SD EPSCoR Impacts

SD EPSCoR Impacts for the Week of June 21, 2018:

• The SD Discovery Center is piloting a NASA@MyLibrary outreach project that combines the portal to the public science communication workshops with a virtual component to link NASA-funded researchers with partner libraries and their communities. Participants will learn how to overcome geographic barriers to outreach by creating an engaging, hands-on program that will be presented virtually at partner libraries in South Dakota and other states. Travel and material costs will be covered. This opportunity is available to researchers that have received or are currently receiving funding from NASA. Contact Rhea Waldman with questions.

• Northern State University student Cindy Venegas is spending her summer conducting research for a project that could lead to a cure for Huntington’s disease. Venegas is working with Dr. Jon Mitchell, associate professor of biology. Mitchell and Venegas, along with NSU senior Zach Fleming, have been working for the past year to purify the sheep gangliocide GM1, which has been found to impact the effects of Huntington’s and potentially other neurodegenerative diseases. This advanced research is supported in part through SD EPSCoR.