On today's show...
It's a celebration of science in Lead, South Dakota for Neutrino Day. On this special live episode of In the Moment, SDPB's C.J. Keene travels nearly a mile underground to talk with the scientists leading the groundbreaking research at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, or SURF.
Mike Headley is the executive director of the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority and the SURF laboratory director, and Wendy Straub is chief operating officer at SURF. They explain the lab's mission and detail the behind-the-scenes efforts that make science happen.
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, or DUNE, is a massive project being conducted at SURF in concert with Fermilab in Illinois. Steve Brice is the head of the DUNE Coordination Office at Fermilab. He joins to help unravel neutrinos, which are among the smallest — and least understood — particles in the universe.
Barbara Szczerbinska is a SURF Foundation board member and a professor of physics. Her research focuses neutrino physics, geoneutrinos and dark matter. She established the Center for Theoretical Underground Physics and Related Fields in Lead in 2011. She helps us understand some of the research being performed at SURF.
Kelly Kirk and Michael Ray are advocates for making science approachable for all. Kirk directs the SURF visitor center, and Michael Ray is the lab's media relations manager. They talk about some of the events planned for this year's Neutrino Day.
