Cache Science Teacher Joins Historic Deep Dust Drilling Project Near Elk City

Heather Chadwick spends her days teaching physical science and biology at Cache High School, and her afternoons with 30 second through fourth graders in the Cache Intermediate Rock and Fossil Club. So when the Oklahoma Geological Foundation invited educators to visit the Deep Dust Drilling Site near Elk City, she was a natural fit. She ended up as one of just 20 teachers selected for the experience.

Deep Dust is a University of Oklahoma-led project with researchers from around the world. The team is drilling the longest core samples ever taken to study Permian sediment in the Anadarko Basin, including a mass extinction event that shaped the planet’s history. The site operates for only 45 days, which is why Chadwick called her visit a once-in-a-lifetime experience. She said she wants her students to understand that science isn’t just something happening in a textbook, and that the scientists leading this historic research are from Oklahoma.

For families in Lawton and across Comanche County, the story is a reminder that groundbreaking research is happening in our backyard, not just on the coasts. Chadwick plans to bring what she learned back to her classroom and her rock club, giving local kids a firsthand look at real science in action. Who knows? One of those second graders might be running the drill someday. What’s the most inspiring science experience you or your kids have had in Oklahoma?