2014 Davis-Bahcall Scholars, Interns Announced

LEAD, S.D.? Ten South Dakota students were awarded special scholarships to study underground science for five weeks this summer beginning in June.

The Davis-Bahcall Scholarships for Underground Science, sponsored by 3M Company, will pay tuition and room and board for the students to participate in a study program that takes them to the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, S.D., Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory outside of Chicago, and other scientific facilities at laboratories and universities in South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Italy.

The annual Davis-Bahcall Scholarships are open to high school seniors and college freshmen.  The curriculum begins with a visit to the site of the Sanford Lab and the Deep Underground Science & Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL). The studies will continue with a road trip to the Soudan Underground Laboratory and NOvA facility in Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin, Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab in Illinois, and Frascati and Gran Sasso laboratories in Italy. Students will have the option to intern with South Dakota businesses and universities in their hometowns following the program.

?We?re showing them that there are science and engineering opportunities worldwide,? said Deputy Director of Education & Outreach Peggy Norris The goal is to encourage students to go on to graduate school, get involved in research or become teachers. ?We want them to become the future science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) leaders of South Dakota.?

The program is named in honor of Dr. Ray Davis Jr. and Dr. John Bahcall, whose Nobel Prize- winning experiments into the discovery of neutrinos were conducted at the Homestake Mine.

Funding for the scholarship program is underwritten with a generous grant from 3M Company, with additional funding through the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium. ?We are grateful to 3M for sponsoring this program for the past six years,? Mike Headley, Executive Director of Sanford Lab, said. ?Their generosity is giving students opportunities they would not otherwise have.? The internships are funded through the South Dakota Experimental Program for Stimulating Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

The initiative was announced last fall at every high school and college in South Dakota.  The winners were selected on the basis of scholastic scores, involvement in extracurricular activities, essays, support letters and personal interviews

This year?s 10 successful scholarship recipients will study a variety of science-related fields, including physics, engineering and geology.  They also will interact with distinguished professors from around the world, and the students will receive college credits. Deirdre Peck, physics teacher at Aberdeen Central High School, will accompany the students.

The 10 students selected this year come from all over the state. This year?s scholars are Rachel Williams, Spearfish, Black Hills State University; Hannah Wisser, Oakland, Ore., SDSM&T; Pranamaya Dey, Sioux Falls, Lincoln High School; Layne Droppers, Yankton, Yankton High School; Mattison Flakus, Aberdeen, Aberdeen Central High School; Madison Jilek, Spearfish, Spearfish High School; Jack Storm, Rapid City, Stevens High School; Kassia Symstad, Hot Springs, Hot Springs High School; Alison VanHorn, Plankinton, Plankinton High School; and Noah Watkins, Sioux Falls, Roosevelt High School.

Additionally, five South Dakota students received internships to work at Sanford Lab for 10 weeks this summer. Norris said nearly 80 students applied for both programs. ?We try to find the best fit for the students and Sanford Lab.?

Three South Dakota School of Mines & Technology students received Dave Bozied Internships. Recipients have opportunities to work in several fields. Students must have a South Dakota address or currently attend a university in the state. This year?s recipients are Colter Dunagan and Rashyll Leonard, who will work in the Science Department; and David Molash, who will work in industrial hygiene in the EHS Department.

Two students received Chris Bauer Engineering Internships, which were created in memory of the late Chris Bauer, a former electrical engineer at Sanford Lab. Recipients are Wade Vandine of South Dakota State University, engineering; and Dakotah Simpson, SDSM&T, operations. Dakotah was a Davis-Bahcall Scholar in 2013.

?We?re excited to have all of these students at Sanford Lab,? Headley said. ?The programs give them valuable research and hands-on experience while helping us meet the challenges of operating the deepest underground science laboratory in the United States.?

Biographies and photos of the students are available upon request.