Two South Dakota science educators join SURF education team

This spring, the Education and Outreach (E&O) team at Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) welcomed two new science education specialists, Ashley Armstrong and Chad Ronish. A partnership between SURF and Black Hills State University (BHSU), the E&O team leverages the excitement and promise of deep underground science and engineering to inspire and engage students and educators across the state of South Dakota.

“We are so lucky to be able to add two dedicated and passionate science teacher leaders from South Dakota to our team,” said Nicol Reiner, E&O director. “Their experiences and background broaden the areas of expertise of our team. We are all super excited to get back into classrooms this school year and share our passion for investigating science and figuring things out!”

Armstrong and Ronish will work within the E&O team to advance STEM education through professional development programming, field trips, in-school presentations and curriculum units.

Ashley Armstrong

Ashley Armstrong had built a career in long-term and preventative healthcare when she first stepped in front of a classroom. While pursuing a master's degree in kinesiology at the University of Wyoming (UW), her graduate assignment was to teach a class on personal health and wellness.

“I was terrified. I had never thought of myself as a teacher. But I ended up loving it,” Armstrong said. “For years afterward, I missed the connections that were made in the classroom. And I decided to get my teaching certificate.”

Armstrong continued teaching classes at UW and became a middle school science teacher at Bon Homme and Huron school districts in South Dakota. During this time, Armstrong attended a professional development program hosted by SURF E&O.

“When I first was introduced to the work of SURF E&O team, I said, 'I want to do that someday',” Armstrong said. “This is how teaching should be taught across the board, not just in science, not just in South Dakota, not just in big districts. This needs to be everywhere.”

Armstrong became more involved, eventually working with SURF E&O to facilitate professional development programs and develop a curriculum unit. Now, as a member of E&O, Armstrong continues these efforts full time.

“I really enjoy the equity emphasis of this job,” Armstrong said. “How can teachers create classrooms to meet the needs of ESL [English as a Second Language] students and students that have lower access levels than others? Those students deserve and need those same opportunities so that they have a chance to excel in the field of science.”

Armstrong formerly taught in two school districts (Bon Homme and Huron) on the eastern side of the state. With her connections within eastern South Dakota communities and as the president-elect of the South Dakota Science Teaching Association, Armstrong hopes to increase the team’s connections with educators across the state.

Armstrong received her teaching certificate and a bachelor's degree in health, physical education and recreation from South Dakota State University (SDSU) and her master's degree from UW. A lifelong learner, she is currently pursuing a master's degree in leadership and administration from Northern State University and a Ph.D. in education from UW.

Chad Ronish

Chad Ronish has been involved with SURF’s education and outreach efforts since the facility was created. From 2009 to 2013, Ronish was a lead teacher for the National Science Foundation’s QuarkNet program. During this program, Ronish received training in research methods and education strategies at Fermilab and CERN. Ronish also participated in Neutrino Day, SURF’s free, citywide science festival, during the early years of the annual festival. 

Ronish has been involved with multiple experiments at SURF, including an underground ventilation study for radon mitigation, a magnetic field study of the Ross Shaft and a study of radon daughter products in the Teflon lining of the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter detector. 

“I’ve always wanted to be a part of SURF, because I believe in what is happening here,” Ronish said. “I believe in exposing our students to science and encouraging them to take these opportunities to have this kind of career—a particle physics career, an engineering career—right here in South Dakota.”

For the last two decades, Ronish has taught physics at Hill City High School. There, he spearheaded a project to create a technology and engineering makerspace where students could do hands-on learning on their own terms, creating self-imagined projects and investigations. Today, the makerspace includes 3-D printers of all sizes, 3D pens, laser engravers, a CNC machine and robotics.

Ronish will be highly involved in each facet of the E&O team’s outreach; he is especially looking forward to empowering elementary educators to teach STEM subjects.

“For a lot of elementary educators, teaching STEM subjects is daunting,” Ronish said. “Our professional development programs and curriculum units really equip teachers to do a great job delivering student-centered instruction.”

Ronish received his bachelor's degree in composite physical sciences with teaching certification from Black Hills State University and, for six years, worked for the United States Navy as a submarine nuclear mechanic.