Brian Jones Dan Claes Susan Pfiffner

Gavin Polhemus Andrew Warnock

Robert Stencel Barbara Monday Victor Stenger

NSF Reverse Site VisitApril 19, 2007

A collaboration with Phelps Dodge/Climax Molybdenum • bringing academics together with the mining industry • planning a laboratory that

• shares infrastructure with and • receives support from

• allowed opportunistic biological sampling and geological analysis during contracted core drilling

a fully operational commercial mine.

Already DUSEL S2 efforts have generated synergyamong the previously unrelated disciplines

it has brought together:

with opportunities that foster a new breed of scientist and engineer: skilled in multiple-science techniques & cross-cutting applications.

The proposed “Mining Academy”: a world-class facility offering• undergraduate and graduate education mining and geotechnical engineering • national laboratory for

• mine rescue training • mine health- and safety-related research.

Henderson DUSEL’s Low Background Counting Facilities • will meet the needs of Homeland Security-related activities.

We will attract & engage a large audience

by capitalizing onHenderson’s unique setting….

at the edge of Arapaho National Forest where the Jones Pass & Berthoud Falls Pass

trails meet, along the major north-south corridor connecting

the destination resorts of Loveland Pass and Winter Park.

Location, location, location!...

The average daily traffic on I-70 through Clear Creek County is 42,000

and along US 40 it is 7,100.

6 Mountain Communities (immediately adjacent to Henderson) Clear Creek, Eagle, Gilpin, Grand, and Summit (6 schools, 5 counties) 817 teachers serving 11,432 K-12 students. 8 Front Range Counties Arapaho, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld 42 school districts with 28,387 teachers serving 517,235 students. There are 8 major colleges and universities one hour from Clear Creek County

50% Hispanic20% African-American20% Anglo10% Native American, Asian-American

The Henderson Mine’s location near popular tourist centers will maximize the impact of a Visitor’s Center.

Location, location, location!...

1 hour from Denver’s 2.4 million population!

Georgetown visitors center draws 254,000 visitors a year Idaho Springs visitors center and Mining Museum 45,000 Georgetown Loop Railroad 65,665 U.S. Forest Service Information Center, Idaho Springs 26,127

Denver Public School District:

Even before the lab opens… before construction even begins

promote the surrounding public hiking and skiing areas as a Science Park of interpretive science trails tapping into the growing international interest

in UNESCO GeoParksestablish an additional draw for tourists to frequent the area

Scope and Impact: a “cradle-to-grave” strategy build interest in science at an early age, increasing student participation as active investigators in authentic research experiences from grade school through college.

By targeting teachers and teaching faculty we can impact an entire generation.

• Teachers are eager to learn about the science of DUSEL! would like to tie current research to basic science concepts

• Science museums and other facilities may offer professional development opportunities for teachers, but DUSEL could offer experiences tied to real, exciting science right at the facility where it is being conducted!

• DUSEL lab will be interdisciplinary a plus for schools looking to integrate the sciences.

• DUSEL will have a strong earth science focus. Colorado’s science standards stress earth science and many teachers do not feel proficient in this area.

Some feedback from the >150 educators that participated in our outreach workshops:

•Summer/weekend workshops for teachers. •Training in content areas to include

•engaging classroom activities directly related to material/objectives already covered in classroom•with credit hours available through university members

•Summer research programs for students & teachers. •Engaging them in projects related to DUSEL research

•REU experiences for undergraduates•Bringing in student groups/underrepresented through residential programs

Sampling water fromthe “octopus” in the Merrispruit Mine

Hampton U. student takes field notes in the Joel Mine

The existing South African Biogeochemical Education Experience is our template

for REU and RET programs.

Basalt students move thedetectors to the next location

Clear Creek students set up the satellite modules

Outreach efforts have already brought high school teachers & students into the mine:

• demonstrating cosmic ray shielding• transmission of vibrations thru rock• rock temperature at different levels

• water sampling and analysis

we plan to offer the world’s 1st underground hands-on science exhibition center. A subterranean setting allowing the development of interactive exhibits inaccessible to surface museums.

In a dedicated drift away from traffic, or simulated above ground

In consultation with award-winning executive producers specializing in science content

at Nebraska Educational Television (NET) ideas are under development for

• documenting the development and construction of the lab • promoting the science of DUSEL.

Using video production and television to promote DUSEL science nationally

As local PBS stations go digital, many are considering expanding to additional

channels, some dedicated to science content.

A documentary on the planning & construction of DUSEL would generate footage not only for the short introductory film to play regularly in the Visitor Center lobby, but for any of the following

video projects being investigated as well:

(i) A series of programs focused on the Science of DUSEL: Xtreme

(deep underground engineering, biology in extreme environments)

targeted for NOVA (NET has produced several NOVA episodes).

(iii) planetarium shows developed under consultation with planetarium directors at UNL, CU, and the Denver Museum ofNature and Science (all experienced in producing shows for national distribution).

(ii) spin-offs from above, developed as 1-minute segments • posted on DUSEL web-site in response to frequently asked questions• made available to cable education channels.

High resolution photography together with digital imagery

and full field of view projection

offer “full immersion” experiences: undersea, outerspace, inside an atom!

• 360-degree view with sound-surround: dripping water and the rumble of heavy equipment that suddenly appears at tunnel intersection ahead

•mining and crushing footage

•coring activities

•biological sampling.

Distribution of such productions to planetariums at museums, science centers, and schools would

provide spectacular advertisement for the laboratory.

Digital imaging from within the UNO detector would be possible (a planetarium show tracking the neutrinos

originating in stars and supernova, through space, into the earth, and to their detection in UNO).

A full-dome digital planetarium show can create an effective deep underground experience for visitors: