A half mile under the town of Soudan in Northern Minnesota's Iron Range a large painting is being created, (25' x 60', to be exact), in the Soudan Underground Mine State Park. Joseph Giannetti was commissioned to create an image which would symbolize the ongoing work at the Soudan Laboratory. This mural will enhance the tour (taken by 50,000 people annually) of the adjacent laboratory.

EXPANDING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIVERSE. In what was formerly an iron mine, a particle physics laboratory was created which studies the nature of neutrinos, sub-atomic particles produced in huge quantities by our sun and other stars. Some scientists believe they are also components of the dark matter that may fill our universe. This lab works in tandem with the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, outside Chicago, studying the characteristics of neutrinos. A 5,000 ton MINOS Far detector is being installed in the Soudan facility by an international team of scientists . Measurements made here will increase our understanding of the Big Bang that formed the universe, the dark matter that influences the expansion of the universe, and the fundamental interactions between energy and matter. To learn more of neutrinos, the laboratory and its work, click here.

Above is Joseph signing the finished mural.

To see a series of pages illustrating progress on the mural, choose from the menu below.

CONTRIBUTE TO THE MURAL FUND. This project has been only partially funded. Your contribution is needed. The School of Physics and Astronomy has set up a special fund through the University of Minnesota Foundation that will allow you to easily make a tax-deductible donation to the MINOS Mural Project. A donation can be made by calling the University of Minnesota Foundation at 612-624-3333.

THREE REASONS TO DONATE::

1. The satisfaction of knowing that you have made it possible to complete a piece of art that symbolizes an important and historical international scientific event.

2. All donors will be honored at the unveiling of the mural when you will be able to meet many of the scientists involved in the project. Your donation will also be prominently noted in a special place in the visitors' gallery.

3.I will personally present a 15 X 30 inch signed archival print of the finished piece to all donors who give $1000 or more to the project.

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