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DSU Students Participate in 6^th Annual Student Research Poster Session

Students from Dakota State University will be participating in the 6^th Annual Student Research Poster Session in the Capital Rotunda on Wednesday, February 19^th in Pierre, SD.  Approximately 120 students from public and private South Dakota universities will be presenting 82 posters.  The event is sponsored by EPSCoR, South Dakota Academy of Sciences and the Board of Regents. 

Dakota State University students participating are:

Kwen Peterson (Ashton)                     Andrew Ohotto (St. Louis Park, MN)                   

Dan Overby (Mellette)                        Taylor Nystrom (Gettysburg)                

Mike Johnson (Sioux Falls)                Justin Luitjens (Aberdeen)

Mark Theisen (Dell Rapids)                Jessica Wipf (Gillette, WY)      

Senior Computer Science majors Mike Johnson, Justin Luitjens, Dan Overby, and Kwen Peterson will be presenting their research projects. All four were involved in the Molecular Dynamics and RITELink projects. Johnson and Overby also worked on an OpenGL project.

Molecular Dynamics is a joint project between the Computer Science and Chemistry departments at Dakota State University.  The purpose of this project is to visually model the interaction of atoms and molecules in a semi-real world environment.  This visual model allows for a better teaching tool to explain atoms, molecules, and the forces that act upon them than a simple "flat" picture on a chalkboard.  DSU professors Dr. Tom Halverson and Dr. Richard Bleil are advisors for this research project. The project is partially funded by SD EPSCoR.

Students Mike Johnson and Dan Overby are working on a computer science project that uses a 2D black and white image to render a 3-Dimensional landscape. The main goal of this project is for them to further their knowledge of OpenGL. Dr. Tom Halverson is advising the project, and as work on it continues, it becomes a more and more realistic simulation of the world.

The objective of the Rural Information Technology Employment (RITE) Link is to develop high level Information Technology or IT skills in rural communities to help meet the current Information Technology worker shortage. The intensive Information Technology training program will provide rural residents the skills needed to be productive Information Technology workers. RITELink is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation Information Technology Research (ITR) Project. Tom Halverson, DSU and Mel Ustad, USD are directing this project.

Taylor Nystrom, Mark Theisen, Andrew Ohotto and Jessica Wipf collaborated on three projects under the direction of faculty member Dr. Indra Muhopadhyay from the College of Natural Sciences.  The projects are:         

• Improved Secondary Standard in the THz region of the Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Analysis of High Frequency Pulsed Refilling Laser Transitions
• New Inter-species Torsional Millimeter Wave Transitions in CHD2OH