SURF Based Research to be Presented at 2024 Legislative Session

Article by Mike Ray at Sanford Underground Research Facility. Noah Everett a senior at South Dakota Mines majoring in physics and mathematics shown here inside the SciBooNE hall at Fermilab where he works on ANNIE.  and Baily May, a sophomore at Black Hills State University majoring in physics shown here at SURF on her way to the Black Hills State University Underground Campus at SURF 4850 feet below the surface.

Two students from South Dakota universities are among the top undergraduate researchers in the state selected to exhibit their work on Feb. 29 inside the state capitol during the 2024 legislative session in Pierre.

The 27^th annual South Dakota Student Research Poster Session is hosted by South Dakota EPSCoR and the South Dakota Board of Regents.

Baily May, a sophomore at Black Hills State University (BHSU) majoring in Physics, and Noah Everett a senior at South Dakota Mines majoring in Physics and Mathematics will present research tied to the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in the capitol rotunda.

May’s research, titled Streamlining Cryogenic Cooling for HPGe Detectors in Low Background Counters focuses on automation for cooling systems that maintain cryogenic temperatures inside scientific instruments, like  High Purity Germanium (HPGe) Radiation Detectors, located in the Black Hills State University Underground Campus at SURF (BHUC). The instruments in the BHUC measure trace amounts of radiation inside construction materials used to build sensitive scientific experiments at SURF. May is a former Davis-Bahcall Scholar at SURF and among the first physics majors at Black Hills State.

Everett’s research, titled Improving DUNE’s Results by Studying Neutrino-Argon Events with ANNIE is tied to improving the efficacy of the massive Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) now under construction at SURF. He is studying the neutrons produced in neutrino and liquid argon interactions within the separate Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment (ANNIE) located at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) near Chicago. Everett’s work will help gain insights that might improve the DUNE experiment. The DUNE collaboration aims to have the first detector module operational before the end of 2028. Everett has worked with six different research groups during his college career. He spent the last two summers interning at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Fermilab working on experimental and theoretical particle physics.

SURF’s mission is to advance world class science and inspire learning across generations. Research at SURF includes hundreds of institutions and thousands of scientists and students from across the United States and around the world. SURF provides South Dakota students like Everett and May access to world-class research opportunities in their own backyards.

“Students like Baily May and Noah Everett are the innovators of the future. SURF is proud to play a role educating the next generation of scientists in our state by providing a space where students can access hands-on learning and research opportunities like these,” said Deb Wolf, director of Outreach and Culture at SURF.

About SURF

Sanford Underground Research Facility is operated by the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA) with funding from the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Our mission is to advance world class science and inspire learning across generations. Visit SURF at www.sanfordlab.org.