Luncheon & Event Dates
SURF and its Connections to California and LBNL through History, Science and Education
Thursday, May 20, 2021
12:30 - 1:00 pm practice/visiting
1:00 - 2:00 pm Speaker
Registration online
SPEAKER: Peggy Norris, Ph.D., formerly of LBNL, now Deputy Director forEducation and Outreach at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, S.D.
ABSTRACT/BIO:
The Lakota people of the Northern Plains have a saying in their language: Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ – We are all Connected (or Related). The strings that connect California, home of LBNL, and South Dakota, home of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), are varied and rich in history, with familiar names like Hearst, Lawrence and Davis. In this talk, I will introduce you to SURF and its connections to California and LBNL through three lenses – history, science and education:
• First, we will look at the transformation of SURF from a gold mine
to a major science laboratory.
• Next, we will look at the science experiments of SURF, focusing on three with ties to Berkeley Lab: the search for mysterious and elusive dark matter, understanding the nuclear reactions that happen in the core of stars and working towards enhanced geothermal energy.
• Finally, we will look at how the history, science and many other facets of a scientific facility in rural South Dakota are changing the educational landscape of the state and region in STEM, and how the pandemic has led to challenges but also new opportunities to give all students access to high-quality, engaging, relevant, equitable and rigorous science education.