Science
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7 years ago
Speer awarded multiple AIST honors for work in steel
MinesNewsRoomA Colorado School of Mines professor was recently honored for his contributions to industry at the Association for Iron and Steel Technology’s annual conference and exposition, held May 7-10 in Philadelphia. John Speer, John Henry Moore Distinguished Professor of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, was presented the Benjamin F. Fairless Award, which recognizes distinguished achievement in iron and steel production and ferrous metallurgy. The award was established in 1954 in honor of the chairman of the board of U.S. Steel. Speer also delivered the J. Keith Brimacombe Memorial Lecture, titled “The Continuing Development of Modern Steel Products.” The award was established in 1999 to honor the president and chief of the Canada Foundation for Innovation and longtime faculty member at the University of British Columbia. Speer said profitability has been a challenge for the steel industry and competition is always fierce among companies both domestic and overseas, but there continue to be many exciting developments. One example is the development of higher-strength steels that reduce the weight of cars, improving fuel efficiency. “I hope that my Brimacombe Lecture is able to show how steel developments have continued to occur over the past century,” Speer said in an interview with AIST. “If anything, progress is accelerating, and in some ways I think the past few years have been among the most exciting ever in steel product development.” “It is a great honor and quite a surprise to receive two association awards, with so many deserving candidates,” Speer said. “I have certainly been blessed to work in steel development now for 35 years, and to be able to be associated with some interesting developments that hopefully have an impact on steel technology in the present and future. Receiving recognition that your peers appreciate some of these efforts is a fantastic pleasure.” Speer grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, home of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, which at one time was the second-largest steel producer in the United States. His father and maternal grandfather made steel for the company, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in metallurgy and materials engineering from Lehigh University, just down the street. After earning his PhD from the University of Oxford, he worked at Bethlehem Steel for 14 years before joining Mines in 1997. He also leads the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center. CONTACTEmilie Rusch, Public Information Specialist, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3361 | erusch@mines.eduMark Ramirez, Managing Editor, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3088 | ramirez@mines.edu
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7 years ago
Mines celebrates Spring 2018 undergrad commencement
MinesNewsRoomColorado School of Mines celebrated its Spring 2018 Undergraduate Commencement on May 11, conferring a total of 910 bachelor's degrees as it welcomed its newest class of graduates into the Oredigger alumni community. At the ceremony, held at Marv Kay Stadium at the Harold M. and Patricia M. Korell Athletics Center, 16 outstanding students representing each of Mines' academic departments received special recognition for their high scholastic achievement and active involvement in departmental and school activities. The Spring 2018 Outstanding Graduating Seniors are: Erica Dettmer-Radtke, Applied Mathematics and Statistics Post-graduation plans: Dettmer-Radtke, from Boulder, will work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory this summer before returning to Mines to begin a master's degree in statistics. Favorite Mines memory: "Tubing down Clear Creek with the people on my dorm floor right after we all moved in." Clayton Kramp, Computational and Applied Mathematics Post-graduation plans: Kramp, from Tokyo, Japan, will pursue a master's degree in computer science at Mines. Favorite Mines memory: "The first M Climb. It was the first time I felt the Mines spirit in my veins, and I was full of excitement for the upcoming years. Kenneth Sullivan, Civil Engineering Post-graduation plans: Sullivan, from Prague, Czech Republic, plans to pursue a master's degree in structural engineering at University of Washington, where he will research the resiliency of building structures from seismic activity. Favorite Mines memory: "Firing my team's trebuchet for the first time after a complete redesign for the E-Days competition sophomore year." Rosalie O'Brien, Environmental Engineering Post-graduation plans: O'Brien, from Lakewood, is getting married in July (to another Mines alumnus) and will attend graduate school at Mines. Favorite Mines memory: "Traveling to Ireland with the Mines Marching Band my sophomore year to play in the St. Patrick's Day Parade." James Baumann, Chemistry Post-graduation plans: Baumann, from Golden, will attend the University of Washington to pursue a PhD in organic chemistry. Favorite Mines memory: "Hanging in hammocks with friends on Kafadar Commons during sophomore year, studying and enjoying the beautiful Colorado spring sunshine." Brennan Requist, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Post-graduation plans: Requist, from Lakewood, will attend a 10-week leadership/discipleship training program through The Navigators and hopes to launch a career in biomedical research. Favorite Mines memory: "I'll take away memories of calculus (super fun!), Navigators (growing closer to God) and the cardboard boat race at E-Days (my mechanical engineering friend did the math right, and we didn't sink!). Also, I was blessed to work with great friends on the never-ending homework and projects - our fun Taco Bell and Domino's runs kept us going!" Tabitha Kalin, Chemical Engineering Post-graduation plans: Kalin, from Colorado Springs, will intern in the Propulsion R&D Division of Orbital ATK this summer before returning to Mines to complete a master's degree in engineering and technology management. Favorite Mines memory: "Being a part of the music program and marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade with the Mines marching band in Dublin, Ireland." Jonathan Sumner Evans, Computer Science Post-graduation plans: Evans, from Littleton, has a summer internship at Pivotal, a software company based in Denver. He will return to Mines this fall to continue his studies in the computer science graduate program. Favorite Mines memory: "All of my favorite memories involve doing things with my friends: the late nights studying and working on projects, the fun club meetings, the on-a-whim dinner runs." David Borkert, Electrical Engineering Post-graduation plans: Borkert, from Lakewood, is going on a trip to Iceland before he begins work as an electrical engineer at Sierra Nevada Corporation. Favorite Mines memory: "Building a MIDI laser harp for my embedded systems class." Dingxin Cai, Geological Engineering Post-graduation plans: Cai, from Beijing, China, will attend the University of California, Berkeley for a master's degree in geotechnical engineering. Favorite Mines memory: "Probably the geological engineering field camp!" Felicia Nurindrawati, Geophysics Post-graduation plans: Nurindrawati, from Duri, Indonesia, plans to pursue a master's degree at the University of Houston. Favorite Mines memory: "Studying for eight hours straight in the library alongside friends." Alexandra Joseph, Mechanical Engineering Post-graduation plans: Joseph, from Denver, will take a couple of years off from academics before moving on to a PhD. Favorite Mines memory: "Helping students as a teaching assistant and building robots in Introduction to Robotics." John Copley, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Post-graduation plans: Copley, from Plano, Texas, will attend graduate school at Mines, studying metallurgical and materials engineering. Favorite Mines memory: "Of the many things I've had the pleasure of doing, the most exciting was being on the TMS bladesmithing team. From trying to smelt steel with magnetite and thermite, to making the damascus for the blade and patterning it, it's among my fondest Mines memories." William Behre, Mining Engineering Post-graduation plans: Behre, from Flanders, New Jersey, will work with Summit Materials at the corporate office in Denver as a member of the aggregates performance team. Favorite Mines memory: "Meeting people at Career Day and all the internship experience I have gotten from the connections I made." Nathan Mills, Petroleum Engineering Post-graduation plans: Mills, from Modesto, California, is moving to Midland, Texas, where he will work for XTO Energy as an operations and production engineer. Favorite Mines memory: "Designing a fully automated, outdoor hydroponic vegetable growing system with my EPICS team. I was immersed into the world of computer coding and electrical automation for the first time. Our system was even selected as the best humanitarian engineering design at the Summer 2016 trade fair show." Ariel Shlosberg, Physics Post-graduation plans: Shlosberg, from Boulder, plans to pursue a PhD in theoretical physics at University of Colorado Boulder, studying quantum information and potentially its relation to high energy theory. Favorite Mines memory: "Spending late nights with friends working through problem sets, especially those related to black holes in general relativity. Woody's trivia nights were also a lot of fun." ADDITIONAL UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS: The Professor Everett Award, provided for by Frank Ausanka '42 in honor of James R. Everett, an outstanding former faculty member in mathematics at Mines, is presented to a graduating senior in mathematics who demonstrates scholarship, leadership, community service and the potential for the innovative application of mathematics to mineral engineering: Nicholas Rummel The Ryan Sayers Memorial Award recognizes the outstanding academic achievements of a graduating student majoring in engineering physics and/or applied mathematics and statistics, who has performed significant undergraduate research: Connor Mattes Ryan Sayers Memorial Scholarship: Jaden Davidson The Harrison L. Hays 1931 Award is presented in chemical and petroleum refining for demonstrating scholarship, personality and integrity of character and the general potentialities of a successful industrial career: Johanna Madenjian The Selim Memorial Scholarship is presented by the faculty of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering to a graduating student who promises great success in graduate school: Rachel Mizenko The Pearson Potential Award is given to students in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering who have shown emerging leadership and engineering potential in hands-on challenges such as Summer Field Session: Bella Yu and Christopher Siebarth The Outstanding Senior Research Award in Chemistry is awarded to a student who demonstrates superior performance and creativity in undergraduate research: James Baumann The Robert A. Baxter Award is presented for meritorious work in chemistry: Alisha Eskew The American Institute of Chemists Award: Juliet Mullen The Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award: Nhan Tran The Faculty Choice Award in Computer Science is given to a top graduating senior who helped improve computer science at Mines: Victoria Girkins The Brunton Award in Geology is awarded in recognition of the highest scholastic achievement and interest in and enthusiasm for the science of geology: Jacob Weems The Neal J. Harr Memorial Outstanding Student Award, provided by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, is presented for scholastic excellence in the study of geology with the aim of encouraging future endeavors in the earth sciences: Leah Macey The Hutchinson Award: Ariel Rickel The Cecil H. Green Award is given to the graduating senior in geophysical engineering who, in the opinion of the Department of Geophysics, has the highest attainment in the combination of scholastic achievement, personality and integrity: Delaney Marsh The George R. Pickett Memorial Award is presented on the basis of demonstrated interest and accomplishments in the study of borehole geophysics: Courtney Bone and Bennett Hoogenboom The George T. Merideth Award, established in 2012 by Keith A. '52 and Mary Ann Kvenvolden to carry forward the legacy of former Mines Geophysics Professor George T. Merideth, is presented to outstanding graduating geophysics students who have demonstrated academic excellence, community involvement and potential for leadership in earth science engineering: Devon Dunmire The John C. Hollister Award is presented to the most deserving student in geophysics and is not based solely on academic performance: Kristen Marberry The Maryanna Bell Kafadar Award is presented to the graduating senior who has excelled in humanities courses and humanities-related activities: Kyle Markowski The John Steele Faculty Choice Award is awarded to a top graduating senior whose contributions significantly strengthened the Department of Mechanical Engineering: David Wahlstrom The Charles N. Bell 1906 Award, provided for by Mr. Bell, is a Brunton transit, awarded in mining for completing a course in mining and showing the most progress in schoolwork during the entire period for which the course is given: Adam Pollack The Clark B. Carpenter Award is presented to the graduating senior in mining or metallurgy who, in the opinion of the senior students in mining and metallurgy and the professors in charge of the respective departments, is the most deserving of this award: Roland Daniels and Ryan Willis The Honorable D. W. Brunton Award, provided for by Mr. Brunton, is awarded for meritorious work in mining: Christine Peterson The H. G. Washburn Award is presented in mining for good scholastic record and active participation in athletics: Nathan Smythe The Old Timers' Club Award is presented to the graduating senior who, in the opinion of the Department of Mining Engineering, has shown high academic standing in coal mining engineering and potential for the coal industry: William Reyes-Silvis The Alan Kissock Award is awarded to a graduating senior in metallurgical and materials engineering, acknowledging creativity in metallurgy: Alec Saville (creative effort in outreach); Melissa Thrun (creative effort in outreach); Reid Winchester (creative effort in the Materials Advantage Chapter) The Henry W. Kaanta 1915 Award is presented for the outstanding paper on a laboratory procedure or experimental process written by a graduating senior majoring in extractive metallurgy or mineral processing: Michael Caplan The Mary & Charles Cavanaugh Award, presented in metallurgy, is determined by scholarship, professional activity and participation in school activities: Karen Chen The McIver-Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Faculty Award is presented by the faculty of the department to the graduating senior who, by participation in and contribution to campus life and by academic achievement, has demonstrated those characteristics of a well-rounded graduate that Mines aspires to develop in its students: Chloe Cook The Physics Faculty Distinguished Graduate Award is presented by the faculty of the department to graduating seniors with exceptionally high academic achievement in physics: Nathanael Smith and Richelle Streater The President's Senior Scholar Athlete Award is presented to one graduating female and male athlete with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher who has lettered in a sport during their senior year and demonstrated leadership qualities of an exemplary student-athlete: Molly Reicher and Griffin Jones The University Ethics Scholars Award: Blake Jones The McBride Honors Program Distinguished Graduating Senior Award: Matthew Kowalsky The McBride Honors Program Award for Campus Citizenship is presented to a student who has made a significant and positive impact on the campus community: Samantha Beck The Outstanding International Undergraduate Award is presented to the international student who has demonstrated scholastic achievement: Felicia Nurindrawati The Colorado Engineering Council Awards are presented for excellence in scholarship, high integrity and general engineering ability: Mariia Alibekova (winner); Molly Reicher, Matthew Martin The Outstanding Student Service Award is presented by the Division of Student Life to the student who, during their tenure at Mines, outside and above their academic role, vigorously participated in activities or projects for the greater benefit of their peers and community to promote excellence and well-being: Tyler Evans The William D. Waltman Award is presented to the graduating seniors who have consistently demonstrated the utmost integrity, scholarship and citizenship in and outside of the classroom throughout their collegiate career: Nathan Mills MILITARY COMMISSIONS The following students will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States Air Force: John W. Boswell, Mechanical Engineering Timothy D. Cranor, Computer Science Timothy A. Kelvin, Mechanical Engineering The following student will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army: Christopher S. LeBaron, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering MORE COMMENCEMENT PHOTOS: Click here to view photos from the graduate ceremony Click here to view photos from undergraduate commencement ceremony Order photographs of graduates taken on the stage at events.lifetouch.com/mines CONTACTEmilie Rusch, Public Information Specialist, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3361 | erusch@mines.eduMark Ramirez, Managing Editor, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3088 | ramirez@mines.edu
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7 years ago
Mines honors Spring 2018 master’s, PhD graduates
MinesNewsRoomColorado School of Mines conferred 201 master’s degrees and 52 doctoral degrees at its Spring 2018 Graduate Commencement on May 10, kicking off two days of commencement exercises at the university. The Dr. Bhakta Rath and Sushama Rath Research Award, recognizing the Mines doctoral graduate whose thesis demonstrates the greatest potential for societal impact, was awarded to Chuancheng Duan, PhD in materials science. Duan recently had research published in the journal Nature that demonstrated for the first time the long-term durability and fuel flexibility of protonic ceramic fuel cells. His thesis was titled “Ceramic Electrochemical Cells For Power Generation And Fuel Production.” “Chuancheng is one of the most motivated and driven PhD students I’ve ever seen – he just works so hard, 80 hours a week, week in and week out. He’s exceptionally dedicated, he’s a self-starter and always has really good ideas and is really enthusiastic,” said advisor Ryan O’Hayre, professor of metallurgical and materials engineering. “His work on protonic ceramic fuel cells could lead to commercial products for emergency or remote off-grid power applications and someday may even provide a new, greener way to power our homes and schools." The Undergraduate Commencement ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. Friday, May 11, at Marv Kay Stadium at the Harold M. and Patricia M. Korell Athletics Center. A live webcast will also be available on the Mines YouTube channel. For more information, go to commencement.mines.edu. ADDITIONAL GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS: The W. Wesley Eckenfelder Graduate Research Award, a national award given by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists to an environmental engineering or environmental science graduate student whose research contributes to the knowledge pool of wastewater management: Andrew Pfluger, PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering. The Chemical and Biological Engineering Outstanding Thesis Award: Andrew Motz, PhD, Chemical Engineering, for “Development Of Heteropoly Acid Containing Polymer Electrolytes For Use In Electrochemical Energy Conversion Devices.” The Mendenhall Prize, awarded by the Department of Geophysics to the department’s outstanding graduate students: Samir Jreij, Master of Science; and Aline Melo, PhD The University Ethics Scholars Award: Ian Kramer, Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering MILITARY COMMISSIONS: Peter S. Lee, Master of Science, Engineering and Technology Management, will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. MORE COMMENCEMENT PHOTOS: Click here to view photos from the graduate ceremony Click here to view photos from undergraduate commencement ceremony Order photographs of graduates taken on the stage at events.lifetouch.com/mines CONTACTEmilie Rusch, Public Information Specialist, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3361 | erusch@mines.eduMark Ramirez, Managing Editor, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3088 | ramirez@mines.edu
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7 years ago
Bazilian featured in Edmonton Journal article on renewable energy investments
MinesNewsRoomMorgan Bazilian, executive director of the Payne Institute for Earth Resources and research professor of public policy at Colorado School of Mines, was recently quoted in an article in the Edmonton Journal about oil and gas company investments in renewable energy. From the article: “We’ve already seen huge billion-dollar plays by some of the oil majors to get into renewables – Shell has done that, Total, ENI, BP and many others,” said Morgan Bazilian, executive director of the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines. Bazilian expects new technologies will help integrate natural gas-fired power generation closely with renewable energy sources, so that in the near future, the business case would be stronger for gas companies to participate directly in the renewable power market. “Every company in the gas space is looking at it – they’re not naïve about this,” he said.
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7 years ago
Koh awarded $1.5M DOE grant to develop pipeline coating
MinesNewsRoomA Colorado School of Mines professor has been awarded $1.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for advanced technology solutions for unconventional oil and gas development. Carolyn Koh, William K. Coors Distinguished Chair of Chemical and Biological Engineering and director of the Center for Hydrate Research, is the lead investigator on the three-year project, one of six nationwide to receive funding through the Office of Fossil Energy program. “The grant allows us to look at robust coatings for pipeline plugging prevention,” Koh said. Koh’s research team will collaborate with Oceanit, a Honolulu-based science and engineering company, to develop a coating that can be applied to pipelines in situ. The coating will be designed to mitigate hydrate deposit formation along pipeline walls, which in turn will prevent critical blockage of the pipes. Not unlike arterial clogging in the human body, gas hydrates are problematic for flow assurance programs in the oil and gas industry. Given proper thermodynamic and flow conditions, these crystalline solids of water and light hydrocarbons can form in pipelines and, in particular, accumulate at the inner wall of pipes. If enough hydrates form, they can completely block the flow, potentially damaging the pipeline. Finding a coating that can be applied in situ could mean large savings on operating expenditures for oil and gas companies, Koh said. Since the coatings work even on already corroded pipelines, companies would not have to spend money on pipeline replacement. The project builds on work funded by an earlier DOE grant, in which Koh’s team was able to show that coatings from Oceanit worked to prevent hydrate formation. That work was conducted at the lab-bench scale; the end goal of this newly funded research, however, is to transition into a multiphase-pilot scale and eventually a field-scale study. Koh’s research team is implementing a “flow loop” in the Center for Hydrate Research to simulate a flowing system. Marshall Pickarts, a first-year PhD student in chemical engineering, is working with the flow loop. The team, with the help of Mike Stadick, laboratory coordinator for the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, recently added an extension to the loop to help amplify the pressure drop throughout the system. Ahmad Majid, a postdoctoral researcher who completed his PhD in the Center for Hydrate Research and was awarded the Best Doctoral Thesis in Flow Assurance award at the 2017 International Conference on Gas Hydrates, helped with the design of the flow loop. Hao Qin, a fourth-year PhD student, is developing a mathematical model to aid in the understanding of how hydrates form on the pipe wall. The model will be coupled with OLGA, a dynamic multiphase flow simulator that is commonly used in the oil and gas industry. CONTACTKatharyn Peterman, Student News Reporter | kpeterma@mymail.mines.eduEmilie Rusch, Public Information Specialist, Colorado School of Mines | 303-273-3361 | erusch@mines.edu
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7 years ago
Cornerstone Design students propose infrastructure solutions
MinesNewsRoomAn asphalt mix designed to better weather freeze-thaw cycles took first place in the Spring 2018 Cornerstone Design Final Competition on May 2. A total of 24 student teams from Intro to Design (EPIC 151) exhibited their infrastructure solutions at the final competition, representing the top team from each class section. Mines Infrastructure Design's asphalt mix won first place and $1,000 in the Best Design Process category. Unlike other mixes that are ineffective at buffering internal temperature cycles, leading to structural damage and hazardous driving conditions, MID's mix incorporates phase change materials to improve road strength and buffering from freeze-thaw cycles. Team members were Abby Bernard, Sydney Lynch, Ben Friedel and Karsten Anderson. Second place and $500 went to A Team Gold for their Denver interchange redesign. Team members were Whitney Vizgaudis, Madeline Perun, Malaya Morrow and Cierra Gladfelter. The award for Most Potentially Viable and $350 went to The Avengers for their plan increase longevity and retroreflectivity of epoxy lane lines. Team members were Allyson Cameron, Lucas Kroh, Jennifer Kuchta, Clinton Hemphill and Jonas Agudo. Required for all undergraduates, EPIC 151 is a semester-long design course whose centerpiece is an open-ended design problem that students must solve as part of a team. This semester, the student teams were challenged to improve upon or replace current infrastructure in a sustainable, aesthetic, user-friendly way. That could include civil, environmental, mechanical, electrical, computer science, chemical, geological, mining and most other technical solution spaces. Solutions were required to fulfill a need felt by a significant number of people, while also making a meaningful impact on the environment and communities. CONTACTEmilie Rusch, Public Information Specialist, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3361 | erusch@mines.eduMark Ramirez, Managing Editor, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3088 | ramirez@mines.edu
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7 years ago
Shorey discusses volcanic activity in Hawaii with Fox31 Denver
MinesNewsRoomChristian Shorey, teaching professor of geology and geological engineering at Colorado School of Mines, visited Hawaii's Kilauea volcano last summer and discussed the recent eruption that has already destroyed at least 35 structures with KDVR Fox31 Denver. "It goes through cycles. Deflation, inflation it expands and then deflates. It has this dissolved gas in it and as it comes out that gas wants to come out solution and push the rest of the magma up," said Shorey. When magma tries to reach the surface, these fissures form in roadways. Shorey said it's the easiest path for the lava by traveling through cracks in rock.
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