SURF invests in next generation of South Dakota K-12 educators

In the Yates Hoistroom, 15 students stared up at the enormous machinery. Large, conical drums slowly rotated, unfurling thousands of feet of thick, steel cable. Before launching into an explanation of how the hoist machinery powers transportation throughout the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), their guide asked them to consider: What do you notice? What do you wonder?

The students voiced their questions, and their guide used that curiosity to explore the engineering behind the hoists.

The students were education majors at Black Hills State University (BHSU). Their trip to SURF was part of a science methods course, where they learned the nuts and bolts of bringing science to life in the classroom.

“We want to inspire them, as future science teachers, to be curious,” said Deb Wolf, director of Outreach and Culture at SURF. “By asking these students what they notice, what they wonder, what they are interested in learning about, we demonstrate how they can leverage curiosity to drive learning in their future classrooms.”

Tim Klavon, BHSU assistant professor of science education, said the purpose in bringing his science methods students to SURF is twofold. First, the experience helps students practice planning a field trip. “Field trips require a lot of organization, from transportation and food to permission slips and chaperones,” Klavon said. “By having our preservice teachers walk through the steps of planning this visit, we can demystify that process.”

The experience also helps preservice educators consider unique ways to usher science into the classroom. “These students will become educators all over the state and nation,” Klavon said. “They may never take their students on a field trip to SURF. But by bringing them here, I want to help them find the wonders in their own backyard, wherever they may go.”

For those who will go on to teach in school districts across South Dakota — and more than 80% of BHSU’s education graduates will — SURF will continue to be a resource for professional development workshops, curriculum modules, in-school presentations, and field trips.

“Our education team believes that every student deserves high quality, rigorous, relevant, equitable, and engaging science learning opportunities,” Wolf said. “By supporting South Dakota’s current and next generation of educators, we are transforming science education across the state.”

Partnering with BHSU is a key part of this effort. BHSU has the top education program in the region and the largest teacher preparation program in South Dakota. And BHSU’s location, just 20 miles from America’s underground science laboratory, is ideal for sustained collaboration between the two entities.

Beyond preservice training, BHSU and SURF work together to create teacher professional development workshops, K-12 curriculum and classroom presentations; collaborate on statewide education activities through EPSCoR; and build relationships with and within tribal communities to inspire and promote positive student experiences in STEM.

SURF and BHSU partner in several other ways, including the BHSU Underground Campus, which provides support to experiments around the globe and opportunities for students to work on world-leading research; the Davis-Bahcall Scholars Program, in which students explore the world of scientific research; and SURF’s Artist-in-Residence Program, which is coordinated by BHSU and leverages the unique characteristics of SURF and the science experiments it hosts to create awareness and encourage interdisciplinary work.

“SURF represents such a unique resource, between its commitment to world-class scientific research in its underground labs and its dedication to sharing that science broadly through education and outreach,” said Jon Kilpinen, BHSU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “Our candidates learn from nationally recognized scientists and science educators in the only facility of its kind, providing a one-of-a-kind perspective and science-based knowledge and pedagogy for BHSU students. That kind of partnership is certainly unique across the country.”

“By pairing SURF’s world-leading research with BHSU’s academic programs, these partnerships create something bigger than the sum of our parts,” Wolf said.

To learn more about SURF’s E&O offerings, visit our Resources for Educators page. To learn more about BHSU’s degrees in education, visit their website.