Distinguished Engineer
Hometown: Langford
B.S. Engineering Physics ,
M.S. Physics ,
Jerald Tunheim earned his Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University after earning two degrees from South Dakota State College. He began his career at SDSU by becoming as assistant professor of physics and completed his tenure at SDSU as head of the Physics Department. During this time, he was also a visiting scientist at Sandia Corporation in New Mexico and Ames AEC Laboratories in Iowa. For two years, he was dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences and Technology at Eastern Washington University. He returned to South Dakota in 1987 as president of Dakota State University in Madison. Tunhiem was twice named Teacher of the Year at the SDSU College of Engineering, was given the Friend of Education award by the Madison Education Association and has been listed in Who’s Who in American Education, American Men and Women of Science and Oxford’s Who’s Who. He has written several publications and presentations and prepared proposals for the National Science Foundation Systemic Grant in South Dakota.