REU Site: Black Hills Applied Ceramic Engineering

South Dakota School Of Mines And Technology, Rapid City SD

Investigators

Abstract

Ceramics are used in many industries and various applications that range from thermal insulators for spacecraft to more practical applications like bricks for building foundations. The Black Hills Applied Ceramic Engineering (BACE) REU Site will focus on ceramics from a holistic perspective, to encompass the archeological, cultural, and technical understanding and utility of ceramic materials. The program has four key objectives that (i) increases local community engagement by utilizing local resources through technical tours and geological field studies, (ii) prepares students for graduate school by conducting collaborative and interdisciplinary research and creating diverse cross-cutting teams, (iii) elevates cultural awareness of the local geology, communities, and history of South Dakota and the Black Hills, and (iv) grows the number of underrepresented groups in STEM research. Students involved in the multi-disciplinary research projects will gain valuable skills needed for success in professional and academic careers. The BACE REU Site will establish an immersive educational and research experience for students from diverse backgrounds in cutting-edge projects that are tied to both the local geology, ceramic science/engineering, and culture. The program provides unique research opportunities from cultural heritage science to mineral processing to advance materials formulation, manufacturing, and performance. The team consists of a consortium of collaborative mentors from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe as well as multiple departments at South Dakota Mines. The program will offer a wide range of workplace training consisting of BACE topics, technical communication, and professional development. The BACE developmental components include a trip to Badlands National Park and the Red Cloud Heritage Center located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. A range of research opportunities and analytical methods will be integrated including materials characterization, testing, and development related to ceramics. The summer will culminate in students leverage their new technical communication skills and research experiences by presenting a poster at the annual South Dakota EPSCoR Research Symposium. This REU site is jointly funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the Division of Earth Sciences (Directorate for Geosciences), the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and the Division of Engineering Education and Centers (Directorate for Engineering). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.