On December 16th, scientists and engineers from various national institutions such as the University of Tennessee, Stanford University, NASA Ames Research Center, South Dakota State University, University of South Dakota, Dakota State University, Black Hills State University, and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology convened on the School of Mines campus to discuss research and development of a new vertical shaft facility at the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) in Lead, South Dakota.
The new facility will offer unique opportunities for cutting-edge experiments in nuclear/particle physics, atomic physics, geophysics and atmospheric science. DUSEL has several vertical shafts with depths up to 1 km that may be used for state-of-the-art experiments aimed at the discovery of neutron oscillations and gravitational wave detection. This meeting will result in a strategic plan of research and development of the new facility tied with scientific and educational infrastructure improvement in the state of South Dakota.
The agenda for the meeting was as follows:
Welcome - Robert Wharton, President, School of Mines
Vertical Facility at DUSEL: Scientific and Educational Opportunities - Andre Petukhov, Physics Department, School of Mines
U.S. Nuclear Engineering Education Renaissance: Opportunities for South Dakota - H. Lee Dodds, Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee
TRIGA Reactor: Opportunity for Nuclear Engineering in South Dakota - Robert McTaggart, Department of Physics, South Dakota State University
Overview of Vertical Facility and DUSEL Theory White Paper - Yuri Kamyshkov, Physics Department, University of Tennessee
Vertical facility: Phase II of the State DUSEL Research Center - Dongming Mei, Physics Department, University of South Dakota
Vertical NNbar experiment at DUSEL - Robert McTaggart, Physics Department, South Dakota State University
Atomic Interferometry at DUSEL - Andre Petukhov, Physics Department, School of Mines
Availability of Vertical Shafts at Homestake - Jaret Heise, Science Liaison Director, Sanford Laboratory at Homestake
Education and Outreach at DUSEL - Andy Johnson, CAMSE, Black Hills State University
Vertical E&O Project (Demo of Earth Rotation Speed) - Bill Roggenthen, Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, School of Mines
Atmospheric Vertical Cloud Chamber - John Helsdon, Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, School of Mines
Microgravity at DUSEL - Robert McTaggart, Physics Department, South Dakota State University
A Vertical Facility for Isotope Separation at DUSEL - Dongming Mei, Physics Department, University of South Dakota
Discussion of Vertical Facility S4 Proposal - Yuri Kamyshkov, Physics Department, University of Tennessee
Path forward: Plans for Collaboration and future meetings - Yuri Kamyshkov, UT, and Andre Petukhov, School of Mines (Conveners)
