Nearly everyone knows someone who has battled cancer. This week, the student-led group Up ‘Till Dawn spread all over campus increasing awareness for childhood cancer, as they raised money for the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
Prestigious donors and alumni were honored and entertained at the annual Mines Century Society Dinner; the largest donor event of the year. Lockridge Arena was elaborately decorated to embody the night’s theme of water. Alumni and students discussed the importance of water in engineering over an elegant meal. Awards were given during the event to alumni and faculty who exhibit exceptional kindness and contribution to the Colorado School of Mines. Awards were given for top young alumni, top faculty members and outstanding philanthropists. To conclude the evening, a surprise announcement followed the dinner and was the highlight of the evening.
Mines students continue to be top-notch graduates not only because of their technical skills, but also because of their involvement and contributions to the local community. One of the newer organizations on campus, Orediggers Paying it Forward, offers students the ability to volunteer around the Golden area. Headed by Nick Antonicci, a resident life coordinator who began the program last year, Orediggers Paying it Forward strives to create opportunities for Mines students to become more active in the community. Because of successful volunteer events with over 30 students and faculty members last spring break, the program continues this fall. To kick off the year, volunteers headed to the Foothills Animal Shelter a few minutes outside of Golden.
San Francisco, California – New viruses don’t appear often, so when the cause of death of three separate cases of a hemorrhagic fever is linked back to a virus that doesn’t match any yet known, virologists and geneticists immediately take notice. Such was the case last week, when the genome of a virus that killed three people in the Democratic Republic of Congo was successfully sequenced and found to be a new virus in the same family as the rabies virus. The virus, dubbed the Bas-Congo virus for the region where it was discovered, killed two of the three people it infected. The third was a male nurse who treated the other two victims. When the cases were first reported, samples were taken of the blood of the three infected, and the local virus lab tested the virus in an attempt to determine it’s origin. They were unsuccessful, and sent the samples to a group of researchers at the University of San Francisco, where they assembled the roughly 140 million pieces into a single genome. That genome gave them the information they needed to determine that this was a new virus in the Rhabdovirus family.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the man suspected of making the anti-islam film that inflamed much of the Middle East two weeks ago is being held in the U.S. without bond until a hearing can be scheduled. The man will be tried for eight probation violations following his arrest for his participation in bank fraud in 2010.
After battling through a tough first round of exams, students were able to relax and enjoy some entertainment during this year’s homecoming festivities. Compared to past homecoming events, this year’s was no doubt highlighted by the postponed E-days fireworks show. In honor of Mines Spirit, this week, Minds at Mines asks, “How was your homecoming and what did you think of the fireworks?”
You know what really grinds my gears?
Commercials.
With the exception of the occasional announcement regarding the return of the never ending pasta bowl at Olive Garden or the Taco 12-Pack, I have never been motivated to do something because of an advertisement on television. Not only does this distract me from my show, it also scares me when an English guy is screaming at me to buy OxiClean. Furthermore, I have become fully convinced that everybody watching midday television must be either recovering from an accident with a truck driver or injured on the job, judging by the amount of commercials on those subjects.
After the National Football League failed to meet the increased salary demands of the long-time regular referees this off-season, replacement officials from lower football divisions attempted to fill the void. However, three weeks of poor calls and questionable penalties has stirred up conversation throughout the league.
You find yourself outside on a beautiful fall day, not fully expecting a dramatic autumn wildlife experience, but suddenly, a white-tailed deer appears. At first, one may find themselves disgusted, possibly revolted by the sight of one of the most common deer species in the world, but with a bit of patience and an open mind, Odocoileus virginianus may yet become a staple of your deer viewing experience.
Is gravity a hologram, an illusion that does not exist in three dimensions? That is a question Dr. Oliver DeWolfe, assistant professor at the University of Colorado, answered in his lecture entitled, “Black Holes as Holograms of Strong Interactions.” With a fast pace, DeWolfe explained the exciting new research into quantum gravity and black holes.