2021 Year in Review
Each year, teams across Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) advance world-class science and inspire learning across generations. Here’s what that looked like in 2021.
“Working together this year, we advanced the construction of new science facilities with the start of the LBNF cavern excavation, completed major Yates Shaft renovations and infrastructure project improvements sitewide, advanced the construction and operations of experiments at the Davis Campus, and finally, saw an impressive expansion of science underground with the EGS Collab experiment.
"As 2021 comes to a close, I’m grateful for our staff and our partners and the work we’ve done together this year to advance world-leading science at SURF. I’m looking forward to the new year and wish you all the best for a happy and safe 2022!”
– Mike Headley, SURF executive director
Supporting discoveries across disciplines
SURF provides underground laboratory space for experiments in particle physics, geology, biology and engineering. As researchers build and operate their experiments, our teams work alongside them to support their success and discoveries.
This year, as the LUX-ZEPLIN collaboration put the final touches on their 10-ton dark matter detector, they found time to host a gameshow and document the journey of one Xenon atom from the atmosphere to the underground. Meanwhile, the Majorana Demonstrator collaboration tested detectors and electroformed the world’s purest copper in preparation for a next-generation neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment. In a class-1,000 cleanroom at the Black Hills State University Underground Campus, researchers used ultra-sensitive detectors to test materials for upcoming experiments like LEGEND-200 and DUNE, ensuring those materials wouldn’t create excess background noise in the experiments. When the CASPAR experiment was mothballed in early 2021, its researchers began combing through data to see what the experiment had revealed.
On the 4100 Level, the Enhanced Geothermal Systems Collab readied their testbed to study the not-so-solid ground beneath our feet; their first task was to map the hidden fractures behind a wall of rock. On the biology front, researchers with South Dakota Mines collected samples from the 4100 Level to investigate whether extremophiles living in the deep subsurface could help trap carbon dioxide emissions underground.
In 2021, our science team asked, “What will underground science look like in 20 years? And how can SURF remain a destination for physics, geology, biology and engineering research for decades to come?” To explore those questions, SURF invited multidisciplinary experts to present on the trajectory of underground research at a Long-Term Vision Workshop.
LBNF excavation reaches milestone
Crews are working around the clock to carve out subterranean space for the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility, which will support the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. In a project that requires the excavation of 800,000 tons of rock, the crews have carefully navigated the challenge of the raise-bore drilling stage and begun the work of creating the caverns.
“We've achieved these milestones with excellent quality and zero recordable safety incidents," said Josh Willhite, LBNF design manager. "It’s one thing to get the job done, but it’s a whole other level to do it with high quality and without hurting someone."
Making space for operations
Every day, SURF’s operations team works to make the facility a safe and reliable space in which researchers can investigate those questions. Now, this team has a centralized, fully outfitted space to streamline their efforts. In August, SURF dedicated the new M. Michael Rounds Operations Center (ROC), to honor the former governor and current senator for his leadership in the creation of SURF. The 26,000-square-foot building was completed in 2021 and houses a maintenance shop, warehouse and office space.
Upgrading the Ross Hoists
The Ross Hoists are the power behind the excavation of 800,000 tons of waste rock and serve as the conveyance for people, materials and equipment underground. Originally manufactured in the 1930s, the hoists were upgraded before the ambitious excavation began. The upgrades included new motors, brakes and clutches for both hoists, as well as advanced safety features and auxiliary brakes for the cage hoist.
Refurbishing the Yates Cage MG Set
Crews refurbished the Yates Cage Motor-Generator (MG) Set, which converts electricity to power the Yates Cage Hoist and move the cage conveyance throughout the mile-deep Yates Shaft.
"This is a very important accomplishment for Sanford Lab, as the Yates Cage MG Set is the workhorse that allows access to the Davis Campus and levels in between," said William McElroy, operations program manager at SURF.
Rigging underground construction
SURF and Thyssen Mining Inc (TMI), the contractor executing the excavation for the DUNE project, collaborated on an effort to transport approximately 30 pieces of large excavation equipment from the surface to the 4850 Level. TMI disassembled the equipment into components, then delivered it to the Ross cage, where SURF crews slung it under the cage—one piece at a time—and conveyed each separately underground.
Enhancing science education across South Dakota
The Education and Outreach (E&O) department welcomed Nicol Reiner as director and added two science educators to their team. Through in-person and virtual programming, the team continued to advance science education across the state of South Dakota and beyond.
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Educators impacted
Transforming science education begins with teachers. The E&O team supported 779 K-12 educators from approximately 76 school districts, primarily in South Dakota (SD). Some of this programming was done in partnership with the SD Department of Education and SD EPSCoR. SURF’s E&O team also provided professional development programming to an additional 104 preservice teachers in partnership with Black Hills State University.
Students reached
Our goal is to take students from “learning about” to “figuring out” scientific concepts through the investigation of scientific phenomena. The E&O team uses field trips, school presentations and curriculum units to ignite student curiosity.
This year, the team set a new record, reaching a total of 13,045 K-12 students. In an impressive feat, the E&O team explored SURF science with 500 students at Huron Middle School in just one day.
Beyond K-12 education
SURF provided educational opportunities beyond K-12, too. This year, we hosted the largest Davis-Bahcall Scholars program to date, with 11 students touring labs and STEM fields across the Midwest. SURF welcomed nine summer interns, including the first-ever Jack Headley Intern. Undergraduate students participated in research experiments underground, including a microbial collection trip to the 300 Level.
SURF Foundation supports the SURF mission
The SURF Foundation, the non-profit entity that supports SURF’s mission, welcomed new board members and earned GuideStar’s highest level of recognition for transparency and trustworthiness. The Foundation gave presentations to civic organizations statewide and built relationships with new and existing donors. In addition to supporting Deep Talks, Neutrino Day and internships, the Foundation secured funding for the Davis-Bahcall Scholars Program and stipends for educators attending SURF professional development.
Sacred Circle Garden
As part of its efforts to promote cultural awareness and to reflect on the region’s rich history, SURF is assembling Cangleska Wakan, or the Sacred Circle Garden, on a hilltop meadow on the property. The ethnobotanical garden will be a space to a way to better understand our environment in order to protect and respect our living landscape.
Since the campaign was announced in July, the SURF Foundation has raised more than half of the funds needed to undertake this project. Limited-edition prints, each image mirroring one sacred site featured in the design of the garden, are available to donors who give $1,500 or more toward the
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Virtual Events
Attendees at public events and presentations
Putting the A in STEAM
In the spring of 2021, Leekyung Kang, a celebrated mixed-media artist, began her residency at SURF by touring the facility and speaking with scientists about their research. The culmination of her residency was “Ongoing Up-ending,” an installation inspired by the world-leading science taking place nearly a mile underground at SURF.
SURF engaged with audiences of all ages through public outreach in 2021. Neutrino Day: Star Chronicles invited our community into a virtual celebration of all the stars have to teach us. The Deep Talks series explored space exploration, dark matter, neutrinos and even the storied history of Pi. The SURF team continues to usher SURF science into the public eye through public events, written stories and engaging photography and video.
Our Team
This year, fifteen new employees joined the SURF team. As the team continues to grow, we’ve established monthly “Coffee Breaks” to bring employees from across the facility together.
We congratulated five employees—David Vardiman, Roger Hudson, John Scheetz, David Trentz and Deb Meyer—on their retirement and major contributions to SURF over the years. And together, we celebrated the lives and grieved the loss of longtime Homestake and SURF hoist operator Cindy McCormick and former SDSTA Executive Director Richard Gowen.
Impacting our economy
In May, an economic and fiscal impact study demonstrated that activities at SURF will have significant benefits for the state of South Dakota over the next decade. From 2020 to 2029, SURF’s net economic impact is projected to reach $1.6 billion, creating $572 million in household earnings for South Dakotans and 1,052 jobs annually. Approximately 90 percent of the impacts will be seen in Western South Dakota.
Supporting our neighbors
This year, the SURF community raised more than $6,700 for local breast cancer patients and hosted a blood drive during nationwide blood shortage. During Kiewit-Alberici Joint Venture’s third Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive, employees donated a truckload of food items, while the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority contributed $500.