NDSU Office of Research and Creative Activity celebrates faculty excellence

The NDSU Office of Research and Creative Activity (RCA) hosted a celebration for NDSU researchers and scholars who achieved excellence in their respective fields. The Celebration of NDSU Research and Creative Achievement event provided attendees with opportunities to interact with one another and with various VIPs, including NDSU leaders, North Dakota legislators, congressional delegation staff and industry representatives.

Attendees were honored based on their accomplishments last year across a variety of areas:

• American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows

• American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Emerging Leaders Awardee

• American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) 2026 Fellow

• American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) Research Fellow

• Bison Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Awardees

• Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) New Innovator Awardee

• Gunlogson Fund Awardees

• Mpls St. Paul Magazine Design Icon

• National Academy of Inventors Fellows

• ND NASA EPSCoR Awardees

• NDSU Office for Research and Creative Activity (RCA) Fellows

• NDSU Office for Research and Creative Activity (RCA) Research Planning Grant Awardees

• NDSU Office for Research and Creative Activity (RCA) Transformative Research Leadership Awardees

• North Dakota Water Resources Research (NDWRRI) Institute Fellows

• NSF Career Awardees

• PI of a research award that received significant funding in FY25

• Significant presentation, performances, and external recognition

• The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) Functional Materials Distinguished Scientist/Engineer

• Top 2% Most Cited Scientists (both single year and career)

NDSU Interim Vice President for Research Heidi Grunwald hosted the evening. “Thursday’s event was a time to acknowledge the grants won, the papers published, the patents secured, the start-ups created, the artistic works premiered and the students mentored,” she said. “It was a place to encourage, to build a stronger culture of research and to relax, network, and find joy collectively in our peers and our work.”

Featured speaker Todd Pringle, John Deere Advanced Engineering Manager, entrepreneur, and fund investor, recognized the honorees' commitment, sacrifice and perseverance. An NDSU alum, Pringle discussed the importance of NDSU research in strengthening North Dakota workforce development and driving innovation for industries in the state. As a creative element of the evening, fellow alum and NDSU Chief of Staff Jace Beehler led the group in singing NDSU’s school song, “The Yellow and the Green.”

“During the time I served as Associate Vice President for Research and Faculty Development, we hosted a small, end-of-year reception for faculty who had engaged with RCA programming and services,” said Grunwald. “But beyond that, there was no official event that acknowledged the hard work and perseverance of our research and creative scholars. When I began the Interim VPR role, I and the RCA team took the opportunity to scale the event to better recognize our faculty and their many accomplishments.”