“Now we have engines that could literally fly a brick. Aerodynamics people get mad when you say that, but we can.”
This bold, but true statement was made by Dr. James Williams of Ohio State University at the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering seminar about aero-propulsion and the role of materials in this most interesting of sciences.
There is no shortage of opportunities around campus. This holds true whether you just strolled in from high school or if you are dragging yourself back for yet another Mines beat-down. And for the newest Mines students, The Mines Undergraduate Summer Experiences (MUSE) seminar was an opportunity to get a taste of just what is available for them.
“Microbe Herder.” This phrase probably has some wondering why anyone would want to herd microbes and how to go about herding something that cannot be seen without a microscope. The answer comes from the fact that microbes are critical to many wastewater treatment processes, such as municipal sewage plants. And while this is reason enough to “herd” microbes, researchers at Mines have been discovering other novel uses for microbes, such as treating mine drainage. The problem is how to translate an interesting observation to an engineered system that can be built on a site. This is where Dr. Linda Figueroa’s research comes in.
Beakers fly from shelves, equipment rattles across the floor, and chemicals spill over the counters. All of these things may come to mind when thinking of “Rumbles in the Laboratory,” as may any number of other things. However, last week’s Heiland Lecture focused solely on geophysics, not greenhouse gasses.
Apple’s iPad is finding new and unforeseen uses as an aid to people with speech disorders. The device enables the user, through specialized software or “apps,” to select words or phrases on the screen to communicate needs and desires. The pad allows more people access to a device that gives them the ability to communicate, as the only other option is highly specialized and expensive equipment.
On October 7th, Rick Groshong, consultant and PetraSkills instructor, came to talk about fault-related fold interpretation as part of the Van Tuyl lecture series. After receiving his Ph.D. from Brown University, he worked in the oil industry for about 10 years. He then went on to teach at the University of Alabama for 20 years. He is now a “semi-retired consultant geologist”. “So this is what I do for fun,” Groshong laughs.
Hill Hall welcomed in Deputy Gordon Neunfeldt Thursday morning to discuss the issue of identity theft. By describing the many ways that thieves can steal your identity, Neunfeldt hopes to help prevent identity theft from happening to you. “Identity theft is an ugly issue,” he explained, “…it is pervasive and it is not stopping.” Neufeldt added that the first step to avoiding identity theft is to become aware of the threat.
Tempe, Arizona – Old wives’ tales may have proved themselves partly true in a recent study at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The study seeks to determine if rainfall is linked to moon phases, following the past several years of data collection showing that river runoff seems linked to the moon. Using data from 11,000 US Geological Survey stations from around the country, the team of researchers noticed that stream runoff showed a slight increase in volume when the moon is one-quarter full. While certainly not enough to prove that rainfall is affected by the moon, it’s one more step in the direction of understanding our water cycle.
Dr. Ronald Cohen came to Mines to work on cleaning up nuclear weapons sites and later received a certificate of special recognition from Congress, among other research accomplishments. Then something went horribly wrong. As Cohen put it, “Imagine me in a hardhat and rubber boots standing on top of a dump truck load of manure and I’m shoveling it into wheelbarrows as my graduate students are taking it into a mine.” Cohen continued, “That triggers thoughts of my mother telling me that if I get an education, I could use my head instead of my back, and what am I doing? I’m shoveling cow manure in a mine, where have I gone astray?”
Although the sky was overcast and the wind was flowing, spirits could not have been higher this past Friday for the groundbreaking of the newest addition on the campus, Marquez Hall. Festivities started off with a performance by the CSM marching band and chorus, followed by a pleasant acknowledgement to the many people who helped make this building a reality by President Scoggins. “As you may know, 1980 alumnus Tim Marquez and his wife, Bernie, laid the groundwork for this new facility with a generous challenge grant of $10 million in 2005. Since then, more than 150 individuals and corporations stepped up to that challenge, contributing nearly $27 million and helping Mines fulfill its vision for a new home for petroleum engineering at the school. Thanks to donor support, Marquez Hall is the first academic building on campus completely funded with private resources.” President Scoggins then thanked the students for their support in helping fund the addition to the building through a portion of their student fees, “Because of [the student’s] own investment, we were able to add approximately 25,000 square feet of much-needed classroom space through a separate wing addition that will be built on the southeast side of the Marquez Hall building.