From the Rapid City Journal, January 20, 2022: A 2021 economic study done for SURF and the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority shows the large economic impacts in advancing South Dakota’s economy. The impacts include job creation, household earnings, and spending for activities and experiments at SURF and the LBNF/DUNE. The partnership with Fermilab to construct and operate part of the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility at SURF will result in significant spending and employment in South Dakota in the coming decades.
LBNF/DUNE
From Rapid City Journal-Our Northern Hills, November 4, 2021: Excavation crews at the underground site of DUNE reached an important milestone. They completed the careful excavation of the ventilation shaft with just one drill bit during the entire four-and-a-half-month process. Crews also uncovered a 1-1/2 foot thick chunk of quartz crystal during the process that miraculously was not damaged by the reamer head, nor by the 300-foot fall it sustained, marking it a gem of the milestone.
From PBS, October 6, 9:00 pm CT: Tune in to the PBS premiere of Particles Unknown-the hunt for the universe’s most common yet elusive particle, this Wednesday on your local PBS channel. Starting with Ray Davis’ quest for neutrinos that began in 1965, Nova explores Fermilab’s search for sterile neutrinos and interviews Sam Zeller and Angela Fava from the Neutrino Division. Check your local PBS station programming to confirm the date and time of Particles Unknown.
From the Black Hills Pioneer, Sept. 2, 2021: Fermilab design manager for DUNE Joshua Willhet takes readers 4,850 feet underground to view and describe the excavation of the tunnels that will make way to the caverns of the LBNF for DUNE.
Construction crews will excavate around 800,000 tons of rock to make space for the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. But first, teams must carve out a quarter-mile-high ventilation shaft.
From the Black Hills Pioneer, July 23, 2021: The Thyssen Mining crew working on LBNF/DUNE was honored for their heroic efforts in rescuing residents from an apartment fire on July 10. The mayor of Lead declared July 23 “Thyssen Mining Company Employee’s Day within the city of Lead,” for their brave actions and positive impact on the community.
From The Black Hills Pioneer, July 2, 2021: As excavation begins for the LBNF/DUNE, planning and communication are critical to lowering huge pieces of equipment underground. Read more about how Thyssen Mining and the Sanford Underground Research Facility crews are working together to ensure everyone understands the plan and the process.
From the Black Hills Pioneer, June 20, 2021: The former Homestake Gold Mine was the largest and deepest in the western hemisphere and today it is the largest science project attempted on U.S. soil. The LBNF/DUNE includes a collaboration of more than 1,300 scientists from 32 countries. Read more about the significant impacts LBNF/DUNE is having on South Dakota.
How do you build a ship in a bottle? Everything necessary to construct the enormous Fermilab-hosted international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment must fit down a narrow, mile-deep shaft cut through solid rock. Contractors have started the months-long process of disassembling excavation equipment and lowering it underground.
From KOTA-TV (Rapid City, SD), May 16, 2021: Sanford has a $1.6 billion economic impact and generates over 1,000 jobs in South Dakota.