An Augustana scientific research project conducted this summer will provide local yeast strains for a local brewing company co-owned by an Augie alumnus.

Augustana University senior Natalie Walter, a native of Rochester, Minnesota, spent the summer volunteering at the Cape Coast University Hospital in Ghana and doing a project for the Public Health Program in Dodowa. We caught up with her to learn more about her experiences.

From exploring cancer pathways, to laser spectroscopy, to beer – yes, beer, Augustana students spent the summer gaining invaluable hands-on experience and personal perspective by participating in undergraduate research, internships, and volunteer opportunities on campus and in labs and centers across the U.S. Learn more about this important work, organized by the University’s Natural Science Division and supported through agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (BRIN), the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), the Sanford Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR), the Avera Genomics Institute, and more. 

Augustana University, in partnership with the South Dakota Department of Education, the CEEDAR Center, and Learners Edge, is offering four free online, on-demand workshops on various “Features of Effective Instruction” to support literacy development in inclusive classrooms to K-12 teachers in South Dakota.

To say Leah Hiller has had an interesting year is, well, just a ridiculous understatement. Last summer,  the 2015 Augustana grad swallowed her fears, said her good-byes, and boarded a plane bound for the Marshall Islands, a collection of 29 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii and near the equator. She spent the next 11 months living on the Island of Tobal – a tropical place with no running water, no plumbing and solar-powered electricity – teaching second through eighth graders through an organization called WorldTeach, a nonprofit dedicated to providing volunteer teachers to developing countries.

Augustana is again ranked in Forbes' listing of "America's Top Colleges," a ranking of the top 660 colleges in the U.S. The ranking, Forbes says, correlates directly to value.

"It is our answer to the debate over whether higher education is worth it: For these outstanding institutions, we give a resounding yes." — Forbes Report Methodology

While he calls the U.S. home, Associate Professor Dr. Patrick Hicks, Augustana's writer-in-residence, is also an Irish citizen who has traveled and studied extensively throughout Europe. Following Britain's vote to leave the European Union, Hicks visited with regional reporters to share his thoughts about the possible ramifications of Brexit upon both the United Kingdom and other European nations.

Ready to Launch is built in collaboration with the Collaborative Legal Incubator Program (CLIP), an initiative designed to train lawyers in small and/or independent firms on the details of running a business.

A documentary feature titled "Brotherhood of Basketball," created by Nate Burdine and Jolene Loetscher of Mud Mile Communications, commemorating the 2016 Augustana University men's basketball National Championship is set to air on Midco Sports Network on Wednesday, June 15.