This month: Save the date for Bison Bidders Bowl 41 | Submit your nomination for an NDSU Foundation award | NDSU class notes available online | Philanthropy in action | Campus News
Banner: Save the Date | NDSU Foundation

Save the date for Bison Bidders Bowl 41
Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022

You're invited to the 41st Annual Bison Bidders Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, at Delta Hotels by Marriott Fargo. Join us for an elegant evening of philanthropy to support academic scholarships for North Dakota State University students. The evening begins with cocktails and a silent auction at 5 p.m. followed by dinner and the live auction at 6:30 p.m. Registration opens Aug. 18, 2022.

Call for nominations
Submit your nomination for an NDSU Foundation award

There are countless outstanding NDSU alumni and university friends who deserve to be honored for their accomplishments and contributions. The NDSU Foundation strives to recognize excellence through award opportunities and programs. Applications must be completed and submitted by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. Nominations are active for three years. Posthumous nominations are accepted.

NDSU class notes available online
Get updated on your NDSU classmates anytime

Stay in the know and catch up with NDSU alumni online. NDSU obituaries and class notes are updated regularly on NDSU's website.

Philanthropy in action
The Secret Lives of Writers

Writing is often done in isolation, but NDSU's Center for Writers opens doors and invites students to the table. Isabella Anderson '22, an English education major with a minor in history, is the inaugural Chandice Johnson Writing Fellow. As the Chandice Johnson Writing Fellow, Isabella shares her passion for reading, writing, and teaching by engaging students in a dialogue about their assignments and asking questions that help guide them toward a more cohesive, clear, and organized paper.

"So many students come in and are like, 'I'm such a bad writer,' and I'm like, ‘Nobody's a bad writer, it's just some people have better writing skills. You can develop those,'" Isabella said. "Practice makes improvement. It doesn't make perfect, but you will slowly improve as you continue your writing practice."

Learn more about the NDSU Center for Writers and its founder, Chandice Johnson, in the summer issue of the NDSU Foundation Digital Magazine.

Campus news
NDSU develops potato variety now approved for McDonald's World Famous Fries

The most recent potato variety to join the list of approved McDonald’s potato varieties is the Dakota Russet, developed at North Dakota State University by Asunta Thompson, associate professor of plant science and potato breeder.

The Dakota Russet has uniform, blocky tubers, creamy white flesh, and golden russet skin that is well suited for fry applications. The variety produces low sugars, which results in consistent French fry color and less undesired defects like dark ends. Improved fry texture consistency can be attributed to the potatoes' high specific gravity and consistent internal dry matter distribution (solids).

"This is a dream come true," Thompson said. "Having our russet accepted by McDonald's for their french fries is the gold standard we all strive for. Cultivar development takes a team and this difficult achievement would not have been possible without support from the NDSU potato improvement team, potato farmers, and agriculture partners. My goal since returning to NDSU in 2001 was to identify superior cultivars across market types. I focused on earlier maturity which would allow greater opportunity for economic and environmental sustainability for our farmers, while helping address the global challenge of feeding the world."

Learn more about the Dakota Russet on the NDSU news page.

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