New Summer Ceramics Engineering Program Opens at South Dakota Mines

The Black Hills contain a wealth of industrial minerals that have long been used to create ceramics for various industries and applications ranging from bricks for building foundations to thermal insulators for spacecraft.

A new South Dakota Mines Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site, funded by a nearly $500,000 National Science Foundation grant, will take students through the area’s rich geological and cultural history and create a hands-on “farm to table” experience.

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 concept is that students will dive into focused research projects while simultaneously being educated on the journey of a ceramic material – from geology in the field to the products we use.  The students will gain an appreciation for the interconnectedness of these overlapping fields,” said Katrina Donovan, Ph.D., a senior lecturer in the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering.

Donovan and Sarah Keenan, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, are leading the program that will begin next summer. Students can apply to the REU program here. This REU site and other opportunities are available online.

BACE will focus on four key objectives: increasing local community engagement by utilizing local resources through technical tours and geological field studies; preparing students for graduate school by conducting collaborative and interdisciplinary research; elevating cultural awareness of the local geology, communities, and history of South Dakota and the Black Hills; and growing the number of underrepresented groups in STEM research.

“Students will be involved in cutting-edge projects tied to local geology, ceramic science and engineering, and culture,” Keenan said. “The program provides unique research opportunities from cultural heritage science to mineral processing to advance materials formulation, manufacturing and performance.”

The BACE team will include multiple departments at Mines and mentors from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Oglala Sioux Tribe, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Winnebago Tribe. The summer-long program will also include a trip to the Badlands National Park and the Red Cloud Heritage Center on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

The program will culminate with the students presenting their research experiences at the annual South Dakota EPSCoR Research Symposium.