Geek of the Week: Kaite Dahl

The Colorado School of Mines is known far and wide for the quality engineers that it turns out. Closer to home, CSM is known for geeks that shuffle from class to class with eyes firmly planted on their feet. Amazingly, there are are some geeks that stand out from the rest. They are so extroverted that they will, on occasion, stare at the feet of others. This week’s Geek of the Week, Katie Dahl, is one of these outgoing individuals, and she sat down with the Oredigger to share her geeky story with the world.

[Oredigger] According to outside sources, you may qualify as a geek. Do you think that this is correct?
[Katie Dahl] Why yes, I do consider myself a geek!

What is your geekiest habit?
I tend to do a lot of my homework long before it is due. I also love watching and/or reading Harry Potter often.

So why did you choose Mines as the school at which you could express your inner geektasticness?
Well, I wanted to go the engineering route. I would like to get into architecture, but I wanted an engineering degree under my belt, first. I figured it would lift me a little higher on the ladder to have both backgrounds. There were two schools I was considering, Mines and CU-Boulder. I chose Mines because it is rated higher in academics and has a lower population of hippies.

So, how do you define “free time” and when you have it, what do you do with it?
Free time is the few minutes between work and school and sleep. I usually spend it playing with my kitty or watching Netflix [rentals]. I am also partial to playing Xbox. I also squeeze in Coors lab.

What is the geekiest thing you’ve seen happen at Mines so far?
Last year, my boyfriend went over to his house and found his roommates having a Dungeons and Dragons party, complete with soda and cookie dough as their snack foods.

Apart from being a role model for other geeks, what are your other hobbies?
I like long walks on the beach and… No really, I like rock climbing, reading, doing crosswords, and sudoku puzzles. I also like eating and sleeping when I find the time.

So if you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I would like to be able to apparate.

Why that power?
It would be so awesome to be able to be in the other side of the world almost instantaneously. It would make seeing the world much easier and then I would not have to deal with airport security. I would also save a LOT of money on gas, since my truck gets about 13 gallons to the mile.

How did you choose your major?
Like I said earlier, I want to get into architecture. I figured Civil engineering would be most applicable. My sister went to Mines before me, and she helped me figure it out. I really enjoy and am good at statics, so I really like my classes.

Do you think that your superpower would help you be better at your major?
I don’t know that it would help me be better, but it would make it easier to go between projects. It would cut down on travel time and costs except for the transportation of equipment and such.

What is your dream life after you get out of Mines?
I would like to visit Europe and work around the world designing beautiful, monumental buildings. I would also like to have a family. Eventually, I might like to be an old cat lady.

So, do you aspire to be a cat lady, or would you just accept it if it happened?
I aspire to be one.

What’s your favorite video game?
Call of Duty for sure! I prefer Modern Warfare 2, but Black Ops is also fun. I am just mad that you cannot play on hardcore mode on Black Ops. Then I would probably like it more for multiplayer.

Do you have any advice for aspiring geeks?
Work hard. Do your homework. Maybe study some more. Oh and do not forget to play Call of Duty.