BHSU Geek Speak lecture to address economic boom and bust around Black Hills uranium mining

geekspeak

BHSU faculty presenting at Geek Speak lecture series in Spring 2016. Upcoming lecture will host Dr. Lilias Jarding from Clean Water Alliance, who will start a discussion surrounding uranium mining in the Black Hills, its impact, and major modern concerns related to mining in the next Geek Speak lecture Thursday, Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. in Jonas Hall, room 110 at BHSU.

Uranium exploration, mining, and milling have taken place in the Black Hills from the 1950s to the present. The upcoming Black Hills State University Geek Speak lecture welcomes a uranium industry expert to start a discussion surrounding uranium mining in the Black Hills, its impact, and major modern concerns related to mining.

Jarding's presentation "Uranium Mining in the Black Hills: An Explosion of Public Interest" will take place Thursday, Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. in Jonas Hall, room 110. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Lilias Jarding from Clean Water Alliance has researched uranium mining and tracked the uranium industry for over 35 years. Her passion for the topic comes from concern for the water in the semi-arid Black Hills region.

"Where there is uranium mining, there is water contamination and substantial water use, so this issue has been the subject of long-term controversy in our semi-arid region," says Jarding.

Major modern issues revolving around uranium mining include the current exploration boom, new and proposed mines, and the hundreds of unreclaimed mines and prospects in western South Dakota.

"Many people in the Black Hills area-particularly in the northern Black Hills-aren't aware of the history of uranium mining, the current situation, or both," says Jarding.

According to Jarding, people take different sides when it comes to uranium mining.

"Here, as in other locations, uranium mining has brought both economic boom and economic bust," adds Jarding. "I'm very pleased to bring this issue to Black Hills State University and facilitate an informative conversation."

The Geek Speak lecture series, sponsored by the BHSU University Honors program, features academic discussion and topics not normally discussed in the traditional classroom. The goal of the weekly lectures is to expose students to diversity within the disciplines.

For more information, contact Dr. Courtney Huse Wika, director of the University Honors Program and assistant professor of English, at 605-642-6918 or email Courtney.HuseWika@BHSU.edu.

In addition to the on-campus presentations, some Geek Speaks will also be presented at the Jacket Zone store in downtown Spearfish. The first Geek Speak to be presented at the store, "Recycling Perceptions," will take place Sept. 22 at 11 a.m.

The following on-campus Geek Speak presentations, which are held Thursdays at 4 p.m. in Jonas Hall, room 110, are scheduled for this semester:

  • Sept.  15, "Dangerous Minds:  Banned Books and their Authors," a panel discussion with Scott Ahola, associate library director, Rich Loose, director of institutional research, Amber Wilde, E. Y. Berry Library-Learning Center circulation librarian, and Shana Monnens, youth services director at Grace Balloch Memorial Library
  • Sept. 22, "Recycling Perceptions," Hailima Yates, program assistant I, BHSU University Advancement

Also presented at the Jacket Zone store in downtown Spearfish, Sept. 22, at 11 a.m.
  • Sept. 29, "United Farm Workers:  Sharing in the Bounty," Dr. Timothy Martinez, professor of political science
  • Oct. 6, "LGBTQ+: Fleshing Out the Acronym," open discussion with Dr. William Cockrell, instructor of behavioral sciences, Dr. Lesleigh Owen, instructor of Sociology, and Terri Bruce, community member
  • Oct. 13, "I'm Like, Who Needs This Grammar Stuff?" Dr. Andrey Reznikov, associate professor of English
  • Oct. 20, "999 Mona Lisas in the Age of Digital Reproduction:  A Tribute to the Life & Work of Walter Benjamin," Dr. Tim Steckline, professor of speech
  • Oct. 27, "Lawyers, Home Runs, and Money: The Long and Ongoing Corruption of Professional Baseball, America's Past-its-Time," Dr. David Cremean, professor of English
  •  Nov. 3, "Are We All Related? Race and the Embrace of The Other," Jace DeCory, assistant professor of history and American Indian Studies, and Dr. Tim Steckline, professor of speech
  • Nov. 10, "Violence Against Native Women Occurring at Epidemic Rates. What is Being Done?" Dr.  Nikki Dragone, assistant professor of English
  • Nov. 17, "Supersymmetry, Superstrings and the quest for the Theory Of Everything," Dr. Parthasarathi Nag, professor of math
  • TBA:  The University Honors Student Capstone Defenses