MITCHELL — The work conducted at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead is hard to explain, even to highly-educated adults. Talented college students spend years engrossed in study at top universities in an effort to simply grasp the universal concepts that scientists explore on a daily basis at the laboratory.
But Ashley Armstrong, a science education specialist with the facility, was at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary on Thursday breaking it all down in simple terms for students in begindergarten through fifth grade.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We truly believe that every student deserves high-quality materials in their hands, no matter where they’re located,” Armstrong told the Mitchell Republic between morning presentation sessions in the school gym. “They all deserve this.”
Armstrong is part of the education and outreach team at the facility, and works to inspire elementary through high school students to explore study and careers in science.
The Sanford facility is a world-class research outpost conducting some of the most specialized scientific studies in the world. Located over 4,800 feet below ground in the former Homestake gold mine, the laboratory states its mission and goals on its website as simply as it can for curious visitors, although it can still sound complicated.
Even a short paragraph on the facility’s research on dark matter can be intimidating.
“The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment is the upgraded successor to the highly successful Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment. LUX held world-leading sensitivity for approximately three and a half years over most of the WIMP-mass region. The LZ experiment was one of two direct-search, next-generation dark matter experiments selected for funding by DOE’s Office of High Energy Physics (HEP),” the website reads.
Put simply, the underground depth of the laboratory provides a near-perfect environment for experiments that need to escape the constant bombardment of cosmic radiation, which can interfere with the detection of rare physics events.
Presentations for different age groups were planned throughout the day Thursday and Friday, with Thursday morning’s offering titled “A Day in the Life.” It focused on interesting, simple specifics about the facility and the people who work there. What do the scientists wear? How long does it take to ride the elevator from the surface to the laboratory? How many miles of tunnels are there? Is there a kitchen? How do they bring such large equipment underground?
ADVERTISEMENT
It’s a lively question and answer session, with students raising their hands constantly throughout to either ask a question or give their best guess answer.
That’s exactly what Armstrong is looking for. She doesn’t need them to understand what a neutrino is or the concept of dark matter. She just wants them to be curious. She wants them to ask questions.
She wants them to believe they can become scientists themselves.
“Did you know that anyone in this room who wants to be a scientist could be a scientist? There’s one rule of being a scientist. Scientists ask a lot of questions,” Armstrong told the group. “We ask questions because that’s how we learn.”
Armstrong, a native of Springfield who holds a doctorate from the University of Wyoming and is a former educator herself, said the five people in her department see around 20,000 students a year in classrooms around South Dakota, making presentations on a wide variety of topics associated with the facility. They also provide science-based curriculum materials free to schools and teachers across the state.
Their current focus is on inspiring students in South Dakota, but being a world-class research facility that hosts visiting scholars and scientists from around the globe, they hope in the future to do more outreach beyond the state borders. They need young students interested in science, and the elementary level is the best time to instill that interest.
“Research shows that if kids aren’t interested in science or believe they are a science learner by middle school, they aren’t interested in those fields,” Armstrong said. “We do need to see these young students to get them excited about the work. We need to let them know about the cool stuff that’s happening in their state. They don’t need to leave, they don’t need to go elsewhere. They can do world-class research right here in our state.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Audra Bormann, a second grade teacher whose class was among the group taking in the presentation Thursday morning, appreciated the subject for its presentation and its inspirational approach.
“I think it’s important that our kids know that anybody can be a scientist. They learn that it’s just a matter of curiosity and wondering about things and asking questions, and then sticking with it. That’s something anybody can use,” Bormann said. “It gets them thinking and then when you answer a question, it might lead you to another question. That’s what it’s supposed to do. So keep asking questions.”
Armstrong noted researchers at the Sanford lab haven’t yet found an answer to every question they were looking for, but that is also part of the scientific process. Successful research takes patience, which is another good lesson for anyone to learn.
The presentations were expected to continue through Friday before Armstrong jetted off, ready to spread the excitement of science to more students. She cited working at the Sanford lab as a dream job, and the outreach she does with students the best part of that dream job.
Lighting the spark that inspires young students to consider science as a field of study is not only a passion, but it’s important work. The next generation of scientists are in the South Dakota classrooms of today, and she’s hoping her presentations help put curious youngsters on the path to asking more big questions.
“You can see the light coming on in these kids. Whether they choose to be a scientist or an engineer or whatever they choose someday, at least right now they believe they can,” Armstrong said. “That’s the most important piece.”
The Trust Project
