Peggy Norris, a nuclear physicist and educator who helped pioneer the Education and Outreach program at Sanford Underground Research Facility, will retire this February.
In 2009, Peggy Norris left her job as a nuclear physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) for a position at a fledging research facility in the Black Hills of South Dakota. While the new facility had big goals for advancing physics research, Norris was more interested in inspiring the next generation of scientists.
So, Norris joined the Education and Outreach (E&O) team at Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF). A joint venture between SURF and Black Hills State University, the team focused on bringing SURF science into classrooms across the state and region.
“At that time, we were trying to figure out what the identity of the education group should be and where our efforts would be most helpful to teachers and students,” Norris said.
In the years since, SURF’s E&O team has become a keystone for science educators in South Dakota. The team provides curriculum units, delivers in-school presentations, hosts field trips and offers professional development programming—all at no cost to educators. Last year alone, the E&O team reached a total of 13,045 K-12 students and supported 779 K-12 educators from approximately 76 school districts.
As the E&O deputy director, Norris has contributed to every aspect of the team’s growth. She has specifically worked to advance the SURF internship program and to reach groups that are typically under-represented in STEM fields.
This February, Norris will retire after 14 years with the E&O team. “It's been so interesting to see how this place has evolved over time,” Norris said. “The E&O team has grown immensely, but the whole lab—science, operations, outreach—everything has totally changed.”
“Peggy is truly one of the pioneers of our education and outreach program,” said Mike Headley, SURF executive director. “Peggy’s more than 25 years of experience in nuclear physics research have been an incredible asset to our education team. She was there from the start in 2008 to help build a K-12 education program that is now a recognized a leader in science education. We appreciate her contributions to the SURF mission and are excited to see what adventures she has planned for the next chapter in her life.”
“You can see the fingerprints of Peggy’s passion in every component of the education and outreach work,” said Nicol Reiner, director of E&O. "She has written curriculum units, created presentations, inspired students and teachers through her work in classrooms and professional development, and fostered connections to college students through internships and the Davis-Bahcall Scholars program. Her drive to make sure that every student has access to great science learning experiences has shaped the work of education and outreach, and her influence will live on in our work long after she retires."
Norris is well-known at SURF for her far-ranging interests. Norris is a learned physicist and educator, dance instructor, solar eclipse chaser, bridge enthusiast, genealogy tracker, dog rescuer, avid world traveler and—most recently—bartender. In 2020, we featured her niche and novel pursuits in a story titled “Beyond a Scientist.” Read the full story here.
