Geek of the Week: Dani Hering, Senior, MME

Almost all of us at Mines have, at some point, run into that rare brand of geek who manages to simultaneously maintain both their nerd status and regular social interaction. However, this week’s geek is of an even rarer breed. Senior Metallurgical and Materials major Dani Hering is among the few who can actually convince fellow nerds to participate in various forms of social activities. Whether she’s inviting new people to a random game of dodgeball or cracking Scooby-Doo jokes with friends in a game of League of Legends (LoL), Hering certainly understands that geekiness is a dish best enjoyed with others.

[Oredigger]: Why did you go for a major in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering?
[Hering] My best friend talked me into it.

What’s been your favorite class so far?
Electrical Properties of Materials. The professor was awesome and the class was interesting. I’d recommend it to anyone in Metallurgy, Physics, or anyone who wants a fun, [but] hard class.

Are you a geek and why?
Well, I go to Mines, so I have to be at least sort of a geek. I’d say the most geeky thing about me is I love to watch people play video games. I can watch for hours and hours. My current favorite is LoL. It’s great.

How do you occupy your spare time?
I really like taking naps, but when my friends convince me, I’ll go running, rock climbing, play indoor soccer, or just chill with friends and watch them play LoL.

What’s been your greatest accomplishment thus far?
I guess I’m proud of the soccer team, since I’ve played varsity… just the achievements we’ve had over the past four seasons. I’ll really miss the girls and the people from Christian Challenge, which is a group I helped start.

How would you react in the event of a massive squirrel uprising against humanity?
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Squeak squeaker squeak squeaken.

Would you rather be able to travel through time or stop it temporarily?
Stop it temporarily. You could stop at an embarrassing moment and run away. Or, you could make someone else have an embarrasing moment by moving things and being a jerk. Or, I could do my homework and hang with friends.

If you could be dropped into any fictional setting, what would it be and why?
I would get dropped into the “Mistborn” series by Brandon Sanderson, [but] only if I were a Mistborn because I would want to use all their cool powers.

What’s your favorite thing about Mines?
I really appreciate the friendships I’ve developed at Mines. You can be friends with anyone because we’ve all struggled through what Mines is.

What’s your best nerd story?
In the Metallurgy computer lab, someone started an argument about one of the first episodes of Pokémon when Ash is fighting Brock, Pikachu against Onix, and Ash goes to recall Pikachu with the Poké ball. They were arguing about whether the beam that came from the Poké ball was a straight beam or a lightning bolt. I said it was a lightning bolt and we went to look it up on YouTube. Everyone was freaking out, saying it couldn’t be a lightning bolt and I was right.

If you could turn any inanimate object (or set of inanimate objects) sentient, what would you choose and why?
I think shoes because they’d have so many different personalities and then they’d run away when you tried to put them on and it’d be funny and you’d have an excuse not to get to class on time in the snow.

Do you have any plans for the future?
I’m planning on going back to Bangladesh this summer for language and cultural exchange and then I’m still praying about where God wants me to go after that.

Do you have any advice for fellow geeks and Mines students?
If you don’t love it, you should probably not do it as a career. So think about that before deciding to graduate with a degree in engineering from Mines.