Research That Makes an Impact
Participants in the REU program at BHSU engage in hands-on research projects that span multiple disciplines, including physics, biology, chemistry, and engineering. These immersive experiences allow students to develop technical skills, learn advanced laboratory techniques, and apply scientific concepts to real-world challenges. Working alongside faculty mentors and collaborating with peers, participants gain insight into the research process from data collection to analysis and interpretation. Each project culminates in a formal presentation, often through posters and publications, giving students the opportunity to share their findings with the scientific community. Below is a collection of previous REU projects that highlight the breadth of topics explored and demonstrate the lasting impact of undergraduate research at BHSU.
| Year | Name | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Archer Sagaskie | Research on titanium samples used in the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment, analyzing cosmogenic activation into scandium isotopes via gamma-ray spectroscopy to establish baseline concentrations for future low-background studies. | |
| 2024 | Haylee Busch | Study on calibrating high-purity germanium detectors using different source geometries, including 3D-printed containers, to improve accuracy in low-background radiation measurements for dark matter experiments at SURF. | |
| 2024 | Zachariah Thomas | Project on automating liquid nitrogen cooling for HPGe detectors using LabVIEW and analyzing Sharpie ink for radioactive content to ensure accurate low-background measurements in dark matter research at SURF. | |
| 2024 | Ashley Marines | Measurement of muon flux in the Davis Cavern at SURF using QuarkNet detectors to assess cosmic ray penetration and improve shielding strategies for sensitive dark matter experiments like LUX-ZEPLIN. | |
| 2024 | Andy Freeman | Underground muon flux experiment conducted beside the LUX-ZEPLIN detector at SURF using a QuarkNet Cosmic Ray Detector, aiming to measure low muon rates over months and provide data for shielding optimization and educational use. | |
| 2024 | Caitlyn Lewis | Study of microbial diversity on rock surfaces at the 244 m level of SURF using 16S rRNA sequencing, analyzing spatial variation in taxa and identifying dominant phyla such as Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria for insights into subsurface microbial ecology. | |
| 2023 | Baily May | Research on the Archers detector, a simulated liquid argon neutrino detector designed to detect both Cherenkov and scintillation photons. It uses TPB-coated PMTs and timing techniques to achieve high photon purity and yield, aiming to improve neutrino detection efficiency. | |
| 2023 | Aaron Flores | Research on the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment, focusing on vacuum safety tests (Rate of Rise), remote monitoring, and future plans for next-generation detectors (XLZD) to improve WIMP detection sensitivity. | |
| 2023 | Anh Rameriz | Study on the LUX-ZEPLIN detector’s neutron tagging efficiency using an AmBe radioisotope. It focuses on calibration methods, data analysis with ROOT, and distinguishing neutron signals from WIMP candidates to improve dark matter detection accuracy. | |
| 2023 | Jaime Cochran | Research on ultra-low background counting for the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter detector, using high-purity germanium detectors to screen samples for radioactive contamination and developing LabVIEW-Python automation for cryogen monitoring in the SOLO system. | |
| 2023 | Steven Williams | Research on computing cohomological Hodge parameters for Calabi-Yau threefolds in Type IIA and Type IIB string theory, exploring their role in unifying General Relativity and the Standard Model through string theory and mirror symmetry. | |
| 2022 | Ava McKeever | Study on culturing bacteria from sediment macroaggregates at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, using sequencing of 16S rRNA genes to analyze microbial diversity and identify species adapted to extreme subterranean environments. | |
| 2022 | Cameron Sandoval | Research on high-purity germanium gamma spectroscopy for the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment, focusing on assaying materials for radioactive contamination, optimizing shielding, and automating SOLO detector operations to improve sensitivity in WIMP searches. | |
| 2022 | David Wells | Research on supplemental neutron shielding for the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter detector, using borated polyethylene and water bricks to reduce neutron backgrounds in the Time Projection Chamber and improve WIMP detection sensitivity. | |
| 2022 | Michael Dubray | Research on assaying ultra-low background materials for the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment using high-purity germanium detectors, including the design and construction of the SOLO detector and gamma-ray spectrometry to measure radioactive contaminants. | |
| 2022 | Ryan Foy | Research on the correspondence between Witten-Atiyah-Segal axioms for Topological Quantum Field Theory and Eilenberg-Steenrod axioms for homology, exploring similarities and differences using category theory and functorial frameworks. | |
| 2021 | Hasti Asrari | Study comparing microbial communities in “cave silver” biofilms and adjacent rock surfaces at multiple depths in the Sanford Underground Research Facility, using 16S rRNA sequencing to analyze diversity and origins of subsurface microbes. | |
| 2021 | Emily Orné | Research on chemical environments of underground microbial life at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, analyzing water, biofilm, and rock samples using ICP-MS, titration, and atomic absorption to understand conditions supporting microbial communities. | |
| 2021 | Faith Beall | Research on assaying radioactivity in cavern walls and construction materials for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) using germanium detectors and gamma-ray spectroscopy, including stability corrections and process improvements for high-throughput sample analysis. | |
| 2021 | Jake Booth, Jax Wysong | Overview of the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, explaining its design to detect WIMPs using liquid xenon and shielding systems, and summarizing evidence for dark matter from galaxy rotation curves, the Bullet Cluster, and the Cosmic Microwave Background. | |
| 2021 | Keegan Harrison | Research on neutron and gamma radiation shielding for the DUNE experiment’s DD neutron generator, using simulations and material analysis to design optimized shielding with borated polyethylene, lead lining, and external water tanks for safe calibration of liquid argon detectors. | |
| 2021 | Jordyn Bass | Research on high-purity germanium gamma-ray spectrometry for rare event searches at SURF, focusing on low-background counting systems, shielding design, and analysis of ultra-radiopure materials to support experiments like LUX-ZEPLIN. | |
| 2020 | Abbie Woodard | Overview of the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment at SURF, detailing its liquid xenon detector design, shielding systems, and the scientific motivation based on evidence from galaxy rotation curves, the Bullet Cluster, and cosmic microwave background studies. | |
| 2020 | Curtis Peterson | Research analyzing how nonscience students in a physics survey course interpret the term “wave” when learning about radiation. The study categorizes different meanings students assign to waves and tracks shifts toward understanding radiation as particles through inquiry-based instruction. | |
| 2020 | Sam Schleich | Research using a toy Monte Carlo simulation to tag Pb-214 decay events in order to reduce false positives in dark matter detection. The study models decay chains, atomic lifetimes, and event visualization, with future plans to incorporate atom movement and improve tagging accuracy. | |
| 2020 | Seth Bendigo | Research on radon emanation analysis for the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment, focusing on measuring and reducing radon backgrounds using an electrostatic detector and converting MATLAB analysis code to Python for improved modularity and peak detection. | |
| 2020 | Luke Matzner | Research on troubleshooting ProtoDUNE, a prototype liquid argon time projection chamber for the DUNE experiment, focusing on identifying and categorizing bad detector channels using waveform and history graphs, and developing automated programs for channel diagnostics. | |
| 2019 | Dillon Nelson | Research on reducing radon contamination in the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment through cleanroom construction and radon mitigation systems, ensuring low-background conditions for detecting WIMPs with a liquid xenon time projection chamber. | |
| 2019 | Eric Deck | Research on building a cavity ring-down spectroscopy system to measure ultra-trace impurities in liquid noble gas detectors for rare event searches like LUX-ZEPLIN, focusing on optical design, beam profiling, and mode matching for high sensitivity. | |
| 2019 | Olivia Smith | Research on microbial communities in water samples from different depths at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, using DNA sequencing to identify prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity and metabolic functions, with implications for understanding deep subsurface ecosystems. | |
| 2019 | Rachel Botsford | Research on mitigating radon backgrounds in the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment by monitoring radon levels in a radon-reduced cleanroom, analyzing data from RAD7 detectors, and implementing cleaning, garbing, and emergency purge procedures to maintain detector sensitivity. | |
| 2019 | Robin Do | Research on microbial biofilm development on artificial rock surfaces at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, analyzing bacterial diversity and growth over time to compare early colonization with mature cave silver communities. | |
| 2019 | Logan Smith | Study of natural water chemistry at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, analyzing 13 samples for pH, temperature, dissolved solids, and trace elements to assess flow patterns and geochemical variability. | |
| 2018 | Mackenzie Martin | Research on the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter detector at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, focusing on cleanroom dust analysis and radon contamination control to ensure sensitivity for detecting WIMPs in liquid xenon chambers. | |
| 2018 | Molly Devlin | Study of microbial communities in water treatment stages at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, using 16S rDNA sequencing to compare diversity and functional roles from sump water, filter backwash, and biofilms in rotating biological contactors. | |
| 2018 | Patrick Noack | Comparison of eukaryotic diversity in deep underground biofilms and surface water at the Sanford Underground Research Facility using microscopy and next-generation sequencing to explore evolutionary processes and subsurface biodiversity. | |
| 2018 | Tada Vargas | Exploration of fungal biodiversity at the Sanford Underground Research Facility using Sanger sequencing of ITS regions from cultured isolates to assess genetic variability and phylogenetic relationships across multiple underground levels. | |
| 2018 | Austin Williamson, Amy Asunskis | Analysis of lead-free solder pastes for ultra-low background experiments at the Sanford Underground Research Facility using ICP-MS to detect trace uranium and thorium isotopes and evaluate digestion protocols for accurate contamination assessment. | |
| 2018 | Brett Clark, Kevin Lesko | Investigation of background control for the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, focusing on dust deposition analysis and radon mitigation in cleanrooms to maintain ultra-low background sensitivity for WIMP detection. | |
| 2017 | Benjamin Kulas | Computer modeling of high-purity germanium detectors for the MAJORANA experiment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, using Geant4 simulations to study detector geometry and beta decay processes for neutrinoless double beta decay searches. | |
| 2017 | Caitlyn Larson | Analysis of water chemistry from multiple depths at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, comparing pH, temperature, dissolved ions, and trace metals to assess variability between levels and implications for biological and geochemical processes. | |
| 2017 | Bailey Leavitt | Low-background gamma spectroscopy at the Sanford Underground Research Facility using high-purity germanium detectors to measure trace radionuclides in materials for rare-event experiments and assist with commissioning of a new detector system. | |
| 2017 | Taylor Liu | Investigation of bacterial communities in warm, alkaline fracture water at the Sanford Underground Research Facility using 16S rDNA sequencing and diffusion chamber culturing to identify diverse chemoautotrophic and chemoheterotrophic microbes and potential novel species. | |
| 2017 | Theodore Savinov | Development of a cavity ring-down spectroscopy system at Black Hills State University for ultra-trace detection of chemical impurities in noble gases used in time projection chambers for dark matter experiments at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. | |
| 2017 | Morgan Weigel | Analysis of microbial and fungal diversity in deep biofilms at the Sanford Underground Research Facility using 16S and ITS sequencing to identify bacteria, fungi, and microscopic metazoans thriving in extreme subsurface conditions. | |
| 2016 | Madeline Valentin | Isolation and characterization of bacteria from “cave silver” biofilms at the Sanford Underground Research Facility using low-nutrient media, RAPD PCR, and SEM to identify diverse Actinobacteria and other taxa adapted to extreme subsurface conditions. | |
| 2016 | Kingsley Chow | Exploration of microbial diversity in deep subsurface biofilms at the Sanford Underground Research Facility using 16S and 18S sequencing and microscopy to characterize bacteria, archaea, fungi, and eukaryotes thriving in extreme carbon-poor environments. | |
| 2016 | Joseph Barnes | Chemical characterization of underground water at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, comparing samples from 4100- and 4850-foot levels to assess differences in pH, hardness, ions, and trace metals for insights into geochemistry and microbial habitats. | |
| 2016 | Pauline Dredger | Modeling particle transport for high-purity germanium detectors at the Sanford Underground Research Facility using Geant4 simulations to optimize shielding and sensitivity for low-background material screening in rare-event physics experiments. | |
| 2016 | Rachel Stevens | Characterization of CdSe and CdTe nanocrystals using ICP-MS and fluorescence spectroscopy to study effects of surfactant concentration and washing on size, composition, and photoluminescence for potential cytotoxicity applications. | |
| 2016 | Dana Harvey | Characterization of CdSe and CdTe nanocrystals using ICP-MS and fluorescence spectroscopy to study effects of surfactant concentration and washing on size, composition, and photoluminescence for potential cytotoxicity applications. |