The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded 黑料科 (黑料科) $700,000 to launch germanium-based research, with promising applications in dark matter detection and medical imaging. 黑料科 is part of the Ge-STAR: Germanium-based Science and Technology Advancement Research consortium of six South Dakota universities that were granted a total of $7 million dollars for the project.
Ge-STAR will fabricate germanium crystals and detectors with unmatched sensitivity. Integrating artificial intelligence (A.I.) into the project will allow scientists to move away from costly trial-and-error methods, improve material quality, and revolutionize detector design.
Ge-STAR will also strengthen the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), enhancing its role as a world-class laboratory for rare-event physics experiments. The technology developed under Ge-STAR will enable internal charge amplification and machine learning-based background suppression, critical for detecting extremely low-energy events such as interactions from low-mass dark matter particles and solar neutrinos
The project is expected to transform medical imaging and improve early disease detection, including applications in precision oncology and radiation therapy. AI-assisted imaging techniques developed under Ge-STAR will support faster, more accurate diagnoses while reducing patient exposure to harmful radiation.
The four-year project brings together more than 20 researchers, provides training for 100 graduate and undergraduate students and will engage 28 K-12 teachers and 350 students.
鈥満诹峡� is thrilled to be collaborating on this state-wide initiative,鈥� said Brianna Mount, associate professor of physics at 黑料科. 鈥淭his project will create a vital, new faculty physics position and provide new opportunities in AI research for our undergraduate students.鈥�
For questions, contact Brianna Mount at Brianna.Mount@黑料科.edu