Spearfish, S.D. – The Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead and Black Hills State University (BHSU) in Spearfish are partnering in a $4.5 million project to convert the Jonas Science building on the BHSU campus into a facility to complement SURF's education efforts in Lead.
SURF is owned and operated by the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA), which donated $2.5 million to the project. That money will came from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford's gift of $70 million, which the SDSTA used to convert the former Homestake gold mine into a world leading underground research laboratory.
Sanford directed that part of his donation be used for education. "Denny Sanford is committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers," said SDSTA Board Chairman Casey Peterson. "Black Hills State University already plays a key role in our education programs, and this project will strengthen that partnership."
Peterson also emphasized that education and outreach programs in Lead would continue, including a proposal to partner with the Lead Chamber of Commerce for a joint visitor center on Main Street.
Former BHSU President Kay Schallenkamp said the university would match the Sanford donation with $2 million from the Higher Education Facility Fund and other sources. "We are very appreciative of the generous gift by Mr. Sanford," Schallenkamp said. "Having this world-class science laboratory in our backyard has created new research opportunities for our faculty and students across a variety of disciplines."
The new facility will be a branch of the Sanford Science Education Center, which also will have facilities at the SURF in Lead. Faculty at the science education center at BHSU will conduct research on teaching and learning, support the training of current and future science teachers, develop and test educational materials and develop courses featuring underground research at SURF. The campus center also will be linked to the underground lab by videoconferencing units, and it will include displays for visitors to the campus. "It's another way we are creating innovative educational possibilities for our students and transforming the lives of both the students who attend BHSU, and the youth they will go on to teach," Schallenkamp said.
At Black Hills State University, contact:
BHSU Marketing and Communications
605.642.6215
Marketing@BHSU.edu