SURF champions STEM education, teacher leaders, at 2026 state conference

Education has always been central to the mission and vision of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF).

In the last school year, SURF reached 22,000 students with hands-on STEM education activities aimed at inspiring curiosity and learning. SURF also supports the teachers across the region who make a difference in classrooms every day. Each year, about 400 teachers take part in professional development training hosted or sponsored by SURF.

The teachers who set a spark of curiosity in students today are also helping build the workforce of the future. Nicol Reiner, the director of education and outreach at SURF, says there is a continual return on investment in South Dakota teachers.

“Honestly, there is also a huge return for the students of South Dakota. What those teachers are learning and developing, and the connections they're making with others in the field, directly benefits the students who are sitting in the classroom. So yeah, it's a huge boon for South Dakota,” Reiner said.

The South Dakota STEM Education Conference, held each February in Huron, is the largest gathering of its kind in the state. The event is organized by the South Dakota Science Teaching Association and the South Dakota Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The conference also kicks off SURF’s annual cycle of teacher workshops and training events.

“I think, there were just over 200 participants at the conference. It's not huge; we don't have a state with a massive population. When all come together, it feels like family. It's two days of non-stop networking where teachers compare ideas, make new connections, and support each other. We're proud to be there in support of teachers, we’re proud to offer the professional development each year, it feels amazing.” 

Part of SURF’s support for teachers includes a partnership with Black Hills State University and collaborating institutions in a National Science Foundation-funded leadership program for select STEM teachers from across the state. The program connects STEM researchers with K-12 teachers and students to help build pathways for the next generation of South Dakota’s STEM workforce. The effort aims to serve as a national model for connecting geographically isolated communities to STEM education from pre-college through postsecondary levels.

“The teachers involved in this leadership program presented their projects at the conference, and they were out of this world,” Reiner said. 

The training is successful in helping teachers realize the potential of being leaders in their fields and school systems without leaving the work they love in the classroom.

“We don't want to be kicking great teachers out of the classroom,” Reiner said. “We want to support them to be amazing leaders and to advocate for STEM education for the students of South Dakota from inside their classroom.” 

Reiner adds that the STEM education conference included presentations about SURF from two previous teacher fellows who spent their summers in Lead learning about the research at America’s Underground Lab and how to apply it in their own classrooms.

“We've gotten to the point where we are not the only ones talking about SURF and the great things that can happen in classrooms, but the teachers we've worked with are talking for us,” Reiner said.  “We’re very fortunate for that.” 

Ongoing STEM teacher outreach is helping to build a strong education ecosystem around SURF. This includes a hands-on approach where students are encouraged to engage directly with the science and connect with the scientists and professionals working in these fields.

“If we want students to be excited about STEM, they need to see where STEM lives, particularly in South Dakota. STEM is everywhere in our state. It can't come out of a textbook. They have to meet the people, see the research, connect what they're doing in the classroom to what's happening in our research labs and facilities.”

Engaging students in STEM education is critical to maintaining U.S. competitiveness in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Demand for underground research space is growing worldwide. SURF is America’s Underground Lab and one of 16 similar facilities globally, hosting experiments that are expected to continue well into this century and beyond.

Today’s students are the researchers, engineers, technicians, and educators who will advance world-class science and inspire learning for generations to come.