Sixty-four students presented their research with poster projects at the Precision Connect 2025 event held at Raven Precision Agriculture Center.
BROOKINGS, S.D. — Nov. 19, 2025 — South Dakota State University undergraduates showcased their agriculture industry internship experiences at Precision Connect 2025.
Students in two departments within the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering participated: the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and the Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science. Sixty-four students displayed posters summarizing their internships and senior design projects and presented them to event visitors, lining the atrium corridors of Raven Precision Agriculture Center.
“Precision Connect 2025 showcased the power of collaboration between our students and industry partners,” Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Klingbeil Endowed Department Head and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, said. “It was a great and successful event.”
Following the poster presentations, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering alumnus Kent Klemme presented the keynote address, “Discover and Engineer the Future,” to the interns along with more than 30 additional students and guests. “It was inspiring to see over 90 students share their hands-on experiences and to hear Kent Klemme’s inspiring talk,” Muthukumarappan added.
Karen Sanguinet, Klingbeil Endowed Department Head and Professor in the Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science, noted the students gained valuable experience that will benefit them in their studies as well as future careers.
“It was wonderful to see students showcase their internship experiences at Precision Connect as it clearly has shaped them and many have been offered job opportunities as a result,” she said. “Kent Klemme’s career journey and reflections during the keynote address were inspiring for the students and faculty alike.”
Later in the evening, the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering celebrated its 100th anniversary with a banquet at Club 71, recognizing past and present department leaders, faculty, alumni and students. Klemme was again the keynote speaker, presenting “Driving the Future of Agriculture.” Additional speakers were Dana Porter, professor from Texas A&M University, who is the past president of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers; Luke Gordon, 2025 SDSU graduate in agricultural systems technology; and Maria Lee, the Century of ABE Scholarship recipient and an SDSU junior majoring in precision agriculture.
