First Prairie Repertory Theatre production opens June 11

Prairie Repertory Theatre?s 2008 season opens Wednesday with ?Bingo.?

SDSU?s Prairie Repertory Theatre opens its 38th season with ?Bingo: A Winning New Musical!? Wednesday, June 11.

The show opens in Doner Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. each night from June 11-14. A Sunday matinee starts at 2 p.m., June 15.

?Bingo? provides a zany new musical comedy to let audiences join in the fun of a real bingo game. The Los Angeles Times called the production, ?a fun, cheerful and witty new show, with songs to bring down the house!?

Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for senior citizens 62 and over, $10 for SDSU employees, $9 for non-SDSU students and children and free for SDSU students with an ID. Patrons can also purchase season books to see all four shows at a reduced price.

For inquiries about show times or ticket prices, the Audience Services Office can be contacted at 688-6045, at www.prairierep.org or at the Performing Arts Center box office on campus.

The following includes dates and times for Prairie Repertory Theatre summer shows:

Bingo
Brookings: June 11-14, Doner Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.; matinee, June 15, 2 p.m. - Brandon: July 19, July 23-24, Brandon Valley Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.; matinee, July 20, 2 p.m.

Escanaba In Love
Brookings: June 18-21, Doner Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.; matinee: June 22, 2 p.m. - Brandon: July 25-26, July 30, Brandon Valley Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.; matinee: July 27, 2 p.m.

Move Over, Mrs. Markham
Brookings: June 25-28, Doner Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.; matinee, June 29, 2 p.m. - Brandon: July 16-18, Brandon Valley Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Brookings: July 9-12, Doner Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.; matinee, July 13, 2 p.m. - Brandon: July 31-Aug. 2, Brandon Valley Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.; matinee, Aug. 3, 2 p.m.

Miller leads book discussion about Laura Ingalls Wilder

Historian and author John Miller will lead a discussion of his book ?Laura Ingalls Wilder?s Little Town: Where History and Literature Meet? at the South Dakota State Agricultural Heritage Museum June 12 at 5:30 p.m.

Miller?s book features a series of essays exploring Wilder, the children?s author of pioneer prairie stories, from a variety of perspectives. His essays look at the spatial, emotional, literary, social and artistic aspects about the author and her writing.

Miller?s book is available at the Ag Heritage Museum for a reduced price to those participating in the discussion.

Turkish Coalition of America president to speak at SDSU

Lincoln McCurdy will speak at the SDAM auditorium June 12.

Lincoln McCurdy, president of the Turkish Coalition of America will speak about United States and Turkish relations at SDSU June 12 at 7 p.m.

The lecture, which is open to the public, will take place in the South Dakota Art Museum Auditorium and is sponsored by the South Dakota Council on World Affairs.

McCurdy has extensive experience working with senior officials in the United States and Turkish governments and militaries. He has led U.S. delegations to Turkey and has co-sponsored activities with the State and Commerce Departments and the Environmental Protection Agency.

McCurdy served as both the executive director, president and chief executive officer of the American-Turkish Council, a U.S. business association dedicated to promoting U.S.-Turkish commercial, defense and cultural relations.

McCurdy works to educate the public about Turkey, cultivate a new generation of American-Turkish leaders, foster friendship and cooperation between the U.S. and Turkey and dispel myths about Turkey advanced in the media and arts.

Art Museum reception celebrates diverse artist exhibitions

South Dakota Art Museum will celebrate excellence and diversity in a reception for current exhibiting artists and the Governor?s Third Biennial Art traveling exhibition, ?Endless Imagination.? The reception will be held June 13 from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

The Governor?s juried show features works from 142 South Dakota artists selected from almost 500 submitted entries for the biennial exhibition. The Governor began the show in 2004 to recognize South Dakota artists and to celebrate cultural and artistic diversity.

The exhibition will travel to the Dakotah Prairie Museum in Aberdeen and the University of South Dakota Galleries in Vermillion before it concludes at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

Joy Crane and Fatih Benzer, who have work included in the Governor?s Biennial Exhibition, also have their own exhibitions at the SDAM and will give presentations about their work at 5:30 p.m.

For more information, contact the museum, 688-5423.

Research farm to host field day event June 17

The Eastern South Dakota Soil and Water Research Farm will host its annual field day June 17.

The event begins at 3:30 p.m. at the farm, located one and one-half miles north of U.S. Highway 14 Bypass on Western Ave. Green signs mark the turn to reach the farm.

A free dinner will conclude the event and is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. In case of rain, it will take place at the North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory, located one mile north of U.S. Highway 14 Bypass on Medary Ave.

The event is open to the public and the field day?s theme is soils. The field day includes a presentation on soil biology from Kristine Nichols, a researcher with the Agricultural Research Service in Mandan, N.D.

SDSU Plant Science Professor Douglas Malo will discuss soil formation and explain a soil pit that will be on display at the farm.

Donald Reicosky, an agricultural research service researcher from Morris, Minn., will explain soil carbon and its relationship to greenhouse gas and global warming.

For information, contact Kenton Dashiell, 693-5201.

Grad students present green ideas at national conference

Three SDSU graduate students will make presentions at the 12th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference June 24-26 in Washington, D.C. The forum draws students, professors, and researchers from around the world.

Jeremy Kroon, a second-year graduate student from Rapid City, will present ?Liquid Carbon Dioxide-Based Production of Leather.?

Julee Driver, a fourth-year graduate student from Sioux Falls, will present ?A Green Chemistry Assessment for Analytical and Chemical Processes.?

Lisette Ngo Tenlep is a third-year graduate student from Cameroon. She will present ?Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Biomass Feedstocks.?

The Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference explores how technical advances in green chemistry and engineering contribute to solving some of humanity?s most pressing environmental and health issues. 

The conference explores potential ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and nonrenewable fuel sources, ensure safe and adequate food and water supplies, eradicate diseases and improve environmental decision-making.

The students are part of chemistry advisor Doug Raynie?s SDSU Green Chemistry Group.

Children?s PRT theatre workshop offered in Brandon

SDSU Prairie Repertory Theatre will host a Children?s Theatre Workshop July 28-Aug. 2 at the Brandon Performing Arts Center in Brandon. Three workshops will be offered, each for a different age group.

Workshop one, ?Acting Out,? is for students having completed second or third grade. It will run from 9 to 11 a.m. each day with a final performance at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 2. The workshop offers an overview of theatre skills, like staging, movement, stage presence and voice projection.

Workshop Two, ?Play It Like It Is,? is for students who have completed fourth or fifth grade. It will run from noon to 2:30 p.m. with a final performance at 2 p.m. Aug. 2. The workshop focuses not only on acting technique and stage movement, but also brings insight into preliminary scene work and technical theatre aspects.

The final workshop, ?Song & Dance for the Musical Theatre,? is for students who have completed grades six, seven or eight. It will run from 2:30 to 5 p.m. with a final performance at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 2. Students will learn about different styles of musical theatre. The focus will be on choreography, rhythm, vocal projection and pitch, and overall stage presence.

Each participant will receive a free ticket with an adult purchase to the family musical ?Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,? to be performed by PRT at the Brandon Performing Arts Center Aug. 3 a 2 p.m.

The cost of the workshop is $55 per participant. Class sizes are limited and registration is based on a first come, first served basis.

For more information, contact Jacqueline Pierce-Humke, 688-6131 or jacq_humke@hotmail.com.

Marghab linens on display at art museum

Marghab, Ltd. workers stamped intricate patterns onto delicate, sheer fabric to be crafted by dozens of Madeira embroiderers.

Hand-embroidered linens, the likes of which adorned tables in royal palaces and embassies, will be on display through March 22, 2009 at the South Dakota Art Museum.

South Dakota native Vera Way Marghab and her husband, Emile Marghab, started Marghab, Ltd. in 1934 with strict standards of quality that made their linens famous and desirable. The pieces sold in some of the finest stores in Kansas City, New York, Los Angeles, and Sydney, Australia as well as many world communities.

The South Dakota Art Museum houses more than 2,500 Marghab linens, the largest collection in the world. A variety of pieces are on display for the ?Men and Women Behind Marghab? exhibition, from delicate sets of place-setting linens to large tablecloths.

The linens, created between the 1930s and 1970s, were set apart in terms of their fine quality of work and their effective marketing. Each piece received careful inspection for excellence and finish before distribution. 

For more information, contact the museum, 688-5423.

Oak Lake Field Station to host scientific ?BioBlitz?

SDSU?s Oak Lake Field Station will be the site of a one-day scientific BioBlitz June 28.

Scientists from around the state will be at the station to combine scientific survey and educational programs. The goal of scientists is to count as many species of plants and animals as possible from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The public is invited to participate.

They hope to raise awareness of the hundreds of species of plants and animals that go unnoticed but provide essential stability to the ecosystem of the Oak Lake Field Station. 

Naturalists and researchers will give presentations for the public throughout the day, some involving live mammals, birds, snakes and fish.

Hikes, presentations, observations and interaction with experts, including hands-on activities will offer awareness education to the public and especially children.

For more information, contact James Ladonski, at james.ladonski@sdstate.edu.

Openings available for Oak Lake Summer Science Camp

Nels Troelstrup, Oak Lake Field Station director, explains aquatic life to science campers.

Space is still available for middle-school students interested in registering for the Oak Lake Summer Science Camp Aug. 3-8. The camp provides science learning for students in grades six through eight at the SDSU Oak Lake Field Station.

This year?s camp activities include studying prairie weather extremes and prairie plant diversity, investigating the role of insects in prairie systems, using Geographic Information Systems and Global Positioning Systems, and creating Web sites for science.

Campers will be housed in the dining hall at Oak Lake Field Station and provided three meals per day. The camp costs $250. 

A pre-registration deposit of $25 is required with the application. Financial support may be available through the South Dakota Lake and Streams Association or through the applicant?s local conservation district.

Enrollment is limited to 15 students that gives more direct teaching and learning experiences. Early registration is encouraged.

For more information or to apply, contact Vickie Molengraaf, 688-6141 or http://biomicro.sdstate.edu/oaklake and click on ?Middle School Summer Science Camp 2008.?

Harvey Dunn feminine images show influence on the artist

Harvey Dunn?s portrait of his mother Bersha will be sent to Minneapolis for conservation work at the conclusion of the ?Feminine Images? exhibition.

In a dimly lit corner of the South Dakota Art Museum, the current Harvey Dunn exhibition opens beneath a Dunn quotation displayed in large, serif type.

?To be feminine is not to be weak. It?s strong.? - Harvey Dunn.

Harvey Dunn said this to a group of his New York art students more than half a century ago.

Dunn?s attitudes toward women show in the collection of his paintings called, ?Feminine Images? on display in the Museum from now through Feb. 9, 2009.

Growing up on a prairie homestead, Dunn was heavily influenced by his mother, who encouraged him to draw at night by kerosene lamp.

Aptly displayed below his words hangs the newly acquired portrait of Dunn?s mother, Bersha. Her faded blue eyes reveal the figure of a strong woman looking back.

Dunn?s granddaughter, Deborah Dunn Wessells of Glenmoore, Pa. donated the picture to the South Dakota Art Museum.

Dunn?s mother also encouraged him to study at South Dakota Agriculture College, now SDSU, where he met Art Professor Ada B. Caldwell, who left an indelible mark on him as well.

?She opened new vistas for me,? Dunn said of Caldwell in a publication called ?An Evening in the Classroom.?

A portrait of Caldwell, like many of the 109 other Dunn paintings owned by the Art Museum, is in the process of being restored.

Once the exhibition concludes, Bersha Dunn?s portrait will be sent away for conservation work at the Midwest Art Conservation Center in Minneapolis, Minn. The repair work could take as long as a month, depending on the conservators? assessment, said Lisa Scholten, curator of collections.

For more information, contact the museum, 688.5423.

Regular pay for legal holidays

All permanent status employees in state government receive their regular pay for 10 legal holidays plus any other day proclaimed as a holiday by the governor or the president of the United States. The following holidays are recognized by the state of South Dakota:

2008 - July 4, Independence Day; September 1, Labor Day; Oct. 13, Native American Day.

When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the proceeding Friday is observed as the paid holiday for state employees. If a holiday falls on a Sunday, it is observed on the following Monday.       

For more information, contact Louise Loban, 688-4128.

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PAC to host retirement celebration for Bob Burns

A retirement celebration for Distinguished Professor Bob Burns will be held June 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. in Roberts Reception Hall at the Performing Arts Center.

?I have immensely enjoyed my 38 years here at State,? said Burns.  ?It has been a continuous joy and light in my life. I?ll be 66 this summer, and I have always thought I?d like to retire while my peers and superiors have a positive impression of my performance.?

A native of Flandreau, Burns and his wife, Donna Rae Bozied Burns, have three children: Cari Anne, Timothy, and Jonathon; and nine grandchildren. Burns earned his bachelor?s degree in political science from SDSU in 1964. He obtained a master?s degree (1966) and a Ph.D. (1973) at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

He came to SDSU as a teaching assistant from 1967 to 1968. After serving in the U.S. Army as a captain and a senior intelligence officer, he returned to SDSU as a professor of political science from 1970 to 1985. He has been Department Head of Political Science since 1989 and Dean of the Honors College since 1998.

Burns plans to remain in Brookings after retirement, at least for a while. He has traveled extensively and hopes to continue doing so, but with more freedom to decide the ?when and where? factor. 

Burns leaves with many fond recollections of SDSU.

?I have had the opportunity to make lots of memories,? he said. Most of those, he noted, are tied to people with whom he has formed relationships at State.

?I am indebted to my mentor and former colleague J.P. Hendrickson, who jump-started my career; and former Arts and Science Dean Herb Cheever and I were political junkies together for many years, and, of course, I will miss the students."

Petersen named Career Service Employee of the Month

Tiffany Petersen, senior secretary of the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named the June Career Service Employee of the Month.

A reception is planned June 12 from 3 to 4 p.m. in room 236 of the NFA Building. Refreshments will follow a brief presentation.

Petersen has been the College?s senior secretary for the past two and a half years, but has served SDSU for a total of nine years.

?Literally thousands of students owe her a debt of gratitude for her careful mentoring and advisement on program requirements for the 32 baccalaureate programs we have in the college,? said Dean Jerry Jorgensen.

She is responsible for checking each student?s graduation application and does so in a ?thorough and knowledgeable? manner, said Jan Hanson, Petersen?s supervisor and College of Arts and Sciences? program assistant.

?Tiffany is an invaluable part of our College team because she does more than she is asked to do, and because she always completes every assignment she is given in a timely manner,? affirmed Daniel Landes, the college?s assistant dean.

Petersen lives on an acreage near White with her husband, two daughters and son. She is involved with the Pioneer Lutheran Church council and the Deubrook booster club.

In her spare time, Petersen enjoys watching the Minnesota Twins, spending time outdoors, and watching her children?s many sporting events.

Music grad touring Asia, Africa with U.S. Air Force band

SDSU alumnus Daniel Weber is participating in a U.S. Air Force musical tour across Asia and Africa.

Weber, a native of Alexandria, received his bachelor?s degree in music education from SDSU in 1988. He entered the U.S. Air Force Central Command Band and became a member of the Falcon Band.

?Playing the saxophone has been good to me,? Weber said. ?I enjoyed the first four years (in the Air Force band) so much that four years quickly turned into 20 years!?

Weber entered SDSU as an alto saxophonist. Former Music Department Head Corliss Johnson remembers him as a ?hard worker? and a ?bright young man.?

?He is a real credit to SDSU?s music program,? said Johnson, who directed Weber in the department?s Jazz Ensemble.

?Danny was one of our real integral students. He played in every top instrumental ensemble, including the Symphonic Band and the Jazz Ensemble 1 and was influential within the program. A lot of kids wanted to do what he was doing.?

The Falcon Band is comprised of 10 airmen musicians from the Heartland of America Band based at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. Weber has toured with them throughout four continents.

The band recently kicked off a 60-day tour throughout Southwest Asia and the Horn of Africa to positively promote troop morale, diplomacy and outreach to host nations.

Researchers awarded grants from Board of Regents

Assistant Professors Omathanu Perumal and Youngjae You received competitive research grants from the South Dakota Board of Regents.

Omathanu Perumal, assistant professor of pharmacy, received grant money for his work in zein nanoparticles for drug delivery applications.

Nanoparticles are small sub-micron particles that are promising carriers for targeting drugs to tumor cells.

?The findings from this study will help us prepare grant proposals to the National Institutes of Health to use drug-loaded, zein nanoparticles to fight cancer,? said Perumal.

Youngjae You, assistant professor of organic/medicinal chemistry, was awarded funding for his work in ?Novel Drug Delivery Strategy: Visible/Near IR-controlled Drug Release.? 

?My research spans the identification, design and synthesis of small molecules for medical and biological applications,? You said. 

His work focuses on developing new photosensitizers, an emerging cancer treatment, that is ?highly selective and relatively non-toxic compared to current therapeutics.? 

The competitive grants serve to enhance research capabilities and capacities of state universities and increase the role of university research in South Dakota?s economic development. 

Since 2004, South Dakota has awarded university faculty grants to support individual research projects. The grants, which total nearly $500,000, are part of the state?s prolonged efforts to become a recognized leader in research and technology development. 

Six grants were awarded in 2008 to provide funding for one year of research. The grants? ultimate purpose is to fund research that has commercial potential and will bring new programs and resources to state universities.

Omathanu Perumal

Youngjae You

Thaler returns to roles as professor and swine specialist

Animal and Range Sciences Department Head Bob Thaler has announced plans to return to his first professional passion as a professor of animal science and an extension swine specialist. He will leave his role as department head July 1.  

A national search will begin immediately to fill the position of department head, according to Gary Lemme, dean of the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences. 

Doug McFarland has been appointed interim department head. McFarland was named a distinguished professor in 2007. He has been a member of the Department of Animal and Range Sciences since 1986 and has led the department?s efforts in muscle cell biology. He is the departmental liaison with the South Dakota poultry industry and coordinator of the animal and range science graduate program. McFarland has served on the faculty advisory committee and the animal and range science management team.

During his tenure, the department developed a strategic plan to meet the diverse needs of South Dakota?s livestock industry, while becoming a national center of excellence in meat science and pre- and post-weaning ruminant nutrition.

Thaler will develop collaborative relationships with the U.S. Pork Center and foster continued scientific exchanges with the Chinese Agricultural University in Beijing. 

A native of South Dakota, Thaler received his Ph.D. at Kansas State University and master?s and bachelor?s degrees at SDSU.  

Bob Thaler

Doug McFarland

Newsline Inserts

?Newsline? will print every other week during the summer. The next issue will come out June 23.

To publicize an event or congratulations on ?Newsline,? please submit information by the preceding Thursday at 2 p.m. to Kyle Johnson, kyle.johnson@sdstate.edu or Jeanne Jones Manzer, jeanne.jonesmanzer@sdstate.edu.

Position Announcements

FACULTY/EXEMPT 

EXTENSION BEEF FEEDLOT SPECIALIST/ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ? ANIMAL & RANGE SCIENCES. Deadline: Open until filled (review of applications begin June 10).

RESEARCH ASSISTANT ? ETHEL AUSTIN MARTIN PROGRAM. Deadline: June 13.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DESIGNER/ARTIST ? VISUAL ARTS.
Deadline: June 16.

PROJECT MANAGER/ENGINEER ? FACILITIES AND SERVICES.
Deadline: June 16.

WOODWINDS INSTRUCTOR, JAZZ ENSEMBLE DIRECTOR ? MUSIC. Deadline: June 22.

ACADEMIC PROGRAM COORDINATOR ? CAPITAL UNIVERSITY CENTER, PIERRE. Deadline: June 27.

INSTRUCTOR ? PHYSICS. Deadline: July 1.

INTEGRATED SYSTEMS LIBRARIAN ? BRIGGS LIBRARY. Deadline: July 7.

DEAN ? COLLEGE OF PHARMACY. Deadline: August 1.

RESEARCH COORDINATOR ? ETHEL AUSTIN MARTIN PROGRAM IN HUMAN NUTRITION. Deadline: Open until filled.

CAREER SERVICE

PURCHASING ASSISTANT ? PURCHASING. Deadline: June 9.

POLICY DATA/ANALYST ? GRANTS ADMINISTRATIION. Deadline: June 10. (This is posted as promotional and limited to permanent employees of Grants Administration).

HEATING PLANT TECHNICIAN ? FACILITIES & SERVICES. Deadline: June 15.

SENIOR BUILDING MAINTENANCE WORKER ? UNIVERSITY HOUSING. Deadline: June 18.

PROGRAM ASSISTANT I ? ROSEBUD EXTENSION OFFICE ? MISSION. Deadline: Open until filled.

FACILITY WORKER (part-time) - STUDENT UNION & ACTIVITIES. Deadline: Open until filled.

FACILITY WORKER - UNIVERSITY HOUSING. Deadline: Open until filled.