Knowledge.
People. Place.

Beneath the black hills of South Dakota, researchers advance the future of world-leading science. The Institute for Underground Science at SURF will unite today’s research and tomorrow’s discoveries.

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The Institute 
Connecting people, place, and discovery

The Institute for Underground Science at SURF creates meaningful pathways and strategic partnerships that strengthen the scientific community and expand opportunities for research, educators, and student.

Press play to see how the Institute is making an impact. 

Rising to the  
surface.

The Institute envisions an environment of casual connections and structured collaborations to inform and inspire researchers, engineers, future scientists, and educators. We plan to build a facility where we welcome and support the global underground research community and advance opportunities for discovery.

A place for sharing knowledge and creating opportunities for scientists and educators

A welcoming worldwide destination for scientific collaboration across many fields

Located at the site of the deepest underground research facility in the United States

  • Researchers discuss dark matter in a classroom
    Collaborative gatherings, such as CETUP*, provide the ideal setting to share findings and insights.
  • Scientists at a collaboration meeting
    The Institute will host experiment collaborations, such as the Majorana Demonstrator Project.
  • two people in coveralls walk through an underground tunnel
    Sanford Underground Research Facility provides a backdrop for The Institute where science and study come together.
  • Ten interns underground at the 1700 level of SURF.
    SURF expands underground knowledge to a fresh class of interns each summer, building a structured program for learning today and impacting the future tomorrow.
  • Four people discuss research outdoors
    Underground science unearths opportunities that bridge the realms of science and business, fostering an environment where novel ideas intersect.
  • Eight people standing a yellow staircase looking at an experiment
    Experiments at neighboring SURF set the stage for a place to come together to share underground research.
  • People eating and talking around a table
    At The Institute, enjoy equal opportunities to connect researchers, not just the dots.

Inspire discovery.

Fostering interdisciplinary collaboration

Underground research flourishes through collaboration. Physics, life sciences, Earth sciences, and engineering start at depths deep underground, but a broad spectrum of expanding possibilities stem from shared exploration and constructive discourse. What can be uncovered through underground research? In an environment of collaboration and intersecting ideas, the possibilities are endless. 

EXPANDING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

The institute propels the ability for scientists of all ages and academic stages to benefit from interactions with educators and experts. The juncture of teaching and learning fosters inquisitive opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics  to attract and train rising researchers. Expanding underground science knowledge unites smart and curious people participating in the exchange of ideas and enlightenment to an inquisitive world.

CONSTRUCTING A FUTURE

Building a home for research and education for the underground science community expands beyond the walls and windows of our facility. Building an enterprise of ideas and finding a focal point where scientists-in-residence programs, underground science colloquiums, and educational workshops come together requires more than conference space. It requires collaborative moments. Synergies in place and knowledge will live together at The Institute.

STRENGTHENING PASSIONATE PARTNERSHIPS

Our growth and impact rely on associations beyond the underground science community. Current academic alliances with South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State University exemplify the opportunities for undergraduate internships, program partnerships, and multi-disciplinary collaborations. Adjacent to SURF, The Institute connects locally with the deepest underground research facility in the United States and continues to welcome new connections with educational institutions across the state and around the globe, regional Indigenous peoples, and cutting-edge scientific experiments.