October 2010 – Page 12 – The Oredigger

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Geek of the Week: Benjamin Skinner, Sophomore, Chemical

Beginning his second semester at the Colorado School of Mines, Benjamin Skinner is a chemical engineer, amateur programmer, and an inspiring intellectual scholar. Skinner likes to display his chemistry knowledge by designing chemistry T-shirts featuring chemicals like capsaicin, the molecule that makes food taste spicy. Hailing from Loveland, Colorado, Ben has excelled during his short time at the Colorado School of Mines by making good grades and still managing to have a social life. So with what little free time he had, Skinner took time for this interview.

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Club Spotlight: Art Club

How often do you hear the words “art” and “engineering” in the same sentence? Well at Mines, these two could be a part of a student’s weekly schedule. President of the Creative Arts Club at Mines, graduating senior Kraig Weaver has learned to incorporate his daily art fix into a Petroleum Engineering degree.

Scientific discoveries this week: 10-4-10

Hawaii, US – Researchers at the V.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii discovered what looks to be the first habitable planet outside our solar system. The planet Gliesee 581g, which is about 20 light-years away, orbits the red dwarf star Gliese 581 once every 37 days. The planet is remarkably similar to Earth. One major difference is that Gliese 581g does not rotate about its axis, leaving one side perpetually in the light and one side perpetually in the dark. Scientists speculate that if the planet had any life-forms, they would live near the line between light and dark, known as the ‘terminator.’ This area is the temperate region, most hospitable toward life.

Thrombosis threatens prosthetic rotary pumps

When a heart fails and there are no donors for a new heart, what options are there to explore? The best option is to receive a rotary pump or prosthetic tubes. These are great options except for one major caveat, a little effect known as thrombosis. Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel. Vincent Turitto gave his “Around the World Talk” to describe this effect in detail. He opened with, “The reason why I call this my ‘Around the World Talk’ is because whenever I give this talk, people always ask me to talk in another country.”

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CSM Republicans host bipartisan debate

The air is beginning to become cool and crisp, and the aspens are turning yellow. As far as the eye can see, people are arguing passionately over the economy, immigration, health care, and a plethora of other issues. In preparation for the November elections, the CSM Republicans Club hosted a “General Election Candidate’s Forum” October 1. Candidates and their representatives in the gubernatorial, senatorial, and congressional races shared their positions in speeches and in answer to questions.

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Physics colloquium goes nuclear

Last week’s physics colloquium was a study in the “Unthinkable” of nuclear technology, what is being done to prevent it, and what to do if it happens. Dr. Jolie Cizewski of Rutgers University arrived to speak about applying nuclear physics in addressing the concerns of national security. Cizewski explained that in order to stem the spread of nuclear weapons, there must be a worldwide commitment to address the challenge. She outlined the four key points to addressing the issue, including the safeguarding of materials, detection of radioactive materials, proper response, and the assessment and attribution of the technology.

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Dr. Joseph Fehribach explains Kirchhoff

Visiting scholar Dr. Joseph Fehribach, usually of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, made clear the nuances and importance of Kirchhoff graphs in his MCS colloquium “Matrices and their Kirchhoff graphs.”

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Race and politics continue to drive American history

America is a place where the phrase “United we stand, divided we fall” rings true. However, faith and race have created an interesting division within politics since the country’s beginnings. At the most recent Hennebach lecture, Nancy Wadsworth, the Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Denver, spoke about connecting faith and race in American political life.

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Thinking outside the box with hyperspectral imagery

Last year’s census had plenty of people fed up, but the government still knew which families had not sent in their information. The animal world, however, doesn’t work like that, and when a count of animals is needed, things aren’t quite as easy. The Heiland lecture last week, “Airborne Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Case Studies: Conventional and Exotic,” addressed this dilemma as well as more geophysical applications of hyperspectral image analysis. Dr. David Coulter shared some of his experiences in remote sensing from studies in Los Chimberos, Chile, Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco, Hope Bay/Hackett River, Nunavut, and Elk Inventory, Colorado..

Headlines from around the world: 10-4-10

2,200 feet of rock has not prevented 33 Chilean miners from enjoying comforts from home. The miners, who have been trapped below ground for eight weeks as of October 5, are using a cellphone-mounted projector to watch movies and can communicate with their rescuers via an ultra-flexible fiber-optic cable nearly half a mile long. Supplies and several electronic devices have been delivered to the miners with a five-foot-long hollow tube which can fit down the ventilation shaft.

Monthly Archives: October 2010