Mines students use liquid nitrogen to make ice cream inside the South
Dakota State Capitol Rotunda. The process is one of many highlights common at
the annual Mines Day at the Capitol in Pierre.
South Dakota
Mines will host its annual Mines Day at the Capitol in Pierre from 9 a.m.-1
p.m. on Monday, Jan. 29. The event allows Mines to share the innovative work happening
on campus with state lawmakers and business leaders.
Mines President Dr. Jim Rankin will join various
faculty, staff and students to visit with legislators and guests. Various
academic departments and student organizations will have displays and
interactive projects. University chapters of the American Chemical Society, Society
of Physics Students, Student Senate, the Center for Alumni Relations and
Advancement, the Department of Nanoscience and Biomedical Engineering, and student
competition teams will be on hand with displays and demonstrations.
Research is important to South Dakota, and Mines’ student and
faculty research has a positive economic impact on the state. Mines landed
a university record $24.1 million in research funding in fiscal year 2023.
Investments in research at Mines came from organizations like the U.S. Department
of Defense, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. The
university has a track record of turning research into local start-up companies
such as VRC Metal Systems and Endlas; in turn, these companies create local
high-paying jobs.
Mines also supports the emerging high-tech economy
in South Dakota with a talent pipeline of well-trained scientists, engineers,
and business leaders. Mines’ graduates provide the backbone for a range of
companies and organizations with South Dakota offices such as AEsir,
B9Creations, Daktronics, Memsense, Banner Associates, Black Hills Info Sec.,
Caterpillar, IMP, POET, Raven, RESPEC, Vishay, Sanford Underground Research
Facility, Black Hills Energy and many more.