By Scout Nelson
South Dakota State University played an important role in Gary and Terry Lemme time at SDSU, it introduced them to research, education, and each other, helping shape their future careers.
Gary and Terry are described as “a couple of humble farm kids that came to the big school.” They met in Hansen Hall while studying agriculture. Their undergraduate research experiences became another major part of their lives.
Terry Lemme grew up on a family farm near Yankton, South Dakota. While she was an undergraduate student, Robert Pengra, an SDSU microbiology professor, invited her to help observe and record bacteria growing on plant roots.
The research experience increased Terry’s interest in the relationship between plants and bacteria. She continued her education at SDSU, earning a master’s degree under Pengra and a doctoral degree under Robert Todd in soil microbiology.
Her graduate research examined microbial activity in soil under different tillage systems and the genetic differences among soil bacteria.
After graduation, Terry worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. She became part of a team that mapped the poultry genome, making poultry the first domesticated animal to have its genome genetically mapped.
She later worked in the private industry and at a hospital, where she studied genetic links to diseases.
“She had a very exciting career,” Gary Lemme said. “It all started as an undergraduate. Dr. Pengra seeing some potential and challenging her to do some independent research.”
Gary Lemme had a different career plan when he was an undergraduate. He grew up near Kiester, Minnesota, and planned to earn a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education before becoming a teacher.
His plans changed when he looked for a summer job and began working with Fred Weston, a professor in the Department of Plant Science, now known as Agronomy, Horticulture, and Plant Science.
The work involved an emerging technology called satellite mapping. Scanners were attached to planes flying into Ellsworth Air Force Base to collect simulated satellite data.
The project showed Gary that crops grown in different soils could produce different electronic spectral signatures.
This experience changed Gary’s career direction. He earned a master’s degree in agronomy from SDSU in 1975 and later earned a Ph.D. in agronomy from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Gary returned to SDSU as a faculty member and received the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences Teacher of the Year award in 1986.
He later held leadership positions at Michigan State University and the University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.
Gary eventually returned to SDSU as dean of the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, now the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.
He later led extension work in Alabama as director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. He also holds the title of Extension Director Emeritus at Auburn University.
Although Gary and Terry followed different career paths, their early research experiences continued to influence their work.
In the early 2000s, they created an endowment to support research projects proposed by undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.
Students can choose a research topic and work with faculty members. The goal is not only to prepare future scientists and teachers but also to help students develop skills that are useful in many careers.
Support from the Lemmes and other donors helps undergraduate students take part in meaningful research.
Over the past 25 years, more than 100 undergraduate students have received funding for research projects. The students represent departments and academic units throughout the college.
For the Lemmes, supporting students is also a way to thank the university that helped shape their lives.
Their time at SDSU gave them education, research experience, and a relationship that changed their futures.
Photo Credit: South Dakota State University
Categories: South Dakota, Education