Research events highlight DSU accomplishments
March 7, 2025 | Jane Utecht
Dakota State University’s rising research efforts will be highlighted at the annual Research Week on March 17-23. Competitions, student research presentations, a cybersecurity conference, and several guest speakers are on the agenda.
“Research Week is a campus-wide celebration of research and creative activity at DSU,” said Dr. Peter Hoesing, associate vice president for Research & Economic Development.
“It is a great opportunity for the campus community – including the general public at key points during the week – to learn about the interests, findings, and broader impacts that DSU researchers produce through our work.”
Hoesing pointed out Research Week events that would be of particular interest to community members:
Monday, March 17 – The third annual Data Analytics Competition, sponsored by Sanford Health. Madhu Gottumukkala, a DSU alumnus and Commissioner of the South Dakota Bureau of Information and Technology, will be one of the judges. He will also speak at the event, which is being held in East Hall 100, with awards and closing ceremony at 4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 18 – More than 90 current doctoral resident students arrive on campus for a week of activities centered on dissertation research in their programs of study in cyber defense and cyber operations. “The faculty want students to connect to DSU through the residency program and to meet and mingle with their faculty and fellow students through intensive cyber security dialogue and peer networking,” said Dr. Mark Hawkes, dean of Graduate Studies. “Reports from year to year tell us that students find the residency experience among the highlights of their doctoral study,” he added.
- Thursday, March 20 -- DSU students and faculty will present results from current research projects at a poster session, from 12:30-2:30 p.m. in the Beacom Collaboration Center and classrooms.
- Friday, March 21 through Sunday, March 23 -- DakotaCon12 takes place. This free cybersecurity conference features numerous speakers, including Baurav Khanna, engineering manager from Cisco, and DSU alumnus Gerald Auger, host of the podcast Simply Cyber, who will speak about “What Game of Thrones can teach us about cybersecurity.” The student competition, Dakota Conquest, takes place on Saturday. Black Hills Information Security is providing business trainings on the weekend.
“We invite stakeholders on campus and around the state, the Madison community and so many other communities where we work, as well as our contracting partners and public officials alike, to join us in celebrating all the ways DSU research is rising,” Hoesing said.