REGENTS REPORT

South Dakota Higher Education: Good Investment.Great Future. NO. 57, 12/05/96

Research and Development

R&D Makes a Difference For South Dakotans

The role that research and development plays affects the lives of people across the state. Far from simply being academia exploring abstract ideas, research and development in South Dakota has taken on importance in developing new materials, making plants and crops grow better, making us more healthy, and more. South Dakota higher education has always played an important role in cooperating with government and private industry to provide the necessary resources to improve the quality of life.

R&AMPD IN SOUTH DAKOTA

The following graph shows the expenditures on research and development in the western states for fiscal year 1994. At $21.7 million South Dakota ranks last for research and development at public institutions. Funding of R&D comes from a variety of sources including the federal government, state and local government,universities, and private industry and associations.

RESEARCH &AMP DEVELOPMENT SPENDING: FY1994 WESTERN STATES

SOURCE: Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education

WHO DOES RESEARCH?

Research and development is primarily the work of scientists and engineers. The following graph shows the numberof science and engineering PhDs for every 1,000 workers in South Dakota and its neighboring states.

SCIENCE/ENGINEERING PHDS: 1992 PER 1,000 WORKERS

SOURCE: Corporation for Enterprise Development,1996 Development Report Card for the States

RESEARCH IN SOUTH DAKOTA

Research in South Dakota affects our quality of life by assisting business, agricultural producers, and much more. Here are some examples of current research at South Dakota's public universities.

Agriculture
A team of researchers at SDSU has been working to identify the cause of the "Mystery Swine Disease". Their hard work has led to the development of a vaccine against the disease which has already been patented and sales of the new vaccine have topped $5 million. Pork producers now have new protectionfor their livestock.

Researchers at USD and SDSU are working together to learn about helping crops to withstand drought, heat, and cold. From this work, a new line of corn has been identified that shows extra ordinary tolerance to heat and drought.

Medicine
USD School of Medicine faculty are conducting research on a number of health issues. One study aims to develop more accurate means of predicting the onset of heart disease. Another project is investigating the uncontrolled growth of cancerous tissue.

Materials for Manufacturing
At SDSM&T a new process for recovering precious metals from ores and industrial materials has been developed through research-the new processis safer and more efficient. Also development of new fibre composites which could be used in light-weight, high-strength manufacturing has been the focus of research at Tech.

Environment
Researchers at SDSUand SDSM&T are working to increase the accuracy and resolution of remotely-sensed data of the type obtained at the EROS Data Center. The data is used to develop models that link weather patterns, precipitation levels, and ground cover which are used to provide vital information in water resource management and flood forecasting.

CONCLUSION

These are just a few examples of current research in South Dakota. Today's research is helping to make a better future for everyone. For more information on research and development in South Dakota, contact the Board of Regents or a public university near you.