2023 Annual report
Annual Report BHSU/SURF Quarknet Center 2023
The BHSU/SURF Quarknet Center is a collaboration between CAMSE, Center for the Advancement of Math and Science Education at BHSU in Spearfish, South Dakota and the Sanford Underground Research Facility Education and Outreach Team in Lead, South Dakota. The Center was started in 2009 by Dr. Kara Keeter, BHSU, and has been further facilitated by Dr. Peggy Norris, SURF, and is now under the direction of Dr. Ban Sayler, BHSU. The center operates with the mission of providing access to particle physics education and underground science to students of the region through professional development and support for teachers, activities and resources for students, and promotion of high-quality, engaging, relevant, equitable, and rigorous science learning experiences for all students.
Center Members
Doug Scribner, Newcastle High School, Wy Lead Teacher
Zach Beam, Newcastle High School, Wy
Jim Stith, Lead, SD former Lead Teacher
Luann Lindskov, Timber Lake High School, SD
Kevin Militello, Douglas Middle School, Box Elder, SD
Greg Seefeldt, Middle School, Rapid City, SD
Caitlyn Bordeaux, Lakota Tech High School, Pine Ridge, SD
Sadia Risse, Bennett Co Schools, Martin, SD
Bree Oatman, Lower Brule High School, SD
Chad Ronish, SURF, Former lead teacher, Center Director
This past year our center has been involved with continued educational support for our members and their students, public outreach, student programing, masterclass, and data infrastructure support.
In February 2023, we facilitated a quarknet presentation at the SD STEM conference to recruit new center teachers and promote the new USD Quarknet Center. Members participated in AAPT regional and national meetings in January and March. Our masterclass was cancelled due to weather, but we hosted a masterclass in conjunction with Women in Science to create and support a mentor group of students to foster continued STEM learning and support for girls in our region. The masterclass was a pilot of the Nova neutrino analysis.
In July we hosted a teacher workshop featuring coding to build on our workshop from 2022 with the help of Shane Wood and Carlie Payne. That group of teachers also presented Quarknet data portfolio activities to 2000 visitors at neutrino day in Lead on July 8th. We supported an outreach event at Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School with Quarknet Activities and science presentations to students from a traditionally underrepresented demographic in STEM careers.
We are upgrade our CRMD’s to raspberry pi technology and are working to get detectors into schools and taking data.
Our plans for 2024 include holding a workshop on Cosmic Rays to help new teachers with operation of CRMD’s. We will host a masterclass in the spring and will facilitate the continuation of the Women in Science Mentor group that we started. We have new members to send to data camp and we will work to support the Lead Teacher Camp and potentially Data Camp II.