From the Black Hills to the Frontiers of Physics: A Global Experiment Beneath South Dakota
Join us Tuesday Evening, May 19th at 7:00 p.m. in the Surbeck Center on the campus of South Dakota Mines in Rapid City
From the Black Hills to the Frontiers of Physics: A Global Experiment Beneath South Dakota
Deep beneath the Black Hills, in the former Homestake gold mine in Lead, South Dakota, a remarkable transformation is underway. At the Sanford Underground Research Facility, scientists and engineers are building one of the most ambitious physics experiments ever conceived: the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE).
Hosted by Fermilab in Illinois, where a powerful particle beam begins its 1,300 km journey through the Earth, DUNE will allow physicists to study the elusive particles called neutrinos: tiny, nearly-massless particles that are all around us. By studying them, scientists hope to understand why the universe is made of matter, and ultimately, why we are here at all.
DUNE brings together more than 1,500 scientists from 220+ institutions across 38 countries, in a shared effort to build a clearer picture of how the universe works. Discover the scale of this international collaboration and how this experiment is tackling some of the biggest questions about the universe. Join us for an evening of science, stories, and liquid-nitrogen ice cream.
Dr Kate Shaw is an Associate Professor in particle physics at the University of Sussex and at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). She works on major international experiments including the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment in the United States and the ATLAS experiment at CERN.
Her research focuses on the fundamental nature of matter and the forces that shape the universe. Alongside her research, she is deeply involved in making physics accessible utilising open data and tools. She is a strong advocate for inclusion and diversity in science, and for strengthening global scientific capacity. Her contributions to research, communication, and outreach have been recognised with international honours including the Royal Society Research Culture Award and the European Physical Society (EPS) Outreach Award.