SDSU Professor Saves the Day!

Argus Leader:

For one day last month in Antarctica, professor Jihong Cole-Dai's ability to speak Chinese was more crucial than his vast knowledge of chemistry.

The South Dakota State University professor was conducting research Jan. 7 when the U.S.-operated South Pole station received a distress call that an engineer on a Chinese team had become seriously ill while crossing eastern Antarctica.

That's when Cole-Dai, one of three members of an SDSU team, switched roles from researcher to interpreter to help save the man's life.