Dakota State University

Dr. Shengjie Xu

AI Lab Director

Talk of artificial intelligence, or AI, is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society.

AI is defined as intelligence demonstrated by machines, and “the good use of AI can offer many optimized solutions (that we were not able to offer before) to challenging technological problems and move our society forward,” said Dr. Shengjie Xu, Assistant Professor of Computer & Cyber Sciences in The Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences.

AI can help in many critical areas, Xu said, such as advanced wireless communications (5G and beyond), robotics & manufacturing, smart cities, general education, and many others.

“AI can greatly improve efficiencies of workplaces and can augment the workforce. In STEM fields, students, researchers, practitioners and many others can apply the cutting-edge AI technologies to make creative applications for the public good.”

But, as with any technology, it is a double-edged sword, with ethical issues surrounding AI and its applications. These issues need “to be addressed by a collective of wisdom formed by people from many disciplines,” said Xu, such as computer science, statistics, business management, linguistics, psychology, criminal justice, journalism, and many others.

“Many organizations are promoting Trustworthy AI. The idea of Trustworthy AI is that AI and its applications should be lawful, ethical, and robust,” he explained.

Xu is now head of one of the newest research units in the Madison Cyber Labs (MadLabs), the AI lab, working on cutting-edge AI research projects.

These academic and research options benefit students, Xu said, because “our students learn not only theoretical knowledge from the textbooks, but also practical hands-on skill sets that are very critical to today’s job market. It is a blessing to see our talented students become very competitive.”

DSU's leadership and research teams also offer him opportunities and support in research and teaching.

“Many of my colleagues at DSU are very professional and talented, and I learn a lot from them to improve my teaching and research skills.” - Dr. Shengjie Xu

He is also involved with professional organizations including the IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

“Serving as an editorial board member (on international journals) takes my professional work to a new level,” Xu said. “As a professor, we have our daily routines of teaching, research, and service. As an editor of a journal, I am serving to discover innovative and high-quality research discoveries that will be impactful to the research community.”

AI Lab at Madison Cyber Labs

Laura Biagi '11

Elementary Education (BSE)

When Laura Biagi came to Madison, SD, she played softball for the DSU Trojans and started her journey towards becoming a teacher.

After graduating with a BSE in Elementary Education in 2011, Biagi began her career as a first grade teacher in Brandon, SD. After teaching first grade for a year, then she got a job as a third grade teacher at Chester Area School in Chester, SD, where she currently teaches fourth grade.

“I really liked the hands-on approach in the education program. DSU let me get into the real classroom many times, prior to student teaching. It’s a whole new world when you’re in the classroom for lengthy amount of time. You get a great experience,” Biagi said.

That great experience can be found within the Elementary Education program in the College of Education at Dakota State. This nationally accredited program gives future educators a chance to use cutting-edge technology and instills in them a desire for lifelong learning.

It also equips educators with knowledge and skills to make a difference in the lives of students, as well as field experiences and a year-long student teaching residency that prepares them for the real classroom by providing them with classroom management and delivery skills.

“I was able to student teach in Iowa and I’m grateful that it was for a lengthy amount of time. I was really able to get a feel for what it’s like to be in the classroom with 20+ kids,” she said, “Some things cannot be taught in a college course, there are many things aspiring teachers need to experience firsthand.”

Biagi also credits DSU faculty for building relationships amongst their students and helping them achieve success. She specifically credits Dr. Mark Hawkes, Dean of Graduate studies, and Dr. Crystal Pauli, Dean of the College of Education, for helping her on her journey to becoming a teacher.

“Dr. Pauli was someone you could approach with any concerns. I truly believe that her relationship with students made me a better teacher,” she said.

In addition to the educational experience, Biagi also enjoyed opportunities to be involved in many activities on the DSU campus, as well as meeting new friends. Biagi and her husband, Greg, live in Madison with their four children.

Elementary Education (BSE)

Jessica Dawson '21

Master of Science in Educational Technology (MSET)

Jessica Dawson was drawn to Dakota State for the small class sizes, technology integration, and outstanding Math education program.

“I love that DSU has these things. It allows for a real-life, in-classroom experiences and opportunities.”

Dawson, who graduated from Dakota State with a bachelor’s in Secondary Mathematics Education in 2018 is a current 5th grade math teacher at the Madison Elementary School. While earning her bachelor’s, she heard about the Master of Science in Educational Technology (MSET) program.

After graduating, she knew the MSET program would be the next step in following her dream to become an educational leader.

“My hope is to be able to incorporate technology into my classroom to not only engage students, but to also empower them,” said Dawson.

The MSET program is an online program specifically catered towards working educators and teachers. It equips teachers with leadership skills, increases their awareness and appreciation for being a lifelong learner, and improves their knowledge on how to integrate educational technology into learning environments more effectively.

For Dawson, being enrolled in this program allows her to be a part of the conversations involving classroom technology integration. It also broadened her horizons in a multitude of facets including technology integration, visual design, distance learning, research and evaluation on tech tools, and much more.

“Technology is a big part of education. As more schools move to students being one-to-one with devices, it’s important that teachers are educated on how powerful these devices are,” she said, “We want to transform learning to bring students opportunities they wouldn’t have without technology.”

All the educational technology learned through the MSET can be used to engage and empower students. For Dawson, the program also helped her meet professors, classmates, and friends, who share classroom ideas.

The program also lets her earn a master’s degree, while working full-time.

“I’m still able to be a full-time teacher and graduate student at the same time. I work on my studies anytime, anywhere.”

While earning her bachelor’s degree, Dawson was part of the STEM Institute, was a student ambassador, and members of the National Society of Leadership and Success, the Center of Excellence minor, and a member and Vice President of the Teachers of Tomorrow club.

Dawson will graduate with her MSET degree in the spring of 2021.

Master of Science in Educational Technology (MSET)

Mostafa Haque '16

Computer Game Design (BS)

Mostafa Haque is using his DSU education to advance his game design career to the next level.

Haque is a Game Designer for Haiku Games, working on their “Adventure Escape” franchise for mobile, but in the next 5 or 10 years, he wants to be a Creative Director/Lead Designer on a Triple A game. (In the computer game design world, Triple A games are like movie blockbusters.)

This is not an easy task, as computer game design has a reputation for being a difficult field to break into, and to advance through. By having a goal and a quality education, Haque has a good game plan for success.

A 2016 graduate in computer game design, Haque credits courses such as Game Narratives and Contemporary Mythology, along with Dr. Justin Blessinger's poetry course, as helping him define his own style as a game designer.

The year-long Game Projects course, which was the culmination of DSU’s Game Design undergraduate program, “was definitely what got me into my master's degree program at New York University,” he said. He graduated from NYU in 2018 with a Master of Fine Arts degree in game design.

DSU’s small classroom sizes helped him get personalized feedback from instructors, but he learned important life lessons outside DSU’s classroom, too.

Working in Residence Life gave him the work ethic to succeed in his completely unrelated career field. Helping manage the International Club for several years honed his people skills. “I am able to set more reasonable deadlines, and manage expectations better because of that experience,” he said.

A native of Bangladesh, he made friends with people from all over the world through the International Club. “Learning about other cultures and practices definitely made me a more open-minded individual,” Haque said.

He also developed strong friendships during his time at DSU.

“I still hangout regularly with the core friend group I made in my DSU years. I consider them my absolute best friends.” - Mostafa Haque '16

Computer Game Design (BS)

Kalee Crandall '24

PhD in Information Systems

A PhD in Information Systems (IS) is advantageous for students in a variety of fields. The College of Business and Information Systems degree includes three specializations --analytics, security, or healthcare – but is practical for any number of careers.

Online PhD IS student Kalee Crandall is earning her degree to enhance her career in school counseling.

“There is an expectation for school counselors to use data to inform decision-making and implement the most effective strategies to ensure student success,” Crandall said. “The program at DSU will enable me to research best practices and techniques of system design and data management, to support school counselors and advance both the school counseling and IS field.”

Crandall did extensive research prior to choosing DSU and found DSU to be superior to all of the schools she looked at, noting the impressive faculty with a wide range of backgrounds and research interests, she shared.

Crandall is especially thankful for her experience working with Dr. Cherie Noteboom, her adviser in the program.

“Before beginning the program she took the time to meet with me, asked about my educational goals, and helped me plan my courses and timeline accordingly,” Crandall said. “She frequently checks in to see how I’m doing and sends reminders about upcoming deadlines, potential opportunities, and other important information. These frequent check-ins have helped motivate and keep me on track.”

As coordinator for the PhD in IS, Noteboom is a point of contact and support person for students throughout the process, from applying for admission through graduation. Noteboom assists with recruitment support, research knowledge acquisition, and retention efforts.

“I have formed research networks with our PhD IS graduates and IS researchers and created networks with the IS professional organizations,” she said.

PhD IS students can gain experience through Graduate Assistantships where they are able to work directly with IS faculty on teaching, research, and service projects. This includes publishing research.

Noteboom, along with the rest of the IS faculty, successfully publish with their graduates each year.

“We actively encourage students to publish at regional, national, and international conferences and continue to evolve conference work into journal publications,” she said.

These efforts help build the reputation of the PhD IS, the College of BIS, and Dakota State. The program, which is highly competitive, generally has 80 students. “We continue to see higher application rates,” Noteboom explained. “DSU now has four PhD programs and is rising in recognition for successful doctoral programs.”

Crandall is excited to continue her education at DSU, choosing DSU so she will receive a high-quality education from a state institution, have time to fulfill her other responsibilities, and attend a school that gives her the tools and support needed to be successful.

“If these things are also important to you, I’d highly recommend DSU's IS PhD program,” she shared.

Josh Snook '22

Business Management (AS), Accounting (BBA)

“I loved the family feel that came with the university,” Josh Snook said. “A lot of bigger campuses can cause you to get lost, whereas DSU really reaches out and makes everyone included.”

A business management and accounting major from Yate, Bristol, England, Snook is a student athlete and Campus Watch employee.

From athletics to the classroom, Snook appreciates the support he receives at DSU. Faculty members like Scott Richardson have made an impact on his time here. “His interest in where I am from is what initially connected me with Mr. Richardson,” Snook said, “but his constant reaching out and care for my well-being is what grew the relationship.”

Some of Snook’s favorite experiences at DSU so far involves his participation in athletics. He was recruited as a sprinter. As part of the track team, Snook has earned back-to-back indoor track conference titles. “The team effort and resilience to do it back-to-back was something great to be a part of,” he said.

This fall he also joined the football team and is glad he has expanded his activities on campus, something he recommends to other students as well. “There are so many opportunities out there to suit a wide range of interests,” he said. “Even if there’s not something that initially interests you, try it anyway. I would have never thought I would be playing American football, let alone making so many new lifelong relationships.”

Additionally, Snook has added to and strengthened relationships with those on campus by working as security member of Campus Watch, a safety program at DSU in which two student employees patrol the campus Tuesday through Sunday evenings to provide assistance.

“Participating in activities is what calmed my nerves about being so far from home,” he shared.

Snook recommends all students get involved in activities, adding that it completes the university experience. There are many opportunities that suit a wide variety of interests and can help students find new hobbies and make friends.

He is thankful for Dakota State’s many courses, majors, clubs, and organizations that help students find their interests and passions.

Snook is excited to continue his track and field career at DSU and hopes to obtain a graduate position in England after graduation.

Business Managment (AS)

Accounting (BBA)