South Dakota Mines plans $6M geology field station in Nemo

NEMO, S.D. – South Dakota Mines is planning to build a more than 9,000-square-foot geology field station in Nemo. The new facility will give students a dedicated space to live and collaborate while completing required field camps.

The project is being completed in conjunction with the South Dakota Mines Center for Alumni Relations and Advancement (CARA). Currently, geology students have to commute from the Rapid City campus to remote locations every day to complete their field camps.

The new center is aimed at making the study of Black Hills geology more accessible while providing late-night mentorship and a better space for students to hang out and work together.

“Several years ago we received the generous gift of land in Nemo, and at that moment, you know, that gift of land opened up some opportunities and allowed us to think about what might be possible,” said Marc Vaillancourt, Chief Executive Officer for CARA at South Dakota Mines.

Vaillancourt says the Black Hills are one of the greatest natural geology classrooms in the world, giving students the opportunity to climb rugged terrain, map complex formations, and wrestle with folds, faults, and intrusions. He emphasized that the field camp is a rigorous requirement, where students spend their days in the field conducting research and geological mapping alongside professors.

“The field station and the field camps… that really is the capstone for a student,” Vaillancourt said, “They’ve spent four years studying the work and what it takes to be a geologist or a geological engineer, and now the last thing, the capstone, is that field camp experience, being there in the weeds, so to speak, in the rocks.”

The new 9,415-square-foot facility will feature dormitories and collaboration spaces, functioning as a classroom embedded in the Black Hills. The project is estimated to cost just over $6 million and will be entirely funded by private donors.

The Center for Alumni Relations is hosting a public meeting Monday evening to share their vision and answer questions from Nemo residents. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 8, at the Nemo Community Hall.

Per grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from South Dakota Mines. He found his passion for weather reporting by the impact it has on the community, both in how people work and how it brings people together through severe weather preparation. He also has a passion for preventing health issues with Air Quality Index awareness. Per can be found enjoying outdoor activities in the Black Hills when the weather allows.