South Dakota Mines Takes Over State Capitol Rotunda on Monday

South Dakota Mines will host its annual Mines Day at the Capitol in Pierre from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 29. The event allows Mines to share the innovative work happening on campus with state lawmakers and business leaders.

Mines President Dr. Jim Rankin will join various faculty, staff and students to visit with legislators and guests. Various academic departments and student organizations will have displays and interactive projects. University chapters of the American Chemical Society, Society of Physics Students, Student Senate, the Center for Alumni Relations and Advancement, the Department of Nanoscience and Biomedical Engineering, and student competition teams will be on hand with displays and demonstrations.

Research is important to South Dakota, and Mines' student and faculty research has a positive economic impact on the state. Mines landed a university record $24.1 million in research funding in fiscal year 2023. Investments in research at Mines came from organizations like the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. The university has a track record of turning research into local start-up companies such as VRC Metal Systems and Endlas; in turn, these companies create local high-paying jobs.

Mines also supports the emerging high-tech economy in South Dakota with a talent pipeline of well-trained scientists, engineers, and business leaders. Mines' graduates provide the backbone for a range of companies and organizations with South Dakota offices such as AEsir, B9Creations, Daktronics, Memsense, Banner Associates, Black Hills Info Sec., Caterpillar, IMP, POET, Raven, RESPEC, Vishay, Sanford Underground Research Facility, Black Hills Energy and many more.