BIG Science at Sanford Lab

Mike Headley, lab director for the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, S.D., discussed the lab’s scientific mission, its benefits to South Dakota’s economy and its role in STEM education when he spoke at the Rotary Club of Downtown Sioux Falls on Monday, March 27. “We’re on the verge of constructing one of the largest international mega-science projects to ever be developed on U.S. soil to study the mysteries of neutrinos,” said Headley, who’s also executive director of the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority. Sanford Lab houses big physics experiments, as well as other experiments in biology, geology and engineering, nearly a mile underground in the former Homestake gold mine. He heads the 125‐member Science and Technology Authority team in the development and operation of the newest and deepest underground science laboratory in the nation. “These experiments and several others have been used to enhance STEM education for K-12 schools throughout South Dakota.” In the past year, Sanford Lab’s Education and Outreach Department has created programs and curriculum modules engaging about 13,000 students statewide. The department holds teacher workshops and hosts field trips.