Although most Mines students will end their academic career with a full-time job, some will chose instead to continue their education at graduate school. For these students, physics senior Levi Miller, along with Dr. Frederic Sarazin, Dr. Reuben Collins, and fellow senior Matthew Stilwell offered a short presentation and panel discussion of the graduate school application process, especially for physics students.
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The mayor of Golden, Marjorie Sloan, was put in jail last week along with Dr. Patrick Kohl, Dr. Bob Knecht, associate dean of students Derek Morgan, and many others. They posted their bails and helped a good cause by spending time behind bars. The money from each bail was given to the Alpha Phi Foundation as part of Alpha Traz, an annual event hosted by the Alpha Phi Sorority.
Wuhan, China – Medical professionals in developing countries have long wondered how to sterilize medical instruments and cleanse patients of bacteria without all of the conveniences of a modern hospital. Lately, a group of researchers in China is working on a new technology that would allow doctors to use a flashlight to destroy bacteria. This device projects a beam of cold plasma from a cylinder that resembles a flashlight, and the cold plasma destroys any bacteria within a few moments of contact. This new technology will allow hospitals in developing countries to sterilize wounds and medical instruments quickly and easily, without the equipment normally required at a modern hospital.
According to Turkish reports, Syrian military attacks have increased near the Turkish border, resulting in large numbers of refugees leaving Syria seeking a more stable living situation. The development could hinder plans of a ceasefire set for next week.
Dear Editor,
On March 7th, 2012, I anxiously attended Bruce Bramfitt’s talk on the metallurgy of the Titanic. The presentation, which was reported as the cover story of last week’s Oredigger, did not meet my expectations. It contained several significant errors – errors which were unfortunately passed along in Ian Mertz’s cover story. I cannot compete with Dr. Bramfitt’s knowledge on the topic of metallurgical engineering, but I have devoted years of study to all things having to do with the Titanic saga. The bottom line is, Dr. Bramfitt may be an expert on steel, but he doesn’t know much about the Titanic.
Among the most stressful activities at Mines are exams. For some exams studying makes all the difference, however, for others studying does not have much of an effect and most students tend to do poorly regardless of preparation. It is for the latter that extra steps must be taken. Any superstition or ritual that can help increase grades must be followed. This week, Minds at Mines asks, “What superstitions or rituals have you heard of or perform to improve grades on tests and assignments?”
You know what really grinds my gears?
The wind.
When it’s not blowing the weed smell from Boulder, the smog from Denver, or smoke from a wildfire, it’s busy blowing me around. Chicago claims that it is the windy city, but I would venture to say that it is Golden. There are numerous canyons that seem to funnel the wind right to wherever I am. At my dwelling, my windows can be completely closed, and when the wind reaches its peak velocity, my blinds actually move with gusts. This is truly ridiculous. The only people that actually benefit from the mighty rushing wind are those parasailers that launch off of Lookout Mountain. Heck, even they sometimes get negatively impacted. I have seen one over by Colorado Mills and one about a mile north on Highway 93, both on their cell phones calling for one of their buddies to come pick them up. The unpredictable wind had obviously taken them far away from their preferred landing zone.
This week in 1878, Golden fell victim to two devastating fires. On a Thursday, the fire-alarms sounded for “Jarvis Hall, the Episcopal School for boys, located one mile south of town.” Though the fire department rushed to the school, they were able to do little but rescue valuables because of a lack of water near the building. The Everett Hook and Ladder Company did come to the scene in an attempt to fight the fire, but by then it was too late to save the building. Members of the Everett Hook and Ladder Company with members of the Excelsior Fire and Hose Company instead worked to protect Matthews Hall and the School of Mines from the fire. Though the exact cause of the fire was unknown, supposition was that the fire had been caused by a defective flue.
As the weather warms and the semester draws to a close, wanderlust sets in for many students. It seems summer has arrived and with it travel opportunities. Unfortunately, the semester does not really end for another month, so wanderlust must be satiated close to home with day trips.
It’s hard to deny that everybody at Mines is at least little bit crazy. Some geeks have learned to hide their nuttiness well. Others have learned to embrace their insanity and have fun with it. Nobody is quite sure which camp Christine Geier falls into, since no one can seem to get her to give a straight answer to any Rorschach tests. Regardless of her reactions to ink blots, Geier sat down with “The Oredigger” for a few moments as this week’s Geek of the Week.