International DUNE Collaboration Brings Hundreds of Scientists to the Black Hills: Public Events Planned

Deep beneath the Black Hills, in the former Homestake Gold Mine in Lead, South Dakota, a remarkable transformation is underway. At the Sanford Underground Research Facility, scientists and engineers are building one of the most ambitious physics experiments ever conceived: the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE).

DUNE, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and led by Fermilab, will allow physicists to study the elusive particles called neutrinos – tiny nearly-massless particles that are all around us. By studying them, scientists hope to understand why the universe is made of matter, and ultimately, why we are all here.

More than 250 physicists and researchers from around the world will gather in the Black Hills May 18–22, 2026, for the international DUNE conference hosted by South Dakota Mines.

The conference, taking place in Rapid City and Lead, will bring together the DUNE collaboration, an international effort involving more than 1,500 scientists from over 220 institutions across 38 countries. Together, researchers are working to answer some of the biggest questions in physics and build a clearer understanding of how the universe works.

Researchers will meet at The Monument May 18–21 before heading to Lead May 22 for its final session. The DUNE collaboration’s internal scientific and technical meetings are closed to the public; however, there are public outreach events and scheduled interview opportunities. DUNE collaboration spokespersons, Sowjanya Gollapinni and Dave Newbold, will be available for media interviews at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 19, in the lobby of The Monument theater.

On Saturday, May 23, some collaboration members will tour the DUNE caverns at the 4,850-foot level, where massive detector modules are being assembled.

“This marks the first time many collaborators will see the scale and progress of the underground detector caverns in person,” said Juergen Reichenbacher, Ph.D., associate professor of physics at Mines, and organizer of the upcoming collaboration meeting.

Several public events are planned throughout the week, including a talk by Kate Shaw, Ph.D., associate professor of particle physics at the University of Sussex and the International Center for Theoretical Physics, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, in the Surbeck Center’s Beck Ballroom on the Mines campus. The evening begins at 7 p.m. with a liquid nitrogen ice cream social, student poster displays and a question-and-answer session hosted by the Mines physics department and its chapter of Society of Physics Students.

Shaw works on major international experiments including DUNE and the CERN ATLAS experiment. Her research focuses on the fundamental nature of matter and the forces that shape the universe. She is also internationally recognized for science communication, outreach and advocacy for inclusion in STEM.

Other public outreach events include:

• Deep Talks: The Science and Technology of DUNE by Angela White - 5 -7 p.m. Thursday, May 21, at the Sanford Labe Homestake Visitor Center. White is a doctoral researcher working at the forefront of particle physics and DUNE. Currently, she serves as a light readout expert for the 2x2 Demonstrator, a prototype for DUNE’s near detector systems.
• Lakota Hoop Dancing Presentation with Starr Chief Eagle and fellow performers - 4 – 6 p.m. Friday, May 22, Lead Opera House.