October 2013 – Page 3 – The Oredigger

Shell Seminar, “Saving the World One Teragram at a Time.”

Many aspects of climate change still need to be further researched by scientists. At a time when taking care of Earth’s global environment is more important than ever, William S. Reeburgh from the University California Irvine is interested in investigating certain elements of climate change and discovering if previous assertions hold any truth in them. Applying massive scale geochemistry as well as chemical engineering, Reeburgh’s main purpose for his research is to study biological oxidation, predominantly the oxidation of methane gas, and come up with the largest and most effective methane sink. The modeling and prediction calculations done in this project are more to be used for determining the global importance of specific parts of climate change.

Scientific discoveries this week: 10/21/13

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology- Germany
Researchers in Germany have created a world record breaking wireless network processing at 100 gigabytes per second topping their own previous record of 40. The method combines the fields of photonics and electronics; to create the 240GHz bandwidth signal, a photon mixer combines two laser beams resulting in an electrical signal. This signal can than be transferred over conventional antennas but requires a special fast twitch transistor to process the high frequency signal. The researchers claim the technology is scalable to terabits per second and is currently around 10 times faster than the lauded Google fiber.

Those Who Were There: Class Hears About Revolutions From Eyewitnesses

On the night of Wednesday, October 9th, students of the McBride Honors program gathered to hear a panel of three special guests present their first-hand accounts of recent historical revolutions. The presenters, Tim Haddon, Toni Lefton, and Alex Gorodinski, each told their own stories, and followed these by answering questions from the assembled audience.

Headlines from around the world: 10/21/13

Violent protest erupted in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. On September 30, protesters blockaded an equipment storage area owned by Southwestern Energy. Occupiers are protesting the exploration of the Canadian province for shale gas, fearing the invasive procedure will lead to water pollution. Peaceful occupation escalated to violence earlier this week resulting in over 40 arrests. Protesters threw Molotov cocktails towards local police, destroying at least five vehicles.

Government Shutdown and Mines

The recent government shutdown, while it was not a unique instance, nonetheless set off a series of events, some of which were easy to ignore and some which had distinct impacts on the American populace in general and the Mines campus in particular. Many of the effects of the shutdown ended up amounting to nothing more than a series of short-term nuisances, but some of the events created problems that continue to plague people at Mines even now that the shutdown has ended and may continue to present problems for some time into the future.

Behind the Headlines: McBride Panel Offers Insight into Arab Spring Revolutions

To many ordinary Americans, the relatively recent Arab Spring revolutions seem nothing more than a news title—tragic stories emerging from a far-off land. But, to Mines students and faculty who experienced the revolutions in their respective countries first-hand, the upheavals prove much more than a headline.

“We’re the Millers” is Hilarious

In “We’re the Millers” Jason Sudekis plays a solitary small time drug dealer who, through a series of unfortunate events, finds himself smuggling a few hundred kilograms of marijuana across the Mexican border. After his stash of drugs and money is stolen, his boss forces him to become a drug smuggler to pay back his debt. To safely smuggle the load, he hires a stripper (Jennifer Aniston), a runaway teen (Emma Roberts), and the abandoned boy who lives downstairs (Will Poulter) to pose as the Miller family.

TV Review: The Tudors

“The Tudors” is a wonderful show in terms of story and character development, but has serious flaws in historical accuracies.
“The Tudors” is loosely based on the reign of King Henry VIII. There is a strong emphasis on the word loosely, as the show has many historical inaccuracies. Several historical facts about Henry’s many marriages and affairs are often blown out of proportion or altogether newly invented. Anyone who is watching the show will more than likely start noticing flaws in the casting of the characters.

The Nightmare Returns to Greek Street

Halloween is a holiday that all ages celebrate. While we all love wearing costumes, regardless of age, the younger trick-o-treaters tend to go to bed before it gets truly “spooky.” However, CSM is presenting an opportunity for children of the Golden Community to celebrate Halloween with us! Nightmare on Greek Street is an event where Greeks and other volunteers play host to the former’s festivities. On Friday, October 25th, families are invited to bring their kids to Greek Row for candy, crafts, and games at the booths run by CSM students. Admission is free, but any money donated will benefit Colorado flood relief. Booth activities include face painting, squash bowling, and goo-making. The event goes from 7:00 – 9:00 pm, so mark your calendar if you have a younger friend or family member who wants to get an early start on Halloween.

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Geek of the Week: Matthew Brandt

Many Mines students proudly identify themselves to the world as all-out nerds. Others, however, tend to shy away from even the mere label of “geek.” Nonetheless, the thirst for knowledge and the masochistic tendency to seek out academic challenge is a bond common to most all Mines students, including sophomore Matthew Brandt.

Monthly Archives: October 2013