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A unique opportunity has been given to 14 undergraduate students by the South ��ֱ���� State University College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. The students were awarded grants that will allow them to conduct a research project under the mentorship of a college faculty member. 

“The College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is committed to providing undergraduate students the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills by conducting research projects,” Jim Connors, associate dean and director of academic programs, said. “This program fulfills SDSU’s strategic plan and promise to students to provide a transformative education by offering high-impact opportunities.” 

Students work with a faculty member mentor to develop their research proposal and application in the spring for research to be conducted in the following school year. The research will be conducted in the faculty mentor’s lab, allowing them to support the students throughout the research process. This year, all six of the colleges’ departments are represented by either an undergraduate awardee or their mentor. 

All submissions for the Undergraduate Research Program are reviewed by Connors and other college leaders over the summer, and the chosen research projects begin shortly after school starts in the fall. During the spring semester of the research project, students present their work as part of a poster session at the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Day, an annual event celebrating all undergraduate research at SDSU. 

In 2024, the college’s Undergraduate Research Program was revitalized, and since then more than $50,000 has been awarded to projects through the program, funded by three different research awards: the Gary and Theresa Lemme Undergraduate Research ��ֱ���� (1), the Orville and Enolia Bentley Undergraduate Research ��ֱ���� (3) and the Dehaan Endowed Program (10). 

“Getting students involved with research at the undergraduate level allows them the opportunity to learn and grow their critical thinking as well as apply the skills learned in the classroom,” John Blanton, associate dean of research for the college and director of the South ��ֱ���� Agricultural Experiment Station, said. “Engaging in research also helps students clarify career goals, strengthen graduate school applications and build a strong foundation for lifelong learning and innovation.” 

2025 SDSU College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science Undergraduate Research ��ֱ����ees 

Brindy Bolander, Winner; Natural Resource Management 

• Project: using stable isotopes to determine the effect of hypoxia on Largemouth Bass diets
• Mentor: David Coulter, Natural Resource Management 

Shelby Brosh, Estherville, Iowa; Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science 

• Project: High-throughput assay for arabinoxylan quantification in wheat
• Mentor: Gengjun Chen, Dairy and Food Science 

Gwendlynne Brown, Pillager, Animal Science 

• Project: Testing the efficacy of 3D bovine placental organoids for in vitro research streams
• Mentor: Rebecca Swanson, Animal Science 

Claire Galvin, Ames, Iowa; Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science 

• Project: Dissecting the speciation within Pantonea genus to determine pathogenicity and virulence
• Mentor: Madalyn Shires, SDSU Extension 

Lily Geffre, Sioux Falls; Natural Resource Management 

• Project: Evaluating the effects of biochar-based slow-release nitrogen fertilizers on camelina growth and development
• Mentor: Yajun Wu, Biology and Microbiology 

Brooklyn Goelz, Pipestone, Minnesota; Animal Science 

• Project: Effects of water-based yeast bioactive supplementation (Maxi-Nutrio) on weaned pig growth and performance and health during the nursery
• Mentor: Crystal Levesque, Animal Science 

Ethan Gullickson, Sioux Falls; Natural Resource Management 

• Project: Exploring plant-based rare earth elements extraction from coal mine waste
• Mentor: Lan Xu, Natural Resource Management 

Micah Hunter, Riceville, Iowa; Natural Resource Management 

• Project: The old and the new: A comparison of the efficacy of avian point counts and acoustic surveys for the declining Pinyon jay
• Mentor: Amanda Cheeseman, Natural Resource Management 

Cale Seaton, Iowa City, Iowa; Dairy and Food Science 

• Project: Effects of a nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drug on blood leukocyte count before and after a mastitis challenge in early postpartum dairy cows
• Mentor: Tony Bruinjé, Dairy and Food Science 

Gretta Larson, Lake Preston; Animal Science 

• Project: Determining the effects of 5-hydroxytriptamine on follicular and luteal growth and function in cows
• Mentor: Rebecca Swanson, Animal Science 

Gabriel Lee, Irvine, California; Biology and Microbiology 

• Project: Enhancing UC-C (254 nm) radiation for surface sanitation using LiDAR-based 3D imaging
• Mentor: Ren Yang, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering 

Alexis Stolicker, Box Elder; Animal Science 

• Project: Utilizing the matrix-assisted laser detection ionization time of flight mass spectrometry to identify carbapenem-resistant bacteria
• Mentor: David Knudsen, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences/Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory 

Chiara Thompson, Forest City, Iowa; Animal Science 

• Project: Embryo development, cleavage and blastocyst rate affect by sires
• Mentor: Jessica Drum,  

Cornelius Zhao Yu Chong, Kajang, Malaysia; Dairy and Food Science 

• Project: Ecological persistence of salmonella enyterica enteritidis in multispecies biofilms under simulated dairy processing conditions
• Mentor: Sanjeev Anand, Dairy and Food Science