Homestake transfer may be done by end of month

The Chief has been following this for some time, with a lot of interest. As a Physics teacher, the science possibilities are deep (heh-heh-heh) and profound. This can opnly be of benefit all the way around.

The transfer of the former Homestake mine to the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority should be completed by the end of the January…

Homestake is one of two National Science Foundation sites for a proposed Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, or DUSEL….In October, the Legislature approved $19.9 million to help re-open Homestake, make it ready for scientists and to pay for additional employees that Snyder said will be hired this year.

The attitude of the movie “Field of Dreams” (Build it, and they will come!) is apparently at work in this case also:

After the special appropriation was made in October, solicitation letters were sent to the scientific community. To date, there have been 67 proposals for experiments at Homestake from 40 universities, nine national laboratories and 15 other institutions in nine countries, Snyder said. “Obviously, we are pleased with the response from around the country and the world,” Snyder said. “But that doesn’t mean they will be here tomorrow to do experiments. It means they have a collaboration, an interest. We have to evaluate them, and they have to get funded.” A workshop will be held in February during which the proposals will be evaluated by a national consortium of scientists.