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History
Mary Elaine DeVries O’Neill was born on June 13, 1950, in Armour, South Dakota, to Ray and Ruby DeVries. She graduated from Corsica High School in 1968 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 1972 and a Master of Science in Geography in 1994, both from South Dakota State University. In 1993, she married Douglas O’Neill.
O’Neill devoted more than four decades to South Dakota State University, building a distinguished career in remote sensing and geospatial science. She began her professional work in 1972 with the Remote Sensing Institute at SDSU, holding various positions until 1989. She subsequently served as Manager of the Office of Remote Sensing in the Engineering Resource Center (1989–2010) and as Program Manager for Remote Sensing at the Water Resources Institute (2010–2013). From 2014 until her retirement in 2013, she was SDView Coordinator with the Water Resources Institute, where she advanced statewide access to geospatial data and satellite imagery.
In addition to her administrative and research leadership, O’Neill was a dedicated educator, serving as an adjunct instructor in geography, engineering technology and management, mathematics, and computer science at SDSU over several decades. She was also a visiting scientist at the USGS EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls in 1993.
O’Neill served as principal investigator for the USGS-funded AmericaView project in South Dakota from 2002 to 2014, strengthening partnerships and infrastructure to support the distribution and use of remote sensing and geospatial technologies. Her work extended internationally and nationally through projects with NASA, the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium, USAID’s Feed the Future Program in Uganda, and collaborative research initiatives in Poland and Israel. She also coordinated South Dakota’s Education Public Access Resource Center (EdPARC) and organized numerous geospatial technology workshops for K–12 educators across the state.
An active participant in international scientific exchange, O’Neill contributed to remote sensing workshops in Nepal, Sudan, Senegal, India, and Bangladesh between 1978 and 1985. Beyond her technical and academic accomplishments, she was instrumental in organizing the Professional Staff Advisory Council at SDSU, establishing representation for non-faculty exempt staff members.
Mary Elaine DeVries O’Neill retired in 2013, leaving a lasting legacy in the advancement of remote sensing, geospatial education, and professional staff leadership at South Dakota State University and beyond.