The Yates Shaft and administration buildings at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) on a cold morning in February of 2024. This shot was taken twenty years after the establishment of the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority.
The South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA) is celebrating its 20th anniversary. SDSTA owns and operates the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF). The authority was created by state lawmakers and signed into state statute by then Governor Mike Rounds during the 2004 legislative session.
Over the last two decades, SURF has come to be recognized as America’s Underground Science Laboratory. The facility will provide a $2 billion dollar economic impact to the state of South Dakota this decade. SURF’s impact extends globally; the facility keeps the United States competitive with other nations who are racing to capitalize on breakthroughs in underground research.
Rounds, who now serves as a U.S. Senator for South Dakota, was among the state and congressional leaders who made possible the creation of the SDSTA.
“While working as governor, I was pleased to play a role in the conversion of the Homestake Gold Mine into this world-class research facility,” said Rounds. “The work at SURF has brought international recognition to our state, and it provides an opportunity for our young people to associate with some of the greatest minds in the scientific community. I look forward to seeing additional opportunities for international collaboration and continued support from our great partners at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as the scientific community across both the country and world."
One member of the scientific community who supported the creation of SURF is Dr. Kevin Lesko, a physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He advocated in Pierre for establishing the SDSTA. Lesko credits Rounds and other political leaders in the state, for forging the path to build what has become the deepest underground laboratory in the United States.
“I remember testifying to the state legislature back in 2004. Some were making it seem like it would be easy to achieve approval for a new laboratory. I was concerned that this optimism was eclipsing the significant effort that would be required to create the lab. I sought out then Governor Rounds in his office in the state capitol. I was surprised and pleased that he invited me into his office without an appointment. He then listened to my concerns. The approachability of all of South Dakota’s elected officials is exceptional. That visit to Rounds’ office was the start of a productive working relationship and friendship over the past 20 years with both Senator Rounds and South Dakota,” Lesko said.
Rounds went on to announce the first SDSTA board of directors in August of 2004. Casey Peterson was among those named to the initial board roster. Peterson continues to serve today as board chair. He gives praise to all those who came together to create and maintain America’s Underground Laboratory, including Lesko and other leaders in the scientific community who worked alongside state leaders, like Mike Rounds, former governors Bill Janklow and Dennis Daugaard, and current governor Kristi Noem.
“The scientists who encouraged the State of South Dakota to acquire the underground infrastructure, the state leaders who achieved this major accomplishment, and the philanthropy of T. Denny Sanford made SURF possible. The individuals who created the SDSTA were visionaries, and they deserve great credit for their foresight. They should take pride in the establishment of a scientific laboratory that has become the premier space for underground research in the world,” Peterson said.
Senator Rounds credits the hard work of many individuals, including local and state political leaders who joined with South Dakota’s congressional delegation, and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, to create SURF.
“The Sanford Underground Research Facility is a great example of cooperation among the local, state, and federal governments, along with individual scientists. It would not be here today without support from so many individuals who believed in the need for research to be completed in our state,” Rounds said.
The history of both SDSTA and SURF are still being written. Multinational scientific projects located at SURF, such as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) which is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, have lifespans measured in decades.
“We are proud of the hard work of the individuals who launched the SDSTA and helped SURF get where it is today; we are also excited about the future. SURF will continue to have a major impact on the state and local economy while advancing world class scientific research and providing education opportunities for our children for many, many years to come,” said Mike Headley, SDSTA executive director and laboratory director at SURF.
