The Best of Neutrino Day 2022
In 2022, Sanford Underground Research Facility’s (SURF) Neutrino Day drew hundreds of attendees to Lead, South Dakota, where they explored the science happening beneath their feet, across the nation, and around the globe.
The first in-person Neutrino Day after two years of virtual events (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the event was a long-anticipated celebration of science and community.
“It was so exciting to be back in person for Neutrino Day,” said Constance Walter, Communications Director. “We had great speakers, a broad array of hands-on activities and demonstrations that spanned cultures, and the perennial favorite, Science Steve. Throughout Lead, the excitement was palpable.”
The free, city-scale science festival was chock-full of memorable moments. Here are a few of our favorites.
Neutrino Day finale with Physics Girl!
Curiosity took center-stage during our Neutrino Day finale! Dianna Cowern, creator and host of the viral “Physics Girl” YouTube series, used real-time experiments and demonstrations with eager audience volunteers to explain how curiosity, novelty and excitement make a video go viral. She also explained how those same elements lead to a life of learning and discovery.
Eye-opening demonstrations
SURF’s Emergency Rescue Team (ERT) demonstrated rope techniques used during rescue operations and taught visitors how to use a fire extinguisher in the ERT demonstration truck. Standing before the Open Cut, visitors learned about the geology that formed the Black Hills region. Black Hills Energy’s outdoor display showed off a Ford-150 and Mustang Mach-E—all powered by electricity. And the Journey Museum’s Mark Lammers taught visitors about Lakota star knowledge and how to spot Lakota constellations in the night sky.
Hands-on science
Participants catapulted their knowledge of physics by building pompom launchers; explored the night sky constellations with an art activity; detected invisible particles with a cosmic ray detector and cloud chamber; played traditional Native American games; built a DNA bracelet; monitored the Earth’s rumblings with a raspberry shake seismometer; peered into the Universe with the Journey Museum’s immersive geodome and looked inward with Monument Health’s giant inflatable heart and lungs.
Talk with scientists
What exactly is a neutrino? Why can't we see dark matter? Why did you decide to be a scientist? What’s it like commuting a mile underground each morning?
Scientists studying biology, geology, astrophysics and particle physics deep underground at SURF answered visitors’ questions about their research.
Tour the Yates Hoistroom
It takes Herculean power to transport people and equipment to the 4850 Level, and on Neutrino Day, visitors toured the Yates Hoistroom, where massive drums built in the 1930s make underground travel possible!
Science Steve
Toilet paper flew, balloons popped, children laughed and kids discovered a fascination for science during scientific demonstrations by “Science” Steve Rokusek. A South Dakota Public Broadcasting education specialist and Neutrino Day mainstay, Rokusek used humorous demonstrations to bring the laws of physics, chemistry and anatomy to life!
Let’s talk science
With in-person talks, audiences explored pieces of our Universe, big and small.
First, we zoomed out, learning how researchers image and map the Earth’s land surface with Dr. Pete Doucette, acting director of the Earth Resources and Observation Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Then, audience zoomed in—way in—on one of the tiniest parts of nature: the neutrino. Dr. Claire David, a physicist with the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, explored the “shy, moody” nature of these subatomic particles.
Peering into the underground
During livestreams, audiences peered into laboratory spaces deep underground at SURF.
Dr. Douglas Tiedt, sporting head-to-toe cleanroom garb, livestreamed from a class-100 cleanroom on the 4850 Level, where materials are screened for use in ultra-sensitive experiments.
Then, Dr. Hunter Knox and Dr. Paul Schwering joined the livestream from a rocky drift on the 4100 Level, where they study geothermal energy solutions. Their livestream even included a “hard rock” concert, featuring a guitar solo by Schwering.
Volunteers make it happen
We had more than 200 volunteers to help us hand out wristbands, serve as crossing guards, host displays and activities, and, above all, share their enthusiasm for science!
Thank you to our sponsors
A huge thank you to our Neutrino Day sponsors, Black Hills Energy, Chuck and Jolene Lichtenwalner, South Dakota Mines, Monument Health, Coeur Wharf, and to our in-kind Neutrino Day sponsors, KEVN, The HomeSlice Group, Riverfront Broadcasting, Haugo Broadcasting, KOOL 101.9, KELOLAND Media Group, and Simpsons Printing.
See our full list of sponsors.
Save the date!
Neutrino Day is the second Saturday of July. Save the date for next year’s celebration on Saturday, July 8, 2023!
