SURF invites public to largest virtual event of the year, Neutrino Day: Star Chronicles

LEAD, SD— Stars divulge vital clues about the formation and growth of our world. And for ages they have inspired the way humans think about the Universe in which we live. This summer, celebrate everything that stars have to say at Neutrino Day: Star Chronicles. Sanford Underground Research Facility’s (SURF) virtual event will take place on Friday, July 9, and Saturday, July 10.

“Neutrino Day focuses on exploring and better understanding the universe and world in which we live,” said Constance Walter, communications director at SURF. “This year we’ll take our guests into a virtual world full of interactive activities and wonderful speakers and gain a whole new perspective on the stories the stars tell us.”

Full details are available on www.NeutrinoDay.com.

Our featured activities and events

With live talks on both Friday and Saturday—plus live activities all day Saturday—our schedule is bursting with fun.

On Friday, July 9, join us for two live talks. At noon MDT, hear about the strange, subatomic particles called neutrinos from a panel of scientists with the DUNE collaboration and the Science and Technology Facilities Council. At 3 p.m. MDT, discover the insights of Lakota Star Knowledge and how star charts are made with Mike Lammers from the Journey Museum and Learning Center.

On Saturday, July 10, jump into our virtual Neutrino Day town. From 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. MDT, attendees can talk with scientists, explore interactive activities, experience weird science demonstrations, take virtual tours of the underground, and visit the art gallery and library—all on the easy-to-use Gather.town platform.

Also on Saturday, attend the live talk “The Dark between the Stars” at 11 a.m. with Hugh Lippincott, spokesperson for the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment. At 1 p.m., experience weird science demonstrations at “What if…?” with science education experts Deb Wolf and Chad Ronish.

Our finale and keynote event features Annette S. Lee, an astrophysicist, artist and the director of the Native Skywatchers research and programming initiative. Lee will discuss Lakota/Dakota Indigenous astronomy and the practice of combining perspectives in order to gain a better understanding of phenomena that surround us. This event will not be recorded, so join us live on Saturday, July 10, at 4 p.m. MDT.

How to join the fun

Start your Neutrino Day: Star Chronicles adventure at www.NeutrinoDay.com. From there, you can access the agenda, watch our live events and access the link to our virtual Neutrino Day town, powered by Gather.town.

Using Gather.town, a free and simple platform, virtual attendees can explore the event and interact with others as they would in real life. Watch the neutrinoday.com website for the live Gather.town link closer to the event.

While the best Neutrino Day experience is on Gather.town, you will be able to access materials and activities on www.neutrinoday.com or watch our main events live on Facebook, Vimeo and YouTube. Children under the age of 18 are encouraged to join with a parent or guardian.

Sanford Lab is operated by the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA) with funding from the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Our mission is to advance world class science and inspire learning across generations. Visit Sanford Lab at www.SanfordLab.org.