BHSU leads $8M NSF grant project in South Dakota

The funding is part of the NSF’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research through its new Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems Research Infrastructure Improvement Program.

The four-year project aims to create educational pathways that encourage young learners in South Dakota, particularly those in rural areas, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. By engaging STEM researchers, K-12 teachers and students, the initiative seeks to develop a workforce pipeline and potentially serve as a national model for linking remote communities with STEM education opportunities.

“We are deeply honored to have received one of NSF’s first ever grants of this type,” said Ben Sayler, director of CAMSE and lead principal investigator of the project. “This project is ultimately about getting more South Dakota youth to become excited about STEM, to believe they are capable of contributing within STEM fields, to pursue more STEM learning opportunities in school, and to be well supported for success in STEM.”

The initiative involves a wide network of collaborating institutions, including Oglala Lakota College, the University of South Dakota, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, Augustana University, Northern State University, Sinte Gleska University, Sisseton Wahpeton College, the Sanford Underground Research Facility and the South Dakota Discovery Center. Together, they aim to foster a sustainable STEM education network across the state, officials said.

The E-CORE RII program, established in response to the 2022 “Envisioning the Future of NSF EPSCoR” report and the “CHIPS and Science Act of 2022,” seeks to enhance the research capacity and infrastructure within EPSCoR-eligible states.

“By boosting their state’s R&D capabilities, these teams are poised to drive use-inspired research and transform STEM education and workforce development within their regions,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan.

South Dakota, along with New Hampshire and Maine, was among just three states to secure this competitive funding, with each receiving about $8 million, marking a total NSF investment of approximately $24 million in the projects.