Research Inquiries

For inquiries related to SD Mines Research, contact:

Research Affairs

S.D. School of Mines & Technology
501 E. St. Joseph Street
Suite 102, O'Harra Building
Rapid City, SD  57701

(605) 394-2493

Research@Mines

Research@Mines

Research at Mines happens every day of the year, involves faculty and students at every academic level, and frequently includes collaboration across the state, the nation and the globe.
Mines Student Helps Photons Travel on Communication Highway

SD Mines junior Abbi Elger is working in the physics department at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory as a participant in DOE’s Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) program coordinated by the Lab’s Office of Educational Programs.

SD Mines Seismometer Upgrade Allows Geologists to Detect Earthquakes Around the World

The Mines seismographic bunker was built into the side of a hill behind campus in 1960. It includes a pillar of concrete that extends 25 feet into the ground the connects the bunker with the earth.

The Potential Power of Autonomous Flying Swarms

Researchers at SD Mines are working to infuse cooperative behavior on a collection of flying robots.

Dinosaurs: A Catalyst for Critical Thought

The latest work, of Dr. Darrin Pagnac, “Dinosaurs: A Catalyst for Critical Thought,” shows that passion for dinosaurs, when properly directed, can trigger interest in science and be used to develop critical thinking skills.  

Lasers Light the Way to New Technologies

At Deep Talks: Nobel Day, Steve Smith, Ph.D., professor and director of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering at the SD Mines will discuss the topics relating to this year's Nobel Prize in Physics.

Remote Monitoring Stations Established at SD Mines in Build Up to DUNE

Researchers in the SD Mines Department of Physics are setting up new remote monitoring stations that allow them to take part in the international experiments MicroBooNE and NOvA. 

Termite Mounds Hide Secrets to Sustainable Buildings of the Future

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology has been awarded $475,000 from the National Science Foundation to study how termites construct mounds with the idea that humans might one day adapt the energy-efficient homebuilding techniques of the insects.

SD Mines Researchers Explore Hydraulic Fracturing to Expand Geothermal Energy

SD Mines researchers believe fracking can also be used at depth in hard rocks that contain no oil or gas to improve geothermal energy production. The process could enhance the use of the earth’s own heat as a source of clean energy.  Hydraulic fracturing research at SURF uses no chemicals, so unlike some fossil fuel fracking operations, the fracking fluid used in these studies is water only. 

Mines Student Helps Photons Travel on Communication Highway

Abbi Elger

Abbi Elger’s enthusiasm for science is captivating.

Elger, who is working in the physics department at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, is a participant in DOE’s Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) program coordinated by the Lab’s Office of Educational Programs.

“Since I was a kid, I have been curious about how our universe works. I especially find the fields of astronomy and quantum physics totally fascinating. I am thrilled that I get to work at Brookhaven and be surrounded by amazing scientists who share my interests and teach me something new every day,” said Elger.

Under the direction of her mentor, Brookhaven physicist Andrei Nomerotski, Elger is working on a quantum science project in collaboration with Stony Brook University (SBU) that may help communications become “hack proof.”

“We are capturing data related to entangled photons,” said Elger. “Currently, entangled photons—two photons that are produced together and correlated—can only travel over short distances. To advance the methods of encrypted communication that are currently available and to connect quantum devices, our goal is to send entangled photons over long distances, such as from Brookhaven to  Stony Brook University or even from New York to California.”

“Abbi was a perfect fit for this project,” said Nomerotski. “She is v...

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Last Edited 3/19/2019 10:15:13 AM [Comments (0)]

SD Mines Seismometer Upgrade Allows Geologists to Detect Earthquakes Around the World

Kevin Ward, Ph.D., assistant professor of geology and geological engineering at Mines points to a small seismograph that replaces all the older instruments inside the seismograph station on campus

On the afternoon of Jan. 5, 2019, the remote jungle of Acre, Brazil began to shake. The trees swayed, the ground moved up and down and animals scurried for cover. At 2:25 p.m. local time, the Seismological Observatory of the University of Brasilia registered a magnitude 6.8 (Mww) quake with an epicenter 55 miles west of Tarauaca, Brazil, and 204 miles east of Pucallpa, Peru with depth of 575 kilometers.

Minutes later, a tiny device, inside a concrete bunker at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology registered the same earthquake–and an email alert is sent to the phone of Kevin Ward, Ph.D., assistant professor of geology and geological engineering at Mines. “I can see earthquakes around the world,” says Ward.

The Mines seismographic bunker was built into the side of a hill behind campus in 1960. It includes a pillar of concrete that extends 25 feet into the ground the connects the bunker with the earth. For decades the seismometers in this bunker were part of the USGS Global Seismographic Network. But, as the university and the town of Rapid City grew–the level of local noise and vibrations interfered with the older mechanical seismometers. These instruments are so sensitive to vibration they can pick up trains, cars, and even footsteps near...

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Last Edited 3/11/2019 11:42:49 AM [Comments (0)]

The Potential Power of Autonomous Flying Swarms

Shankarachary Ragi, Ph.D. an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Mines holds three hummingbird sized drones that his team is working with.

If you’ve ever marveled at a flock of birds moving in complex patterns as if it were one single large organism, you’re not alone. Researchers at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology are working to infuse similar cooperative behavior on a collection of flying robots. This is not an easy task, birds have millions of years of evolution that allow them to flock, researchers developing swarm robotics are writing mathematical models to mimic some of this behavior. Developing the ability for drones to work together in swarms could have wide-ranging applications­—from agriculture to military use. But many scientific hurdles remain.

“These decision-making problems are very challenging because each independent robot in the swarm has to predict how others will behave in the future and then make its own decisions accordingly,” says Shankarachary Ragi, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at SD Mines who is leading the research. Ragi and his team are helping to develop mathematical models, or algorithms, that enable these kinds of cooperative behaviors in drones.

Decades ago, computer scientists realized they could build a virtual supercomputer by making several normal- sized computers work together in a n...

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Last Edited 2/12/2019 08:11:08 AM [Comments (0)]

Dinosaurs: A Catalyst for Critical Thought

Darrin Pagnac, Ph.D., holds a model of a Triceratops skull.

Since the mid-1800s dinosaurs have been a source of fascination and inspiration — from children’s coloring books to Hollywood blockbusters, these extinct animals hold a unique place in the American psyche. The immense popularity of dinosaurs also makes them an excellent conduit for teaching the critical thinking skills needed in basic science and engineering literacy.

Darrin Pagnac, Ph.D., is a South Dakota School of Mines & Technology associate professor of geology specializing in paleontology. His latest work, “Dinosaurs: A Catalyst for Critical Thought,” published by Cambridge University Press, shows that passion for dinosaurs, when properly directed, can trigger interest in science and be used to develop critical thinking skills.

Each spring Pagnac teaches a course called “Dinosaurs,” which attracts a wide range of students from various fields of study. “We have a number of students who get fired up emotionally about dinosaurs,” he says. In this class, Pagnac helps students confront preconceived notions that he calls “Jurassic Park Syndrome.” This is where student’s views of paleontology and sciences are shaped...

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Last Edited 1/26/2019 10:43:00 AM [Comments (0)]