Archives: Events

Intended Audience: Grades 9-12th

Green Chemistry Camp

Let’s Treat the Earth with Respect!

The goals of the “Green Chemistry Camp: Treat the Earth with Respect” activities are:
Do you have a passion for the environment and a knack for chemistry? If your answer is yes, Green Chemistry day camp is for you!

Green chemistry is on the cutting edge of the industry – using chemistry to develop cleaner, safer, renewable energy sources. At this unique camp, students will gain a basic knowledge of green chemistry and sustainability in order to understand how the synthetic world of chemistry can interface with the natural world.

Campers will engage in hands-on experiments and in-depth discussions surrounding the role of chemistry in everyday life. They will learn the 12 principles of green chemistry:

Prevent waste
Design Safer chemicals and products
Design less hazardous chemical syntheses
Use safer solvents/reaction conditions
Increase energy efficiency
Use renewable feedstocks
Design chemicals and products that degrade after use
Minimize the potential for accidents
Analyze in real time to prevent pollution
Use catalysts, not stoichiometric reagents
Maximize atom economy
Avoid chemical derivatives

Ready for some green chemistry in action? Sign up today!

Intended Audience: Grades 9th-12th

Science of Swords
Science of Swords – An Elite Bladesmithing Experience is an immersive, four-day workshop for high school students to conduct bladesmithing and experience the Science of Swords!

Students will work directly with master blacksmith Mr. Jack Parks (Fire Steel Forge) to create a chef’s knife using traditional forging and heat-treating techniques. In addition to daily hands-on forging and blacksmithing activities, students will also explore the science and engineering principles behind blade-making under the guidance of Metallurgical Engineering Department Head Dr. Michael West. This component will include investigation of the scientific literature (ASM Handbooks, Materials Science and Engineering – An Introduction by Callister & Rethwisch) and laboratory testing. This is an elite workshop limited to 10 students.

Scientific/engineering principles will include:
Structure of metals
Principles of metalworking and forging
Processing and hardening of blades by heat treatment
Characterization of metals through advanced microscopy
Blade testing and performance

Intended Audience: High School Juniors

Join us for a personalized on-campus experience and get a glimpse of South Dakota Mines! During this event, you will have the opportunity to learn about various aspects of student life, such as living on campus, career placement, and internships. You will also have the chance to participate in a live Q&A panel with some of our current students, interact with academic departments, representatives from Financial Aid and the Registrar’s offices, and explore our campus.

Throughout the event, our friendly staff and students will be available to assist you and answer any questions you may have. If you are unable to attend the event after registering, kindly contact us to cancel your registration.

We look forward to welcoming you to our campus soon!

Intended Audience: Grades 9th-12th

Materials, Metallurgy & Forensics

If you already know what a metallurgical engineer does and what doing a ‘forensic investigation’ entails, then you know how cool this camp will be!

In case you do not know about this field of engineering, here are just some of the things you will do at this camp:

Learn about metals, nanomaterials, composites, and polymers
Get hands-on with heat treating, blacksmithing, welding, and casting
Do materials testing (i.e., impact and tensile strength testing) and materials characterization using an optical and scanning electron microscope
Practice forensic engineering by investigating how materials fail and investigate the authenticity of historic metal artifacts.

This day camp is supported by the ASM Materials Education Foundation. Students will learn from professors at South Dakota Mines.

Intended Audience: Grades 9th-12th

Science of Pottery and Glass

The unique minerals of the Black Hills region provide the perfect ingredients to form colorful pottery and glasses. This summer day camp provides high school students with a novel experience to learn about the science behind the creation of pottery (ceramics) and glasses through hands-on laboratory activities using Black Hills minerals. The experiences in this camp will inspire students to better understand mineral resources and how utilize them to create functional materials. Topics covered in the camp will include:

Color Theory (learn the science and art of using color)
Clay-body Formation (create your own clay recipe)
Clay-body Processing (learn pottery techniques such as pinch pots, coil pots, throwing pottery)
Glaze Creation (learn glaze recipe chemistry)
Glass Forming (conduct glass fusing and torch-work)
Characterization (conduct scanning electron microscopy)

Intended Audience: Grades 10th-12th

Mining & Explosives Camp

Get ready for an explosive experience and a week you won’t soon forget! You will spend the week learning the science behind explosives and seeing how engineers use detonations to unearth precious minerals, shape the landscape, or even sculpt Crazy Horse and his horse™ head from a mountain side.

Intended Audience: Grades 9th-12th

Overnight Geology Rocks!
Are you ready to dig into Geology?
The Geology Rocks! summer camp provides high school students with the opportunity to learn about potential careers in the geosciences. Campers observe the world-renowned Black Hills geology and the role it plays in surface and ground-water quality, geologic hazards, mineral resources, and paleontology. Potential field trips include:

From the ancient rock layers of the Black Hills, to the crystals and natural formations of area caverns and the fossils in the Badlands, the unique geology of the Black Hills region makes Geology Rocks! a one-of-a-kind camp available only at South Dakota Mines. Topics that students will learn about — through real experiences or hands-on learning activities — include:

Discussion of minerals, rocks and fossils, and their relation to Black Hills geologic history
1. Basic geologic concepts
2. Topographic and geologic map use as well as compass navigation
3. The importance of water both to society and geologic processes
4. Mineral exploration and extraction
5. Rock and mineral collection!
6. An active gold mine
7. A cave tour
8. The Mammoth Site
9. Badlands National Park
10. Many other sites of geologic interest throughout the Black Hills

The experiences in this camp will inspire students to better understand the natural world and to be able to interpret the stories that are contained in the rocks and landforms around us.

Intended Audience: Grades 9th-12th

Pre-Med @ Mines

Pre-health Science Camp

Join us at South Dakota Mines to begin your pathway to a healthcare career! Our health science camp will provide you with the opportunity to explore various healthcare pathways through discussions with students and local professionals, hands-on laboratory experiences, and tours of local clinical facilities. Come get glimpse of your future in healthcare at South Dakota Mines…. for a fun and pre-health pathways to careers in healthcare.

Join our Health Science faculty on for this exciting summer camp!

Intended Audience: Grades 9th-12th

Musical Electronics
Please note that this is a female only camp. If you are not female and you register, your registration will be canceled.

Interested in how electronic devices work? Interested in how we can use them to produce sound and make music? This camp will explore the basics of electronics and how a few simple elements can be used to generate amazingly diverse arrangements of tones, beats and effects. We will take you from the basic skills of soldering and programming to constructing your own music generating machines. Each student will take home an electronic instrument they build. No background in electronics or music is required.