Look Who it Was Random video

The Case for Curiosity | Cabot-Ann Christofferson | TEDxRapidCity

1,846 views · Published 8 December 2017 · 14:54 · Indexed 22 September 2026

Channel: TEDx Talks · 2017 · Nonprofits & Activism

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Nearly one mile underground, scientists at the Sanford Underground Research Facility search for answers about the most fundamental questions about life. While experiments are interesting, one might ask, why bother? As chemist Cabot-Ann Christofferson explains, considering electricity was once purely theoretical, what we don't understand can be the key to our future. Cabot-Ann Christofferson, has a long history working in the chemistry field, from chemical weapons detection, rheology, chemical instrumentation and environmental testing. Since 2003, the chemist and materials engineer has taught classes in chemistry at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. She also served as the coordinator for the Analytical Atmospheric Chemistry Lab, which worked with the Department of Defense’s Dugway Proving Ground on establishing better detections of hazards to the warfighter.

In 2010 she began working with the MAJORANA DEMONSTATOR collaboration, a Department of Energy nuclear physics project housed at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, S.D. She oversees the production and preparation of the world’s purest copper and serves as the liaison to SURF and task leader for all host lab infrastructure. She also continues to teach one chemistry lecture each semester and manages a research lab at SDSMT.

Christofferson holds a B.S. in Chemistry and a M.S. in Material Science and Engineering with an emphasis in Organic Synthesis on electrically conducting polymers from SDSMT.

Christofferson has been married for 18 years and has two children, a dog, two cats and an assortment of other small creatures. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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