Mines Hosts Sessions at Black Hills Defense & Industry Symposium

March 11, 2022
Mines Hosts Sessions at Black Hills Defense & Industry Symposium
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Koby I. Saunders

South Dakota Mines hosted a roundtable discussion and technical information session on Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) at the Black Hills Defense & Industry Symposium on March 14-16 at The Monument in Rapid City.

PFAS are a diverse group of human-made chemicals used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products. They are long-lasting chemicals in the environment that can cause harm to human health. The chemicals have been commonly used in fire retardant, textile manufacturing, grease-resistant paper for food packaging, stain and water repellents and non-stick cookware. Military installations commonly used aqueous film-forming foams containing PFAS for training and emergency response. PFAS contamination is a concern nationwide.  

  • Mines hosted a roundtable discussion on PFAS innovation on March 14. The discussion included experts from academia, government and industry. 
  • Mines President Dr. Jim Rankin was among the featured speakers during the general symposium session on March 15. President Rankin spoke on the wide range of research topics at Mines in support of Ellsworth Air Force Base and across the Department of Defense. 
  • Mines hosted a technical information session on PFAS on March 16. This session included technical research presentations by leading scientists on PFAS from academia, government, and industry.
  • Mines Provost Dr. Lance Roberts was a featured panelist on March 16 on the topic of Building the Future of Defense Tech in the Black Hills.

You can find general information on the Black Hills Defense & Industry Symposium on the event website here. The symposium was hosted by the Black Hills Military Advisory Coalition.