. Working with molecular biologist Jai Rohila at South Dakota State University, Kim has identified proteins which are differentially expressed in tolerant cultivars, with the goal of breeding more resistant varieties that can help increase wheat production in Korea.

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A nationwide shortage of science and math teacher puts rural Midwestern states in an even tougher position. “Finding qualified teachers has often been challenging for small schools, but now larger districts are also having problems,” noted Sharon Vestal, associate professor of mathematics and statistics at South Dakota State University. She is coordinator of Rural Enhancement of Mathematics and Science Teachers, a program that encourages students majoring in mathematics, biology, chemistry and physic to become teachers. Funded through the National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Teaching Scholarship Program, REMAST has awarded $690,000 in scholarships and produced 44 math and science teachers since 2007. Through a three-year Phase II grant, Vestal will be able to offer 25 to 30 semester-long scholarships beginning fall 2005.

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Wetlands may be the least understood ecosystem, but their value is immense, according to Distinguished Professor W. Carter Johnson of the South Dakota State University Department of Natural Resource Management. “Anything that affects them will have a big impact on the landscape.” Johnson is also one of the founders of the EcoSun Prairie Farms, which seeks to demonstrate the viability of a “working grass farm” as a means of restoring tall grass prairie and pothole wetlands. In recognition of his contributions to wetlands conservation, Johnson received the National Wetlands Award for Science Research from the Environmental Law Institute.

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It’s that time of year again—the dry season in southeastern Asia when smoke and particulates from Indonesian peat swamp fires on the island of Borneo drift across to neighboring countries. Indonesia is trying to reduce carbon emissions, but documenting carbon sequestration to reward nations for their efforts through programs such as REDD and REDD Plus can be challenging.

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Objectivity, energy and a new perspective—these are the strengths that South Dakota State University interns bring to Schadé Vineyard and Winery near Volga, according to owner and operator Nancy Schade. For Marine Bezault, a graduate student from Clermont-Ferrand in central France, the 10-week summer internship was a chance to improve her English while learning small business marketing. For nearly 30 years, French students have come to South Dakota through an exchange program with the École Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Toulouse.

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Spring rains that delayed planting and a cool summer have farmers concerned about whether their corn will reach maturity before the first frost. Two new online decision-making tools available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Useful to Usable research project will help, according to state climatologist and South Dakota State University associate professor Dennis Todey. Farmers are producing crops under more variable conditions, so these tools can be critical to both food safety and the farmers’ economic survival.

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Manipulating a cow’s nutrition level during the second trimester can alter the carcass composition of her offspring, according to South Dakota State University meat scientist Amanda Blair. Fetal programming is the concept that during fetus development important biological parameters can be manipulated by environmental events and these alterations can carry through to maturity. The long-term goal is to improve the quality and quantity of beef.

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Incorporate more lean protein into your diet by opening the pages of "Bison: My Way!" cookbook. Discover creativity and nutritional know-how as Kristin Olson shows how to enhance the true American food. The cookbook contains 25 recipes featuring bison as the main protein in entrees, salads, soups and stews for beginner to expert cooks. Recipes for Olson's famous berry sauces are also sprinkled throughout the pages.

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Blueberries pack a powerful antioxidant punch, whether eaten fresh or from the freezer, according to South Dakota State University graduate Marin Plumb. Anthocyanins, a group of antioxidant compounds, are responsible for the color in blueberries, she explains. Since most of the color is in the skin, freezing the blueberries actually improves the availability of the antioxidants.

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Drying the maximum amount of corn with the least amount of energy—that’s what engineering manager Brent Bloemendaal of Brock Grain Systems in Frankfort, Indiana, needed to give his company a competitive edge in the marketplace. To do that, he partnered with thermodynamics experts at South Dakota State University. Using an experimental setup, assistant professor Stephen Gent of the mechanical engineering department has developed and validated a numerical model that the company calls “unique and cutting edge.”

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Though people might think creative writers rely solely on imagination and emotion, creative writer Christine Stewart says, “any given piece might have a huge variety of research in it.” She sometimes put as much as five hours of research into just one metaphor. “Creative writing scholars argue that anything that takes them out of the realm of imagination is research,” she explains. Her essay, An Archeology of Secrets, won the Briar Cliff Review’s 15th Annual Creative Nonfiction Contest and was selected as a notable essay in the Best American Essays 2012.

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It can incorporate a cow’s genes or another virus into its genome. It can lead to production of a persistently infected calf that sheds the virus its entire life. Despite yearly vaccinations, one to 15 percent of a herd can test positive for bovine viral diarrhea virus. Researchers at South Dakota State University are exploring how the virus suppresses the immune system, so they can develop better modified live vaccines.

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The largest city in the Dakotas now saves an estimated 1 million gallons of water a day, thanks to a wastewater filtration project done in collaboration with the South Dakota State University Water and Environmental Engineering Research Center, the City of Sioux Falls and the city’s consulting firm, H.R. Green Engineering of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. For more than a decade, the City of Sioux Falls has set aside $20,000 each year from its capital improvement program to fund graduate research that will increase the efficiency of its wastewater treatment plant. The City of Sioux Falls and its taxpayers have reaped the rewards of investing in research and serve as an example for what other communities might be able to accomplish through a partnership with the Water Research Center.

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Nearly 80 percent of Upper Guinean forests, which once covered more than 103 million acres across Western Africa, have been cleared—a victim of rapid population growth and agricultural expansion. The remaining forest sections are concentrated in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. Using satellite imagery, doctoral student Francis Dwomoh of the Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence at South Dakota State University will examine the effect of human encroachment, climate change and fire on the Upper Guinean forests during the last 40 years and look at how fires may impact the remaining forest fragments.

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When it comes to restoring grasslands, ecologists may have another way to evaluate their progress—ants. The more diverse the ant population, the closer a restored section of grassland is to its original state, according to Laura Winkler, who recently completed her master’s degree in plant science, specializing in entomology, at South Dakota State University. When it comes to native grasslands, ants are “ecosystem engineers.”

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Nearly 90 million Americans live with serious illnesses and that number is predicted to double in the next 25 years. Seven of every 10 deaths are caused by chronic conditions. A palliative health care team can improve quality of life and significantly reduce health care costs for patients dealing with chronic, life-threatening illnesses, according to the American Cancer Society. However, delivery of these services in rural America, where the elderly population is growing faster than the national rate, can be challenging. Associate professor Mary Minton, who teaches at the South Dakota State University College of Nursing West River Site in Rapid City, and a team of researchers examined the palliative and end of life services offered among South Dakota health care facilities. By 2025, nearly one-fourth of the South Dakota population will be over the age of 65, according to projections made in 2009 as part of the state’s 2010-2013 plan on aging.

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Consumers may have more palatable low-fat products and milk producers a solution to an industrywide problem through use of a unique strain of lactic acid bacteria, according to Ashraf Hassan, associate professor of dairy science at South Dakota State University. Low-fat products tend to have inferior texture and flavor because removing fat makes their structure rubbery, he explained. After examining bacteria from the dairy environment for more than 15 years, Hassan found a strain that mimics fat.

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Two major droughts within a five-year period have done significant damage to the Amazon forest in Brazil, but analyzing how the forest has responded may help researchers predict the long-term impact of global warming, according to research scientist Izaya Numata of the Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence at South Dakota State University.

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The axiom, “growing like a weed,” takes on new meaning in light of changes in gene expression that occur when weeds interact with the crops they infest, according to plant scientist Sharon Clay. Using sophisticated genetic-mapping techniques, the South Dakota State University professor and her research team are documenting how corn and weeds influence one another. “Weeds grow like weeds when they grow with corn,” says Clay. “They grow bigger, and taller in corn than by themselves.” And inversely, “corn grows less among weeds.”

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The saying, “we are what we eat,” has never been more true. Nutritionists increasingly emphasize that the nutrients in the foods we consume can potentially create health and reduce disease. Associate professor of health and nutritional sciences Moul Dey collaborated with college professor Bonnie Specker, director of the E.A. Martin Endowed Program in Human Nutrition, at South Dakota State University to study the effects of a special nondigestible, chemically modified wheat fiber called resistant starch on metabolic syndrome. The research project, conducted in two 12-week sessions over a 26-week period, involved 86 adults in two Hutterite colonies in eastern South Dakota.

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Fiber optics increased the speed and quantity of information that can be transmitted through the Internet by transforming electrical signals into pulsating light. The same can be done within laptops and other devices by using organic materials containing chromophore as an active compound, according to South Dakota State University materials chemist Cheng Zhang. Components made from this organic material can provide a larger bandwidth and draw less power.

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It all comes down to bridging a gap. The J. Lohr Structures Laboratory helps companies develop new materials and products—self-consolidating concrete columns and prestressed concrete bridge girders-- that bridge a physical gap. Many of those newly developed products are used in public works projects funded by federal, state and local governments, thus bridging a commercial gap.

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Dealing with malaria is a fact of life for more than 91 million Ethiopians. Each year four to five million contract malaria, one of the biggest health problems in this poor country. Through a five-year, $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, and Michael Wimberly of the Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence and an international team of scientists will combine environmental data gathered through earth-imaging satellites and surveillance data from public health professionals in the Amhara region of Ethiopia to anticipate malaria outbreaks.

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Corralling desperados with names like bacillus and paenibacillus will require ingenuity and an arsenal of weapons. These outlaws aren’t rustling cattle—they’re making milk sour and cheese soft and crumbly. For more than a century, milk has been heated to kill any bacteria or pathogens that can affect consumer health and shorten the shelf life of the product. However, microbes-- known as thermoduric--can survive pasteurization, according to South Dakota State University dairy science professor Sanjeev Anand. The Agricultural Experiment Station researcher has begun developing ways to combat heat-resistant microorganisms, a major challenge for the world’s dairy industry. His work is also supported by the Dairy Research Institute and the Midwest Dairy Food Research Center.

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Providing comprehensive health care can be a daunting task for nurses serving nearly 60 million people living in rural America. “You get to run the whole show,” said Carmen Fees, director of nursing at the Philip Health Services. Philip, population 780, is located 80 miles east of Rapid City--home of Mount Rushmore--and 80 miles southwest of South Dakota’s capital city, Pierre. Through a three–year, $1.09 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the South Dakota State University College of Nursing has developed a program to better prepare nurses to work in rural settings. The curriculum has been implemented in Brookings, Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Aberdeen.

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It’s not just the drug, but how it’s delivered that can make a difference when it comes to treating early-stage breast cancer. A new method to deliver cancer-fighting drugs directly to the milk ducts promises to reduce chemotherapy side effects and to deliver large doses of medication directly to the affected tissues. Pharmacy professor Om Perumal of South Dakota State University anticipates that patients may one day simply apply a medication-containing gel or lotion to the nipple, which will then be absorbed through its openings directly into the milk ducts.

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Despite major research funding--including the U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative, scientists’ have had only limited success in controlling fusarium head blight , a fungal disease that not only dramatically shrinks yields but produces toxins that make the grain dangerous for human or animal consumption. Using advanced genetic and molecular technologies, biologist Yen has begun tracing the biochemical pathways that make wheat susceptible or resistant to head blight. The South Dakota State University researcher believes the key to head blight resistance lies in its ability to block production of two key hormones.

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Parents of children with short bowel syndrome measure their outcomes by the centimeters of intestine that remain after surgery. Many of these children live on intravenous nutrients and fluids, in combination with formula by a gastric tube in and a strict diet. All face daily challenges—infections, diarrhea and liver disease. Through a collaborative project with clinical researchers and a microbiologist in Canada, assistant professor Crystal Levesque of the South Dakota State University Animal Science Department hopes to help in finding a treatment that will help grow their intestines. Beginning its second year, the project has been supported by an annual $25,000 Maurice Shils Grant from the Nestlé Nutrition Institute awarded through the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Rhoads Research Foundation.

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Fewer medical interventions, fewer hours in labor and increased satisfaction with the birthing experience—that’s what national statistics say a doula’s support during labor and delivery means to women and their partners. A doula is a trained woman who provides nonmedical support during labor and delivery.

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Through a five-year FDA grant for nearly $500,000, senior microbiologist Seema Das and a team of South Dakota researchers will determine whether a test that detects salmonella in human food can do the same in raw pet food. The first year the test will be validated, and then either adjustments or expansion of the testing will be done in subsequent years. The work will involve multi-lab validation with collaborators at Iowa State, Texas A & M, the University of Minnesota and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.

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Protecting student-athletes who sustain head injuries requires more than just a law. Associate professor Bernadette Olson and her team developed a sports concussion protocol that includes a neuro-cognitive assessment tool called ImPACT, balance testing and quality-of-life measures. They administer these valuable measurements at baseline (pre-injury) and post-concussion to rural youth in southeastern South Dakota who participate in interscholastic and youth sport organizations that have a concussion policy and/or compliance officer in place. Findings help coaches, parents, administrators and trained medical professionals track an athlete’s recovery following a concussion and returning them to participation when they are fully recovered. Their work is supported through a collaborative research grant from Avera Health and the South Dakota State University College of Education and Human Sciences.

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Two image processing scientists found love in one of the most unlikely places—a salt lake in Turkey. Larry Leigh, an imaging engineering from South Dakota, agreed to spend four weeks in Turkey as part of an international calibration team during August 2010. As a research scientist for the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency in Thailand, Morakot Kaewmanee saw the CEOS mission as a chance to learn about satellite calibration from world experts.

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Sunflower farmers have known for a long time that they are at increased risk for combine fires, but an answer to this nerve-wracking problem may be just around the corner. A team of agricultural engineers at South Dakota State University found that sunflower debris ignites at temperatures that are 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit lower than residue from corn or soybeans. When sunflower dust is drawn into the fan that pulls air through the radiator to cool the engine, some bits of debris can ignite. The patent-pending device encases the turbocharger and exhaust manifold and then a fan pulls in clean air to cool the chamber, while keeping the system exterior within a safe temperature range.

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To combat childhood obesity, South Dakota State University professor of health and nutritional sciences Jessica Meendering and an interdisciplinary team of researchers are collaborating with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to offer a Transdisciplinary Childhood Obesity Prevention graduate certificate program, referred to as TOP. Development of the TOP graduate certification program, which began in 2011, is supported by a five-year, $4.1 million grant from the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. This is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s effort to prevent childhood obesity, educate youth about proper nutrition and connect experts and communities.

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Through a three-year, $2.2 million grant from NASA, South Dakota State University professor Mark Cochrane, a senior scientist at the Geospatial Sciences Center for Excellence, will use satellite imaging, field studies and modeling to help the Indonesian Forest Research and Development Agency assess the progress being made to reduce these emissions. He collaborates with carbon emissions expert Robert Yokelson, a chemistry professor from the University of Montana. The grant is part of NASA’s global carbon monitoring program that contributes to an international focus on reducing emissions due to deforestation.

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South Dakota State University graduate Stephanie Arne has been selected as the new “Wild Guide” for Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Arne joins the ranks of legends Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler as the next host to take viewers on wildlife adventures. Arne will host all-new Wild Kingdom webisodes premiering this October on the Wild Kingdom TV YouTube channel and will also interact with viewers through social media.

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Women may one day have a more accurate, less expensive means of detecting breast cancer, thanks in part to software developed by two South Dakota State University computer science professors. Microwave tomography imaging, or MTI, has the potential to produce an image capable of finding cancer, even in women with dense breast tissue.

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South Dakota State University cell biologist Shalini Low-Nam received a National Institutes of Health fellowship to study protein receptors interacting within the membrane of a living cell. Her work focuses on a protein receptor called the macrophage colony stimulating factor or MCSF receptor, which controls the growth and development of the macrophage, a type of white blood cell. This study may give scientists the information they need to combat leukemia and other diseases.

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Three South Dakota scientists were part of the West Antarctica Ice Sheet Divide Ice Core project team which made history this year by retrieving additional ice from the main borehole. The South Dakota State University Ice Core and Environment Chemistry Lab, headed by professor Jihong Cole-Dai of the chemistry and biochemistry department, will work on a section of ice from 17,500 years ago that offers clues as to why the Earth began to emerge from the Ice Age.

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A taste for apples, a September 1978 issue of Popular Mechanics and a bumper crop of fruit combined to create the holiday tradition of making apple cider for two South Dakota families and their friends.

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Using satellite imaging data from 2000 to the present, Michael Wimberly, senior scientist at the Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence at South Dakota State University, is testing an early warning system for West Nile virus risk in South Dakota. He predicted a high risk of West Nile virus for 2012, even though the state experienced a drought. And he was right.