There’s something special about every college town — and Brookings is no exception. This episode explores the deep connection between South Dakota State University and the city of Brookings. Guest Laura Schoen Carbonneau, executive director of Visit Brookings, shares what makes the community unique, how the university contributes to its growth and spirit, and why so many alumni choose to make Brookings their home long after graduation.

Researchers from South Dakota State University's Department of Biology and Microbiology and the BioSystems Networks and Transformative Research – Insights into Inflammation (BioSNTRii) have identified a protein — ALIX — that can help boost cells' self-healing abilities.

Working alongside college classmates isn’t a common experience, but for three South Dakota State University music education graduates, it’s become their everyday reality.

Bailey Cords ’20, MaryEllen Kennedy ’20 and Andrea Berends ’22 are School of Performing Arts alumni who now share their passion for music education as colleagues in the Springfield, Minnesota, school district.

Cords, a native of Janesville, Minnesota, joined Springfield in 2020 as the K-3 and 7-12 general music director before transitioning to lead the choir program for grades 6-12. At SDSU, he was active in concert choir, the Statesmen and the Madrigal Dinner, including Head Table and Westminster Singers.

Kennedy, from Beresford, now serves as the 6-12 band director. During her time at the university, she performed in the wind symphony, pep band, The Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band and civic symphony and led the Bum Band as part of the Hobo Day Committee.

Berends, a native of Echo, Minnesota, has taught elementary music in Springfield for four years. She was a member of The Pride of the Dakotas, pep band, choral and concert band at SDSU.

In April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration announced a forthcoming ban on all petroleum-based synthetic food dyes, which will require most of the nation's food companies to make systemic changes in their food production processes. Food manufacturers will have until January 2027 to completely phase out synthetic dyes from their foods. Until then, companies may be looking toward innovative biotechnologies — like the one being developed by Ananda Nanjundaswamy, South Dakota State University's Richard and Janice Vetter Endowed Associate Professor of Biotechnology and Bioprocessing.

Nanjundaswamy and his research team are extracting carotenoids — a class of molecules that are responsible for the naturally occurring pigments in plants and animals — from microbes grown in bioreactors. These molecules can then be mixed into different foods to give them rich and vibrant colors and also provide added health benefits.