The Institute for Underground Science at SURF Announces 2025 Davis-Bahcall Scholars
The scholars, who come from across the state of South Dakota, will take part in a once-in-a-lifetime, all-expense-paid exploration of the modern world of STEM research.
The Institute for Underground Science at Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) has selected the 2025 cohort of Davis-Bahcall Scholars. The scholars, who come from across the state of South Dakota, will take part in a once-in-a-lifetime, all-expense-paid opportunity that connects science-curious students with peers and mentors while exploring the modern world of STEM research.
“The Davis-Bahcall program provides students with a unique opportunity to explore a wide range of STEM fields at a pivotal point in their education,” said Deb Wolf, Director of Outreach and Culture at SURF. “By engaging with professionals and experiencing real-world research environments, students gain valuable insight into potential career paths, helping them make more informed decisions about their future in science, engineering, and beyond.”
The 2025 Davis-Bahcall Scholars are Amelia Her Many Horses, from Oelrichs, attending South Dakota Mines; Braiden Blenner, from Rapid City, who is finishing his senior year at Stevens High School; Christopher Budd, from Rapid City, currently a freshman at South Dakota Mines; Clark Egland, from Sioux Falls, who is attending Augustana University; Katelinn Ohrtman, from Rapid City, who is finishing her senior year at Stevens High School; Katelyn Jarzobski, from Omaha, NE, currently attending Black Hills State University; Nicole Weiss, from Pierre, who is finishing her senior year at T.F. Riggs High School; and Wyatt Schell, from McIntosh, who is a freshman at South Dakota Mines.
The Davis-Bachall Scholars program is designed to help students who are considering a career in STEM to develop an understanding of where their passions could take them. The program demystifies STEM careers by exposing students to what professionals do every day.
For Nicole Weiss, the program offers an invaluable chance to explore a range of potential career paths. "As someone who is unsure what career path to take, this is so valuable because it would help me explore some of my options. I plan to shadow a few professions in the medical field, such as Pharmacy and Laboratory Science, but I can’t possibly encounter the scope of this trip in my hometown. With this opportunity, I could see a larger variety of STEM careers."
Wyatt Schell, another of the 2025 Davis-Bahcall Scholars, is eager to use his education to uplift his community. “I am convinced that the knowledge I gain will not be confined to the classroom; instead, I will share it and apply it in ways that inspire others from my reservation to approach education with renewed energy and hope,” says Schell.
The 2025 Davis-Bahcall Scholars program will run from Sunday, June 15 through Sunday, July 13. Scholars will spend this time exploring leading STEM industries, universities, and laboratories including the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois, and Boulby Underground Laboratory in the United Kingdom.
The program is named in honor of experimental physicist Ray Davis Jr. and theoretical physicist John Bahcall. Davis built a Nobel Prize-winning neutrino experiment at the 4850-foot level of the former Homestake Mine that is now home to America’s Underground Lab. About 100 students have participated in the program since 2009.
The program is sponsored by the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority, Black Hills State University, First PREMIER Bank, and the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium.
