$2.5 Million Challenge Grant Kick-Starts K-5 Education Initiative
Mines is launching an exciting education outreach initiative with a $2.5 million challenge grant from Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr., retired chairman and director of the worldwide engineering and construction firm, Bechtel Group, Inc. (more...)

Emergency Alert System Launched
Campus officials recently implemented Mines Emergency Alerts—a new voice and text messaging system that will notify the campus community in the event of a declared emergency. (more...)




Campus Newspaper Extends Reach
Just as the newspaper industry as a whole is undergoing change, Mines' student publication, The Oredigger, has recently refocused its mission and initiated a redesign. (more...)




Career Day Beats All Records
Spring 2008 Career Day was the largest Spring Career Day in Mines history, with 176 companies bringing 540 recruiters to campus. (more...)





In Brief...
Additional news items in brief. (more...)




$2.5 Million Challenge Grant Kick-Starts K-5 Education Initiative

Mines is launching an exciting education outreach initiative with a $2.5 million
challenge grant from Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr., retired chairman and director of the worldwide engineering and construction firm, Bechtel Group, Inc. The Bechtel K-5 Educational Excellence Initiative will address the problem of why large numbers of children lose interest in math and science during elementary school. By sponsoring programs that have been shown to promote interest and enhance teaching in these areas, the grant is expected to make a substantial impact in area schools. The Colorado School of Mines Foundation is working to raise $2.5 million in matching funds over the five-year grant period, which began in January.


"Our premise is that if K-12 students learn about exciting applications of science, mathematics and engineering, they are more likely to enter the related fields. They need to tackle real experiments and not just read about them in a book," said Barb Moskal, associate professor of mathematical and computer sciences at Mines and director of the Center for the Assessment of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Through the Bechtel Initiative, Mines faculty are helping educators improve science and math instruction in kindergarten through fifth grade in Adams County District 50 and Aurora Public Schools. Moskal expects the program to have a real impact, particularly among females, minorities and other groups who have been underrepresented in these critical fields. And, the program will help inform similar initiatives at other institutions.

"Engaging elementary students in science and math is a growing component of Mines' outreach mission," said President Bill Scoggins. "This initiative will help spark student interest and help teachers create effective strategies for schools nationwide."

For Bechtel, an early focus on science and math education is critical to developing a strong, vital society. In an address at Mines in 2007, he discussed challenges to U.S. technical competitiveness, asking graduates to serve as role models for young people. "Our economic leadership, our standard of living, our way of life, our innovative edge depend upon your help in ensuring that there will be many more boys and girls following in your footsteps here at Mines and in other engineering and science programs across this country," he said.

For more information on the Bechtel Group, visit www.bechtel.com.

Emergency Alert System Launched

When asked to pose for this photo, these four students chosen at random were all able to produce cell phones capable of receiving a broadcast text message sent by the Emergency Alert System.

Campus officials recently implemented Mines Emergency Alerts—a new voice and text messaging system that will notify the campus community in the event of a declared emergency. The new alert will work in conjunction with Mines' current campus broadcast voicemail and email systems.

When an emergency situation is identified, the text and cell phone voice messaging system can be accessed by authorized officials through a web-based launch site. While on the site, the user can quickly send an emergency notification to all campus subscribers. With the vast majority of people carrying cell phones, the system will quickly reach across campus in the event of an emergency.

Over the past year, Keith Turney, Mines chief of police, has been involved with reviewing procedures and plans for potential campus emergency situations. "Extensive work has been done on the School's Emergency Operations Plan, including campus emergency declaration, notifications and incident command setup," he wrote in a recent e-mail to the campus community.

Currently the residence halls and housing system operate on 24-hour Blastercard access. Turney said this will remain in place indefinitely. Additionally, school officials are developing in-service training for faculty and staff on subjects such as classroom management and the identification of troubled students and staff.

For more information on Mines Emergency Alerts, go to www.mines.edu/mea/.

Campus Newspaper Extends Reach

Just as the newspaper industry as a whole is undergoing change, Mines' student
publication, The Oredigger, has recently refocused its mission and initiated a redesign. The current newspaper staff is taking news-gathering and publication in a new direction, and editor-in-chief, Zach Aman, recalled how "Square one of the shift concerned structure and responsibility."

"Our former system drew on the standard 'one-editor-per-section' approach that most
major newspapers employ," said Aman. "We quickly realized that being students at an engineering institution called for a creative approach to news and, subsequently, a creative take on organizational structure."

Instead of having a hierarchical management structure, the team focused on creating concentric circles of responsibility. The paper's editorial board supervises the vision,
direction, budget, personnel and content programming for the organization. In addition,
content management groups focus on a team approach to story assignments and
photography.

"Each team is designed to be cross-functional," said Sara Post, copy editor. "Each
role facilitates a different function, but communication must flow between them at
all times."

Aman and the staff's hard work is paying off. According to Aman, The Oredigger's
reach has increased by approximately 600 percent over the past year. And Hilary
Brown, the newspaper's managing editor, said The Oredigger staff has doubled the
production schedule, offering updated print and online editions on a weekly basis.

The campus community, along with the general public, has taken notice. "We don't have a journalism school here at Mines, but we certainly have a committed group of students who are producing a quality publication—both in print and online. People look forward to each issue of The Oredigger, which they know will be full of great information and photos, thoughtprovoking and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny." Recently, the CSMAA has sent links to its online version to alumni and the feedback is positive.

Additionally, The Oredigger staff has developed and plans to maintain a five-year strategic plan. The goal is to centralize and direct the staff's focus and demonstrate commitment to its organizational partners. The current plan runs through 2011 and
outlines leadership models, methods to ensure continuity and quality feedback channels. For more details, visit The Oredigger's updated website at www.oredigger.net.

Career Day Beats All Records

"You have taken all the fun out of going to other schools' career days! There is just no comparison," exclaims Gene Kaylan of Boecore. "We were totally impressed with the intellectual quality and professionalism of your students—you all should be very proud!"

Post-event feedback such as this poured into the Career Center after the staff wrapped up the record breaking Spring 2008 Career Day. It was the largest Spring Career Day in Mines history, with 176 companies bringing 540 recruiters to campus. One third of these recruiters were alumni, proud of the opportunity to recruit Mines students for their companies. And the Career Center had a waitlist of over 30 employers hoping for the same opportunity, despite holding the event in the spacious new Student Recreation Center.

The event elicited high praise from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory based in Golden: "This is the most well run and professional career day I have attended at any college. The staff is superb, and the quality of students very high." Similarly, the Northrop Grumman recruiting team wrote, "[Mines] has the best technical students in the region. Our managers are always impressed with the caliber of interns and college hires that we have on staff."

In addition to technical competence, several companies reported they found Mines students particularly well rounded. Olsson Associates wrote, "Not only are the students top-notch technically, but they are also well prepared in important business aspects such as communication, relationship-building and teamwork. We will continually recruit talented students from Colorado School of Mines."

And students seem to be aware that recruiters are looking for more than good grades. "I've heard many companies say they come to Mines because they are looking for people and not just engineers," states Carly Wegher, a senior majoring in civil engineering. "They really appreciate people skills and a positive personality. I talked with nine different companies and feel confident about hearing back from them."

Already the Career Center is preparing for the Fall 2008 Career Day, which is likely to be an encore performance. It is scheduled on Tuesday, September 9 at the Student Recreation Center.

In Brief...

Molly Williams has been named Mines' vice president for institutional advancement. Williams comes to Mines from Northern Arizona University, where she served as vice president for institutional advancement and president of the NAU Foundation. She previously served as associate vice president for institutional advancement and campaign director at the University of Wyoming and held positions in development at the Denver Botanic Gardens and the University of Denver. Between 1986 and 1993, she served Mines as director of major gifts and associate director of corporate and foundation relations. Peter Han, outgoing vice president for institutional advancement, will continue serving Mines as senior advisor to the president and chief of staff. Under his leadership in institutional advancement, the School completed its most ambitious fundraising campaign to date, which brought in a record $135 million.

The 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at Mines broke records. The events, sponsored by the President's Diversity Committee, included a faculty and staff breakfast featuring thoughts on the occasion by President Bill Scoggins and other members of the campus community. Three people were honored for their efforts to promote tolerance and diversity at Mines: Leslie Olsen, director of International Student & Scholar Services; Roz Yocom, Arthur Lakes Library technician; and Scott Cowley, associate chemistry professor. The evening program included food, student poetry and music by Reverb and the Verse, a progressive hip-hop group that includes Jahi Simbai, director of graduate recruiting and admissions. The event was attended by approximately 400 people. Historically the event has attracted less than 100 attendees.

Physics Professor Tom Furtak has been appointed head of the Department of Physics. This appointment comes after Professor Jim McNeil stepped down from the position in late 2007. McNeil held the post since 2000, leading the department through a period of robust expansion and growth. Furtak and McNeil both joined the Mines faculty in 1986.

John Poate, vice president of research and technology transfer, has been selected for recognition by the Materials Research Society as an MRS fellow. The inaugural class of fellows were recognized in March at the 2008 MRS spring meeting in San Francisco. The title honors MRS members for distinguished research accomplishments and outstanding contributions to the advancement of materials
research worldwide.

Tracy Camp, mathematical and computer sciences professor, has been awarded
the prestigious Mines Board of Trustees Outstanding Faculty Award. Camp was chosen for her creative achievements; contributing to students' classroom learning; significant achievements outside the classroom, such as mentoring; actively fostering a learning community; and the development and implementation of practices that align with the current trends in higher education. Camp is internationally known for her efforts to support women in computer science, and her work has been reported in newspaper and magazine articles, including the N.Y. Times, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today and Scientific American.

Wendy Harrison, geology and geological engineering professor, has been named associate provost at Mines. Harrison's husband, Richard F. Wendlandt, is a professor in the Geology and Geological Engineering Department and her son, Piers Wendlandt, graduated from Mines with a degree in mining engineering in 2005. Her daughter, Alison Wendlandt, is a PhD candidate at Yale in organic chemistry. Harrison has a bachelor's and doctorate degree in geology from the University of Manchester.

Vicki J. Cowart of Denver and James R. Spaanstra of Lakewood have joined the Mines Board of Trustees and will serve terms effective from the beginning of this year through December 31, 2011. Cowart, who received a master's degree in geophysics from Mines in 1977, serves as president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. Previously she was state geologist for Colorado and director of the Colorado Geological Survey for 10 years. Prior to that time, she spent 19 years working in the oil and gas industry. Spaanstra is a partner at the Denver law firm of Faegre & Benson, one of the largest and most diverse environmental practices in the Rocky Mountain region.

Eul-Soo Pang, professor in the Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies, has been appointed Visiting Professorial Fellow for 2008 at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, a government-funded think tank in Singapore. He will work on a book-length project titled "Embedding Security into Free Trade: The Case of the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement." Only 13 other scholars have held this position in the institute's 40-year history.

Tina Gianquitto, assistant professor in the Division of Liberal Arts and International
Studies, has been awarded a one-year National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowship. Gianquitto's fellowship—one of 94 granted out of 1,200 applications—will allow her to begin research for a new project, "Dear Mr. Darwin: Women and the Epistolary Tradition in the Nineteenth-Century Sciences."