2019 Year in Review
As 2019 draws to a close, we remember the highlights that made this year remarkable. From advancing science and outreach to growing our workforce and infrastructure—this was an "amazing year of progress" at the Sanford Underground Research Facility.
“We have new experiments installing deep underground to begin operation in 2020, facility construction of the largest science experiment ever attempted on US soil well underway, and the SDSTA now has a new direct relationship with the Department of Energy’s Office of Science through a Cooperative Agreement for Sanford Lab operations. I’m grateful for the dedication and hard work of our board of directors and staff and the strong partnerships we have with DOE, partner laboratories and science researchers.”
On September 27, the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority signed a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, establishing a direct relationship between the two entities. The agreement includes DOE funding for Sanford Lab operations over the next five years, as well as several facility infrastructure improvement projects in FY2020, for a total of $124 million. Future infrastructure improvement projects will be added each fiscal year, equipping the nation’s most qualified and modern underground laboratory for the future.
30%
In 2019, Sanford Lab increased its full time workforce by 30 percent.
144
With facility upgrades, Sanford Lab increased its maximum underground capacity from 72 to 144.
Preparation for new maintenance building
Early in July, crews began the process of removing three buildings at the SanfordLab. The buildings—Machine Shop, Motor Shop and Iron House—were used during Homestake mining operations. However, since 2002, the shops have been either empty or used as cold storage.
The old shop buildings will be replaced by a new Maintenance Support Facility, a 25,000-square-foot structure that will provide shop space for maintenance activities, a warehouse, offices and meeting spaces. Funding for the project was provided by both the previous and current governors of the State of South Dakota.
Celebrating the Yates and Ross
The Ross and Yates Shafts were built in the 1930s and served as powerhouses for Homestake Mining Company for years. When asked what is most remarkable about these shafts, the experts unanimously agree—the engineering and craftsmanship that allow these shafts to be used to this day by Sanford Lab.
These shafts have withstood the test of time, gaining iconic status in the region. This year, we celebrated the 80 and 85 year-anniversaries of the Yates and Ross Shafts, respectively.
E&O Numbers
Through engaging curriculum units, in-school presentations, field trips and more, the Education and Outreach team reached 13,692 students in the region this year.
The Education and Outreach team worked with 476 South Dakota educators through professional development programs in 2019.
$2,813
In October, the Sanford Lab community raised $2,813 for the Foundation for Health to assist local breast cancer patients.
262
In December, the Sanford Lab community donated 262 pounds of food to the Lord's Cupboard in Lead and Feeding South Dakota in Rapid City.
LUX-ZEPLIN milestones
After 13,500 working hours in the surface clean room assembling tens of thousands of components, the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) dark matter team was ready to move their fully assembled central detector underground. This final journey of LZ’s central detector to its resting place in a custom-built Davis Cavern required extensive planning and involved two test moves of a “dummy” detector to ensure its safe delivery.
“This was the most challenging move of a detector system that I have ever done in decades of working on experiments,” said Jeff Cherwinka, LZ's chief engineer who is from the University of Wisconsin. Cherwinka led the planning effort for the move along with SURF engineers and other support staff.
Majorana milestones
The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, a proving ground for neutrinoless double-beta decay research, helped pave the way for a next-generation experiment: Legend-200. Today, MAJORANA is playing a crucial role in preparation for Legend-200, which will be built in an underground laboratory in Gran Sasso, Italy.
In October, the first of two enriched germanium detectors arrived at the MAJORANA cleanroom on the 4850 Level of Sanford lab. In this underground space, protected from cosmic rays and dust, the detectors were scanned and characterized. Two others will even be placed inside the thick multi-layered MAJORANA shield. MAJORANA is also providing ultra-pure copper, while 35 of its enriched germanium detectors will be repurposed for Legend-200.
LBNF groundbreaking on beamline
On Nov. 14, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) joined with its international partners to break ground on a new beamline that will help scientists learn more about ghostly particles called neutrinos.
The beamline is part of the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF), which will house the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), an international endeavor to build and operate the world’s most advanced experiment to study neutrinos. Neutrinos created by this beamline will travel 800 miles through the earth to detectors a mile underground at the Sanford Lab in Lead, South Dakota.
Preparing for DUNE
This year, Sanford Lab and its partners made remarkable progress preparing the facility for its role as the Far Site for the Fermilab-hosted DUNE. Crews with Kiewit-Alberici Joint Venture, the General Contractor for LBNF in Lead, have been working to prepare the site for excavation.
This includes surface projects like the Tramway renovation and upgrades to the Oro Hondo Fan, as well as underground projects, including the Ross Rehabilitation Project and the Ore Pass openings.
LBNF completes upgrade to Far Site’s underground ventilation system
The LBNF project recently completed an upgrade of the Oro Hondo Fan, replacing its variable frequency drive. The Oro Hondo Fan is the main ventilation fan for the underground facility and is located on the surface along Kirk Road near Lead. This upgrade, completed with the support of Sanford Lab and four local contractors, ensures dependable ventilation in the underground spaces at Sanford Lab.
Remembering friends we've lost
This year, we lost several members of the Sanford Lab community. We remember Jack Stratton, long time Yates Shaft Foreman; Tom Adam, former SDSTA board member; and Jim McCulloch, infrastructure technician at Sanford Lab.
Staff and partners make us successful
"Credit for this very successful year goes first to our staff," Headley said. "Their commitment to our mission ensures that scientists and other partners can do their work safely and efficiently every day. We also are grateful to our partners, including the various science collaborations at Sanford Lab; Fermilab, which has oversight responsibilities for our operations activities for the Department of Energy and is the lead DOE laboratory for the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE) project; and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Finally, we so appreciate the continuing support we receive from the State of South Dakota and the SDSTA Board of Directors."
Looking ahead to 2020…
- In 2019, the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority created the Sanford Underground Research Facility Foundation to build organizational capacity in support of Sanford Lab’s educational and scientific mission. In 2020, the Foundation will begin its important work.
- For several years, the Education and Outreach team at Sanford Lab has led professional development for teachers. In 2020 their successful program will serve as a statewide model in science education and workforce development through the 2019 NSF EPSCoR grant.
- In 2019, Sanford Lab began an Artist-in-Residence program with Gina Gibson. A professor of digital communication at Black Hills State University and a multimedia artist, Gibson will combine mediums to create a unique body of work based on the research and other activities taking place at Sanford Lab and will culminate in a public exhibition during Sanford Lab’s 2020 Neutrino Day event. Sanford Lab will select a new artist for the program in 2020.