May 2010 – Page 3 – The Oredigger

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CSM Mining Team brings home bronze

For the first time in three years, the Colorado School of Mines attended the International Intercollegiate Mining Competition, regarded as the measuring stick for worldwide mining universities. Consisting of seven events based on historical mining methods, the games were established to commemorate the 91 Idaho miners lost in the 1972 Sunshine Mine Disaster. At this year’s competition, held in Kalgoorlie, Australia on April 8 and 9, the Oredigger team placed second in four events, solidifying an overall bronze medal in the games.

Mines continues to support Haiti

Amidst cramming for final tests, projects, and papers, it is easy to lose sight of everything you experienced and learned this semester. In two weeks, you will probably be ready to get past the struggles of these last weeks. But before you check out, I’d like to return your attention to another ongoing struggle: disaster relief in Haiti.

The earthquake on January 12 that killed some 230,000 people garnered support from around the world, and Mines was not absent from the efforts. Late January, a committee formed to fundraise for Haiti relief by selling used textbooks donated by students and faculty. The result was at least 240 books donated, 38 books sold, and nearly $1,000 raised to be donated to the American Red Cross!

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AISES Powwow Parties Down

Katie Huckfeldt / Oredigger

Friday night in the Field House, Mines celebrated its 3rd annual David Nelson Friendship Powwow. The event, hosted by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), showcased Native American culture with food, dance and fun. The event arose as a tribute to David Nelson, a former CSM student and active AISES member, in hope that his spirit may be honored through the energy of the night.
The event began with a sampling of free traditional food including Navajo tacos, and flat bread. Ben Michaud, a freshman at Mines, commented on the food saying, “I have never had flatbread before and it’s quite the experience-a good one.” Another student, Emily Nicholas, agreed saying, “The food is amazing.” But aside from the draw of free food, student came to enjoy the culture of the night.

Tech Break: Early 2010 MacBook Pro 13″

By all reports, Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro is its hottest-selling computer these days, and for good reason. The price isn’t stratospheric, its features are well-balanced, its style is impeccable and its battery life is superb. However, the cheapest aluminum Apple portable had been lagging behind the rest of the computer world, foregoing the latest graphics and CPU technologies… until April 13. At that point, Apple announced specification bumps across the board for their MacBook Pro line. At first glance, the 13-inch MacBook Pro was the least impacted by these changes as this model still includes a Core 2 Duo processor, with only the most minor of speed increases. Yet there were two very important enhancements made to that line: significantly better graphics and significantly better battery life.

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Geek of the Week: Ashley Young, Senior, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Courtesy Melinda Bartel

Do you consider yourself a geek?
Well, I am definitely a band geek. And I’m probably an all-around geek too, because I like things like calculus and public policy.

What is the geekiest thing you own?
I have a large costume closet because I like to dress up, especially for McBride presentations. I have safari and mafia outfits and home-made pirate costumes. Also, I kept my AP Government study guide that I wrote in high school to study for the test.

What is the geekiest thing you’ve ever seen or done?
I’ve memorized the first 25 digits of Pi. I can solve a Rubik’s cube in less than 3 minutes. And I know all the US and European capitals.

Mines faculty bring together classic talent

For years, Marie Hornickel has played piano and Rebecca Flintoff has played cello, and for years they have worked together as administrative faculty at Mines. On April 29, the duo showcased their skills and performed together in the library.

Greeks party up and buckle down

Ever wondered what the Greeks have been up to? In this article, you will find Greek involvement on campus, community service undertaken, and some fun events coming up. The Greeks strive to help out the campus and the community while achieving academically and still having a good time.

What’s Your Beef: Parking and power cords

Why aren’t there power cords to rent in the digger den? Suggestion: Keep 4-5 extension cords in stock, and hold BlasterCard during rental.
Good news! There are now power strips available for check out at the Student Center Information Desk. Your BlasterCard will be held at the desk during the check-out period. Thanks for the suggestion!

What is the school doing for the students about parking?

Ashley Young, ASCSM Vice President and Chair of the Parking Services & Public Safety Committee answered as follows:

The School:

An outside (private) consulting firm was hired to evaluate our parking system and recommend changes for next year.
Parking Services recently rebalanced several of the freshman lots (Ford, the upper gravel lot) to include upperclassman parking spaces. In light of the recent construction, Parking Services has also juggled moving faculty and other reserved spaces around the campus.

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Minds at Mines: After Finals

The number of classes left until summer arrives can be counted on one hand. Hooray! Happy dance, wild cavorting, parties, stress free… Oh wait. Summer may be tantalizingly near, but there is still a tremendous obstacle impeding its path. Not just a tremendous obstacle, but a behemoth, a Tyrannosaurus Rex in the way of happiness. It’s a stressing, pass-or-fail, will-I-get-an-A-or-will-I get-a-B-and-ruin-the-GPA-forever obstacle. It’s about losing the will to crack open that textbook for a last time… Egads! It’s almost finals. So, in true Mines fashion, let’s ignore the pink elephant in the room and focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. After finals. The summer. Ah, happiness.

Monthly Archives: May 2010