Mines Alumni Magazine - The Colorado School Of Mines .

INSIDE MINESBILL NYETHE SCIENCE GUYDARING STUDENTS TOCHANGE THE WORLDBill Nye challenges the crowd of Minesstudents and alumni to use theirengineering skills to change the world.Photo by Agata BoguckaClimate change sparked the conversation, but was only oneOver two decades after his show aired on PBS and took theelement of Nye’s advocacy for “renewable and reliable energy’90s by storm, “Bill Nye the Science Guy” is still a hit amongfor all.” In addition to encouraging the crowd to recognizescience enthusiasts, especially the millennials who grew uprenewable resources as the future ofwatching him. On Octoberenergy, he also dared Mines students5, 2016, Nye visited Mines toto design a better battery and inventspeak to a sold-out crowdhydro-fusion engines for airplanes.of students, alumni, facultyand staff as part of theFueled by his views on climatePresident’s Distinguishedissues and the need to recognizeLecture series and kickoff- Victoria Martinez-Vivotthe reality of our rapidly changingto the 2016 Homecomingplanet, Nye challenged the crowdfestivities.of young engineers to solve theworld’s top three engineering grand“It was a childhood dreamcome true,” said sophomorechallenges: providing clean water;renewable, reliable energy; and internet access for all. He alsoVictoria Martinez-Vivot. Martinez-Vivot got the opportunityexpressed his support for space exploration.to meet Bill Nye prior to the talk, due to her role as MAC CoPublicity Chair.“Space exploration brings out the best in us,” said Nye. “ThereNye’s talk focused on the biggest problems facing our planetare two questions we all ask: Where did we come from, andare we alone in the universe?” Nye asserted that our desire toand what society, especially young people, can do to make theexplore space illustrates the innate yearning within humankind toworld a better place. His catch phrase for the night was: “I wantyou guys to—dare I say it—change the world.”understand our origins, despite the problems Earth may face.“It was a childhood dreamcome true.”Highlighting just how exciting Nye’s presence was for Mines,one student shared a heartfelt message with Nye during theQ&A at the end of the lecture: “I just want to say that your platetectonics episode is probably the reason I’m here studyinggeology right now, so thank you.”Nye is currently the CEO of The Planetary Society, continuinghis legacy of teaching people of all ages the joys and wondersof science. He spent Earth Day 2015 speaking with PresidentBarack Obama about climate change and science education. Healso had a short debut on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” buthad to drop out after sustaining an injury.From the fans who have followed him since childhood to thosenewly introduced, the crowd who came out to see Nye’s lectureat Mines will not soon forget his challenge to change the world.Bill Nye and Mines President, Paul C. Johnson, coordinate by wearingbow ties during the President’s Distinguished Lecture in October 2016.by Agata Bogucka and Leah PinkusPhoto by Thomas CooperColorado School of Mines Magazine7

INSIDE MINESHUMANS OF MINESInspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, Colorado School of Mines createda photo-storytelling project, called Humans of Mines. The project features a differentstudent, faculty, staff or alumnus and a bit of their personal story every Monday,Wednesday and Friday on Facebook. With more than 2,500 followers in the first year,the project has become a source of pride in the community, as we share what we lovemost about Mines and our individual experience.PAIGE BOWLINGClass of 2018CHEMICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING/CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY“My grandmother had Alzheimer’s, and she actually passedaway my sophomore year. I always knew there was a chancemy mom could get it, because 1 in 7 children will [inherit] itfrom a person with Alzheimer’s, and my grandmother hadexactly seven children. It is personal. I am trying to preventthat sort of thing before it happens to my mom.”Photo by Leah PinkusAshanafe GeberkidaneClass of 2019PETROLEUM ENGINEERING, ECONOMICS MINOR“It’s a pretty cool club [Mines Investment Club]. Here at Mines, everyoneis very math-oriented, but they don’t always think about the economicsside. I wanted to get a group of people together and talk about basiceconomics, talk about the markets and how they affect our decisions.When you’re able to invest and make these decisions yourself, it’sexhilarating and fun, not to mention a great life skill to have.“I started this club, because I want to hear people’s ideas. Everyonecomes from a unique place and a unique thought process. For me, it’s away to gain a new perspective. Joining clubs and making new friends willhelp get you through the tough academics here at Mines—you struggletogether. School is very important, but establishing yourself outsideof the classroom, that’s where everything happens, because you buildrelationships among your peers. You never know if your friend will be thenext CEO of some company. By socializing and talking with people, you’llbuild connections that’ll help you get started in your industry, and moreimportantly, establish relationships that will last forever.”Photo by Kelly BeardAlyssa Allende MotzBS ’11, MS ’12PHD CANDIDATE IN APPLIED PHYSICS“I think one of the best things about Mines is how diverse andinternational the community is. I’ve met people from Kazakhstan,Saudi Arabia, Iran, Nigeria—all over the world. I think Mines does areally good job of fostering that and celebrating that.“I’m the first woman on my dad’s side of the family to get a PhD. Mydad’s an immigrant from Mexico, so I really like being an exampleof why we should embrace diversity. I think if you want to saysomething, the greatest way to speak the loudest is to do it with apositive example.”Photo by Ashley Spurgeon8MINES Winter 2017

PENG LIClass of 2018GRADUATE STUDENT IN COMPUTER SCIENCE“I will never forget when I attended the Apple WorldwideDevelopers Conference in San Francisco four years ago. Thisexperience propelled my passion for computer science andstrengthened my determination to study abroad.“It was my first time in the United States. I was more thandedicated to all the sessions of WWDC, and even obsessedwith the cutting-edge technologies and the terrific learningatmosphere in America. I still remember telling myself on thereturn flight, ‘I will come back!’“And here I am now, not just trying to do what I want—I amdoing it!”Photo by Deirdre O. KeatingMichael KossyrevClass of 2017ENGINEERING PHYSICS“A lot of the problems that we solve here are fairly openended, and while there may be correct solutions, thereare always a bunch of different ways to get to them.From my internships, I’ve noticed that what employerslook for a lot is that creativity and that ability to solveproblems outside the box. I think Mines is really good atteaching you how to do that.”Photo by Ashley SpurgeonKownoon HerBS ’16APPLIED MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS/ECONOMICS“There are so many things I enjoyed as a Minesstudent—professors who knew me by name, clubsthat kept me active and friends that felt less likefellow students and more like family. They madeMines a second home.“The classes are challenging, of course. They won’tbecome easier, necessarily, but if you actively seekout help and find outlets to not only support yourlearning but also your interests, that makes all thedifference.”Photo by Deirdre O. KeatingFor more stories, follow the project at facebook.com/HumansofMinesColorado School of Mines Magazine9

Mines student Natalie Kalin, vice presidentof the Robotics Club, is currently workingon the NASA Space Grant ConsortiumRobotics Challenge, a project crowdfundedwith the Gold Mine.Photo by Leah PinkusCROWDFUNDINGARRIVES AT MINESMINES DEVELOPS A NEWWAY FOR STUDENTS TOFUND THEIR PROJECTSCrowdfunding is the fastest growing form of fundraising on anational basis, and Mines is on the cutting edge as one of a smallnumber of universities who have launched platforms. On October 4,2016, the university launched its exclusive crowdfunding platform,the Gold Mine, to help students, faculty and staff bring the projectsthey’re passionate about to life.24 hoursto support your passion!The Mines area with the mostdonors wins a 25,000 bonus!giving.mines.edu/idigminesCrowdfunding is online fundraising for a specific project through smallgifts from a large number of contributors. “We are pleased to providethe campus community an opportunity to raise money for projectsthey may not have been able to get funded through more traditionalmeans,” said Mines Foundation President and CEO Brian Winkelbauer.“By showcasing some innovative projects from our talented facultyand students, the Mines community can help them reach their goals.”Last spring the Gold Mine piloted the platform featuring two studentprojects. Relying on outreach to their own personal networks andcorporate connections, both teams exceeded their goals, raising over 10,000 and receiving gifts from 113 donors across the country.“Crowdfunding was instrumental in getting our feet off the groundon fundraising,” said Ethan Palay, of the Mines Tiny House team pilotproject. “It helped give our team credibility and was also the mosteffective means of communicating to my friends and family how I amspending my time, and getting them excited about my project.”The Gold Mine is available to help academic departments, studentgroups and other members of the Mines community raise moneyfor research, service trips, projects, events and other Mines-specificventures. Gold Mine projects have the credibility of the Mines brandand teams receive personal training and coaching to help themsucceed.To learn more about crowdfunding at Mines, to support any of thestudent and faculty projects or to apply to fundraise on the Gold Mine,head to giving.mines.edu/goldmine.by Brandon Farestad-Rittel10MINES Winter 2017

INSIDE MINESATHLETICSMines women’s soccer wonits sixth consecutive RMACTournament cup—the mostin conference history—onNovember 6, 2016, witha thrilling 2-1 victory overCSU-Pueblo.MINES’ TEAMS CONTINUE TO SHINEComing off what was arguably the best year in its history,Colorado School of Mines Athletics had big shoes to fillentering the 2016 fall season. So how did the Orediggersrespond? With four RMAC championships, an RMACTournament title and five NCAA Championships appearances.Here is a closer look at another historic fall season for MinesAthletics:CROSS COUNTRYThe rise of Mines cross country continued as the men’s team—the 2015 national champions—again made history with theprogram’s first-ever RMAC and NCAA South Central regionalchampionships. Mines had one of the most dominant RMACChampionships runs ever with five of the top six finishers. Thewomen’s team continued its development to qualify for NCAAChampionships for the third straight season, finishing fourth atregionals in Denver. Both teams were nationally ranked, with themen spending much of the season at number one in the nation.FOOTBALLMines football won the 21st conference championship in programhistory, earning a trip to the NCAA Championship. Led by recordshattering quarterback Justin Dvorak, the RMAC Offensive Playerof the Year, and national receiving touchdowns leader BrodyOliver, the Orediggers recovered from two early losses to rattleoff seven straight wins to end the regular season. Their rewardwas the program’s fourth NCAA Championship tournamentselection. Mines compiled 20 all-RMAC players as it led the nationin total offense and passing offense.Photo by Trey BloomerGOLFMines golf captured the RMAC regular-season championship,winning the RMAC #1 tournament and placing second at theRMAC #2 to win the program’s fifth RMAC title overall. A youngOredigger squad led by freshmen Tim Amundson and Nic Benoand sophomore George Markham, with only one senior, TaylorMacKay, in the line-up shows that the spring season will be one tolook forward to.WOMEN’S SOCCERMines women’s soccer has been a veritable dynasty in theRMAC over the past decade, and that didn’t change in 2016. TheOrediggers finished the regular season as the RMAC championsand went on to host and win their sixth consecutive conferencetournament, earning them the region’s top seed and the right tohost the first four rounds of NCAA Championships play. DefenderEmily Garnier became only the second player in conferencehistory to be named both the RMAC Player of the Year and theDefender of the Year, while Sam Zumbro earned the Goalkeeperof the Year honor.MEN’S SOCCERAfter their historic 2015 season, men’s soccer was bitten by theinjury bug as they went 10-6-3 in 2016. There were plenty ofpositives, however, as Mines qualified for the RMAC Tournamentbehind all-region selections Niki Grotz, Trevor Amann and JohnHaist. Amann was selected as the RMAC Freshman of the Yearwith his 13 goals. And the best news? Men’s soccer returns everyplayer on its roster for 2017.VOLLEYBALLMines football beat Black Hills State 83-28 on November 12, 2016, to win a shareof the RMAC Championship, their 21st conference title in program history.Photo courtesy of Black Hills StateDespite graduating a celebrated core of seniors from the 2015team, Mines volleyball reloaded and spent the entire seasonranked in the AVCA Top 25. The Orediggers earned the RMAC’s#2 seed in the tournament and qualified for their eighthconsecutive NCAA Championships. Individually, Mines was ledby RMAC Academic Player of the Year and Co-Defensive Playerof the Year Taryn Huber and all-time kills record-setter AlannaWinfield.by Tim FlynnColorado School of Mines Magazine11

THE WORLD AT A MICRO LEVELSEEING WHAT MINES RESEARCHERS SEEResearchers across the Mines campus often see a part of the world that the average personwill never know. Fortunately, using advanced microscopy, researchers were willing to share apeek at what they are working on, allowing us to see what they see while in the lab.3-D transmission x-ray microscopy image ofplatinum nickel nanowire fuel cell catalystwhen embedded in an electrode.Scanning transmission electron microscopymicrograph illustrating defects in a naturalBrookite (Titanium Dioxide) crystal acquiredin dark field mode. Crystallographic defectsinclude line defects such as dislocations andplanar defects such as stacking faults andgrain boundaries.Nanoscale chemical mapping of a catalystfor liquefying natural gas.Transmission electron microscopy imageillustrating defects in a natural Brookite(Titanium Dioxide) crystal acquired in darkfield mode. At bottom right, a series ofdislocation loops are present, giving theappearance of a zipper. Defects in the top leftof the image are single dislocation loops.Two photon excitation fluorescenceimage of a Yellow FluorescentProtein labeled corn plant.Two photon excitationfluorescence image of aYellow Fluorescent Proteinlabeled corn plant.Thinned, needle-shaped sample for atom probe tomography, preparedby milling in a dual-beam scanning electron microscope and focusedion beam (FIB) instrument. Left to right: Scanning transmissionelectron microscopy images in bright-field and high-angle annular darkfield modes, with a corresponding energy dispersive spectroscopycompositional map. The carbon sample (red) is clearly sandwichedbetween layers of metallic gold coating (yellow) on a silicon substrate(gray).Image series of bubbles in glass that were createdby a femtosecond laser. Two different imagecontrast mechanisms are used, second harmonicgeneration (SHG) and third harmonic generation(THG). These bring out different features—especiallywhen compared to the traditional white light imageon the far left column.12MINES Fall 2016

GRAND CANYON RAFTING ADVENTUREMay 20-28, 2017Join fellow alumni and friends onthis eight-day rafting adventure.Glide down the Colorado Riverwith expert geologist andMines professor,Dr. Steve Sonnenberg ’81.It will forever change the way youthink about the Grand Canyon.For more information and to register,visit minesalumni.com/grandcanyon or call 303.273.3967 Civil Construction Hoisting Systems Mine Development Vertical Belt Systems Raise Boring Elevator Systems Blind Drilling Brakeman Cars Engineering Services Field ServicesInnovative solutions for theunderground mining industry.Frontier-Kemper provides a wide range of construction services and related manufactured products. Webuild tunnels for highways, railroads, subways andrapid transit systems. We construct tunnels, shafts,and other facilities for water supply and wastewatertransport. We develop and equip underground minesfor coal, salt, copper, and other minerals. Our FKCLake Shore Division designs and installs innovativehoisting, elevator, and vertical conveyance systems.Simply put, we are builders, and our goal is to be theindustry’s best source – and best value – for completeturn-key construction services and products.PO Box 6690Evansville, IN on@frontierkemper.comColorado School of Mines Magazine13

PRIMING THEPEACE CORPSPIPELINEWith a new college prep program andgrowing emphasis on humanitarianengineering, Mines is turning out a newgeneration of ultra-qualified volunteersBy Lisa MarshallDavid Frossard was an idealistic, small-town newspaperreporter with a psychology degree when, in pursuit ofa new adventure, he applied to join the Peace Corpsin 1985. “If you had a college degree and some basicscience knowledge, you were considered trainable,”recalls Frossard, who now works as a web administratorfor Mines Computing, Communications and InformationTechnologies and teaches a humanitarian engineeringcourse. “I said, ‘Send me anywhere. I’ll do anything youthink I can do.’ It was the luck of the draw.”He landed in a mountainous region of the Philippines,tasked with helping villagers establish tilapia ponds. Thework was rewarding and, as he puts it, life-transforming.But the village turned out to be too cold for the fish he wastrying to breed. In retrospect, he says, “My project was afailure. I came back from Peace Corps the first time asking:‘How come so many projects fail?’”Fast-forward to today and Frossard, Mines and the PeaceCorps have all come a long way in answering that questionand are taking bold steps to improve the success ratesand sustainability of community development effortsabroad. In 2014, more than 50 years after its founding, the14MINES Winter 2017Peace Corps overhauled its application process, enablingprospective volunteers to, for the first time ever, choosetheir country of service and apply to a specific programthey believe they will be best suited for. Then this pastfall, Mines became the first higher education institutionin Colorado to establish a Peace Corps Prep program, anundergraduate program aimed at better prepping would-bevolunteers for the unique cultural and technical challengesthey’ll encounter if they join. Those who complete PeaceCorps Prep get a certificate from the Peace Corps, anotation on their Mines transcript and a go

CSMAA@mines.edu. ALUMNI NOTE. Finding Connections and Making an Impact. It is the pleasure of Colorado School of Mines and the Mines Alumni Association . to formally introduce and welcome the new Executive Director of the Alumni Association, Mines alumnus Damian Friend. To get to know Damian and share a bit of