Many thanks to all who wrote in response to the Spring/Summer issue and the launch of the Mines magazine website. Both were clearly well received and we were given several excellent suggestions. To further solicit your feedback, Mines magazine will be conducting a readership survery in the coming months. I know you receive many requests like this, and so I will take pains to make it very short and to-the-point. However, without broad participation, the results won't be meaningful. So please, when it arrives, take a few moments to share your thoughts. In return, I promise to review your responses with care.

This issue covers a number of interesting topics. If you haven't seen the new Student Recreation Center first hand, then turn to page 18 to see photographs and read about the Grand Opening. We will post a much wider selection of photos on the website. May Commencement saw the School's largest graduating class ever; You can read about the ceremonies on page 24. And finally, we offer two feature stories on Mines' latest degree programs, both of which are part of the School's evolving response to changing energy demands: the Nuclear Engineering Program is covered on page 26 and the Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Program is found on page 22.

Details and photos of this year's Alumni Association Award recipients are included in The Network, just ahead of Class Notes. Also featured in this section is Reunion 2007, some regional get-togethers and freshmen sendoff parties. In the Last Word you will find some Foss Drug-nostalgia - the store recently closed its doors after over 100 yeards of business.

You will notice we've stapled a Colorado School of Mines Alumni Association membership envelope in the center of this issue [Online Form]. Mines magazine relies on support form Alumni Association membership funds, so this is a particularly appropriate context for the solicitation. We are grateful to all those who continue to renew their Annual Membership or have invested in Lifetime Membership - for those who have yet to take this step, we hope this provides a convenient way of doing so.

Please keep the mailand email coming. Contacts information is found on the bottom left of this page, or you can simply click on "Contact Us" on the Mines magazine website.

Warm wishes for a productive and enjoyable fall,

Nick Sutcliffe
Editor and Director of Communications, CSMAA

P.S. If you have an idea for a Last Word submission and wish to get feedback on your idea before taking the time to write about it, please get in touch via the website or mail - the coming issue has noghitn slated for that spot as yet.