GENETICS, DARK MATTER, AND EDUCATION: BHSU RESEARCH INITIATIVES AT SANFORD UNDERGROUND RESEARCH FACILITY
Black Hills State University's proximity to the Sanford Underground Research Facility at Homestake combined with a high level of interest among faculty and staff has created numerous collaborative projects not only in science but also in science education and across the disciplines. Students at BHSU have already had the opportunity to participate in ground-breaking research and are poised to maximize future opportunities as they emerge.
BHSU's activity at the Sanford Lab is another way to create innovative educational opportunities for students. The Kathryn Johnson Life Sciences Laboratory at BHSU is a new state-of-the-art science building on campus that provides classroom and laboratory space to accommodate our rapidly increasing number of science students and makes lab space available for visiting researchers.
Enthusiasm about the Sanford Lab extends throughout the BHSU campus. Students and faculty from a wide range of disciplines are involved in initiatives related to the Sanford Lab. As plans for the lab move forward, the BHSU/Sanford activity is developing in:
Science researchin the fields of microbiology, physics, and other areas;
Science educationincluding the development of a world-class Sanford Center for Science Education; and
Myriadother initiativesranging from mass communications to business to history.
Mike Headley, Executive Director for South Dakota Science and Technology Authority
The Sanford lab has had a strong relationship with BHSU for a number of years in this area of education and outreach. And one of the reasons for that has been the relationships that BHSU has developed with school districts around the state. It's really- it's a great partnership we've had, really amazing working relationship with BHSU. And being able to leverage that really helps us share the science with kids all over the state.
June Apaza, Director of Education & Outreach for Sanford Unground Research Facility
We have field trips that we offer to students who are able to come and visit the lab. It's a great resource for schools and teachers and students who are close to us and are able to come up to the lab.
Kim Webber, Curriculum Specialist for Rapid City area schools
There are presentations that staff from the lab come out and give to the schools to really make that connection between the research going on at the Sanford lab.
June Apaza, Director of Education & Outreach for Sanford Unground Research Facility
We have developed curriculum units that span the curriculum from third grade through twelfth grade, and a curriculum unit has somewhere between six and twelve hours of science content in it. The science content is also directly related to the science that's happening at Sanford lab.
Kim Webber, Curriculum Specialist for Rapid City area schools
It gives teachers the opportunity to use materials that are already put together for them in kits and lessons that have been crafted, and make it easier for them to give their students those opportunities for real science experiments. I think that the Sanford lab really gives a lot of tools for teachers and students. When they have the opportunity to design and carry out experiments, it's just been really rewarding to see them so active in their learning and carrying out science like scientists do.
June Apaza, Director of Education & Outreach for Sanford Unground Research Facility
We've had overwhelmingly positive reception by the teachers and students who we're providing services to. Students are very, very excited to have someone new come in and talk about something they've never heard of before, and they're intrigued by the science, and they're intrigued by the idea of working a mile underground. And they have all kinds of questions about how does all of this work.
Lynn Arnold, Support Teacher for Sanford Underground Research Facility
One presentation I did where I thought, "Oh, I wonder how that went..." and they said, "Oh, this is more fun than recess!" And so I thought, "Okay, that made it worth it." That doesn't usually happen and there's a great deal of enthusiasm.
Mike Headley, Executive Director for South Dakota Science and Technology Authority
The Sanford lab is a world-class facility. We're doing some of the most cutting-edge research in the world on some of the most fundamental questions of how the universe is put together. And so, our education and outreach program is really focused on sharing the excitement and the science that's behind all the work that we're doing with many different groups- with adult learners, K-12 students, and really trying to share what we do with really, I think a focus of trying to get kids excited about science and math. It's really important that we utilize this resource to be able to share this with our kids and help them be able to grow in their education, and advance how we teach science and math here in this state.