Charles Maupin
Mechanical Engineer
Growing up on a ranch in Hulett, Wyoming, Charles Maupin developed an early curiosity for how things work—often by taking them apart and sometimes getting them back together. That hands-on mindset led him to study mechanical engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and, eventually, to the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF).
Now going on ten years at SURF, Charles brings that same hands-on mindset to some of the world’s most complex underground science experiments. “No two days are the same,” he said. “The challenge is what I enjoy most. You never know what problem you’re going to get, and it’s about thinking outside the box to find solutions.”
Describing the complexity of building LZ, Charles and a colleague coined the metaphor “a ship in a bottle with a neck that’s a mile long.” The phrase caught on. “Now for DUNE, the ship is the size of a Navy ship,” he laughed.
When he’s not solving engineering puzzles, Charles is back on the family ranch, working full-time with his brother. “It’s kind of a brains-versus-brawn thing,” he said. “Here at SURF, it’s more technical. At home, it’s more manual labor—but they complement each other.”
With nearly a decade of experience at SURF, Charles has plenty of stories after working alongside the unique blend of people drawn to underground science. “During the LZ installation, we often joked that we needed our own reality show,” Charles said. “We all came from different backgrounds, from high-energy physics to farming and ranching. That mix made for a great dynamic underground.”
That contrast came into full view in the spring of 2019, when Charles arrived at an LZ Collaboration Meeting in Coimbra, Portugal. Dr. Kevin Lesko of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab took one look at him and laughed, “I should have known you would show up to Portugal in cowboy boots.”
Charles is one of eight mechanical engineers at SURF, six of whom are in the engineering department and two in shafts and hoists. He says the collaborative spirit is what makes the work meaningful.
"We've got a great team here at SURF. You're surrounded by people who are always willing to take on whatever comes next."
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