2026 Davis-Bahcall Scholars jet-setting laboratory tour inspires future careers in STEM

The Davis-Bahcall Scholar Program at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) gives rising university freshmen and sophomores entering Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields a chance to explore potential careers in cutting-edge research across a variety of professions. 

For Zachary Conway, a recent graduate from Rapid City Stevens Highschool, the program hit the mark. “Going into this, I was unsure of where I wanted to take myself with a career after my education. Seeing in-person the types of experiments and the unique workplaces in different parts of the world has solidified my aspiration to do this kind of work in the future,” said Conway. 

Sannah Windy Boy, who is attending South Dakota Mines, echoed Conway’s statements. “Before all this whole program, I didn't know there was so many different career paths to take,” Windy Boy said. “It’s great to know I don't have to have a Ph.D. to work in an underground lab or to work with renewable energy, and there's different avenues I can take with a civil engineering degree.” 

Ethan Oolman, from Sioux Falls, who is attending the University of South Dakota, found additional validation in his conversations with scientists and researchers. “Speaking with all these physicists during this program has informed me that I'm surefire in my decision to go in physics,” Oolman said.

Over the past four weeks, the scholars traveled across the United States and overseas, visiting various historical sites and science facilities, including the Boulby Underground Laboratory in the United Kingdom. The once in a lifetime experience is offered by The Institute for Underground Science at SURF in partnership with Black Hills State University. The program includes an additional $2,000 learning stipend for each scholar. Logistics, planning, and financial support for the Davis-Bahcall Scholar Program and two chaperones are provided in partnership with the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority and Black Hills State University. 

After starting at SURF, and visiting research facilities and universities across South Dakota, the cohort ventured to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They toured the Physical Science Lab to see the manufacturing of panels that will be used for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) located at SURF. The group learned about the IceCube Neutrino Observatory—led by UW-Madison, as part of the global effort to better understand neutrinos. 

Ellie Erbentraut, from Sioux Falls, who is attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, found the university lab in Wisconsin particularly inspirational. “It’s been really cool seeing the way that engineering and research come together, especially at a place like the Physical Science Lab at UW-Madison—the engineers work on the instrumentation that goes into these projects, and it was interesting to see all the different modalities required for this research to be successful,” Erbentraut said. 

Their time in the U.S. concluded with a visit to Illinois, where they toured Fermilab’s headquarters and learned more about DUNE, before flying to the United Kingdom. After some London sightseeing, the scholars headed to the UK’s Boulby Underground Lab, for a special tour of the active salt mine, tunnels and laboratory experiments. 

For Lewis Carlyle, a Rapid City Stevens High School graduate, visiting Boulby was a lunar experience. “We went up a rock chute, and it was like walking on the moon. There's polyhalite dust, and it powdered up like you were on the moon, it was the coolest thing,” Carlyle said. He was additionally impressed with the physics experiments at Boulby and the far-reaching nature of the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment, which is centered at SURF but seemed to be included in just about every stop on the trip. 

“I walked into Davis-Bahcall planning to go into mechanical engineering, but after two days and some physics lectures, I decided to change my major to physics and mechanical engineering, and so that is going to impact my future probably more than anything else. And I can't wait,” he said.

Emma Plamp, a Mitchell High School graduate, added that she appreciated the application-based research taking place at the Boulby Underground Lab. “They were working on some earth-based energy storage which was really interesting. They were also engaged in underground vertical farming. It was fascinating to see the different ways that we could maybe use underground space to meet our future needs.”

Joshua Wolfe, a graduate of Flandreau High School, was impressed with the globally collaborative nature of scientific research he saw in the multiple stops. “One of the biggest things this program has done for me is brought all these high-level researchers down to a level where they can share their passion. This program makes me feel like I could also be somebody who does what these people do,” Wolfe said. 

Quinn Kellar, a current student at Black Hills State University, also appreciated the passion STEM professionals have for their work. “It's been really encouraging for me to hear how they're really excited about what they do. These people are super interested and super passionate about their work, and that's how I want to be,” Kellar said. 

The group of eight completed the 28-day program on July 11 and 12. They took part in SURF’s annual celebration of Neutrino Day and did the final morning of presentations about their trip to family members and supporters gathered at Black Hills State University. 

More than 150 students have participated in the Davis-Bahcall Scholar Program since 2008, and many of these scholars have gone on to highly successful STEM careers. You can read interviews and articles on a few of them here.

The Davis-Bahcall Scholars program is made possible through generous philanthropic support from First PREMIER Bank with public funding by NASA through the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium. 

The program is hosted by the Institute for Underground Science at SURF in partnership with Black Hills State University and the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority. To learn more or to support this program, please visit www.sanfordlab.org/foundation.