George and Nancy Dunham
graduated from the School of Mines 50 years ago and have been long-time, loyal
champions of the School of Mines.
Nancy and George met and were
married as students at the Mines. George, who earned a mechanical engineering
degree in 1956, was an offensive guard on the Hardrocker football team and was
described in a Rapid City Journal article as the best guard in the South
Dakota Intercollegiate Conference. Nancy earned a bachelor’s degree in
electrical engineering one year after George in 1957. She was the first female
electrical engineering graduate of the School of Mines and was also the only
drum majorette the School of Mines ever had, proudly leading the band in M-Day
parades and at football games.
Soon after graduating, Nancy
and George formed Dunham Associates in Rapid City. This was just the first of
several successful business ventures the Dunhams founded which have positively
impacted the area economy while at the same time establishing a legacy of
support including the School of Mines.
The Dunhams’ unwavering
support of the School of Mines over the years has included scholarship and CAMP
student team support, but the Dunham name is perhaps best associated with their
ongoing benevolence toward the Hardrock Club. George and Nancy believe in
supporting the true student athletes at the School of Mines, and they have been
strong supporters, both with their gifts and with their presence, in all
athletic venues on the School of Mines campus.
They have led the continuing
expansion and refurbishing enhancements for Dunham Field at O’Harra Stadium
including financial commitments for the renovations of the stadium and locker
rooms, and they have given generously in order to increase athletic
scholarships. Because of this lifelong generosity, the School of Mines and the
Hardrock Club have recognized George and Nancy by naming the Dunham Field at
O’Harra Stadium in their honor.
George Dunham stated, “Nancy
and I have supported the School of Mines and the Hardrock Club since we
graduated. This is part of our support for the athletic program that we plan to
continue.”
In addition to supporting the
athletic programs, both George and Nancy have established endowed scholarships
in their respective departments. Beginning next fall, two Nancy (Ward) Dunham
Scholarships in electrical engineering and two George Dunham Scholarships in
mechanical engineering will be awarded annually for perpetuity.
The Dunhams have also been
very generous to many community endeavors through a wide array of charities.
George’s awards and honors include the School of Mines Centennial 100 Award,
Distinguished Alumni Award, Hardrock Club Wall-of-Fame, and West River Notables.
He served as a national Co-Chair
for the Foundation’s VISION 2000 campaign and served on the board of
directors of the SDSM&T Alumni Association. He was also awarded the March Medal
in 2007 for his outstanding service to students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
Nancy Dunham has been
continually involved at the School of Mines and has been honored in receiving
many awards. She received the School of Mines Centennial 100 Award, served as
national Co-Chair for the
SDSM&T Foundation’s VISION 2000 campaign, chaired the Alumni 5-Year
Reunion Committee Tunnel Activities from 1960-2000, and received the
Distinguished Alumni Award. She was also awarded the March Medal in 2007.
Because of their unwavering
support and generosity, George and Nancy Dunham have been named Co-Chairs in the
university’s Building the Dream campaign, an indication of a commitment
of $1 million or more toward the campaign effort.
Building the Dream Campaign
Co-Chairs
Commitment of $1,000,000 or more
Lorin & Mary Brass
Judy Carrington & Dick Millard*
George & Nancy Dunham
Elmer Mandrup Estate*
Bill & Marka May
Rapid City Economic Development Foundation
*Deceased
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Close-Ups
Roger Johnson,
professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, has been appointed
editor of the journal Teaching Statistics. According to the Teaching
Statistics website (www.rsscse.org.uk/ts/),
the journal “seeks to help teachers of biology, business studies, economics,
geography, mathematics, the sciences and the social sciences etc. by showing how
statistical ideas can illuminate their work and how to make proper use of
statistics in their teaching. It is also directed towards those who teach
statistics as a separate subject and to those who teach statistics in
conjunction with mathematics courses. The emphasis of the articles is on
teaching and the classroom.”
The home of the journal is the
Royal Statistical Society Centre for Statistical Education at Nottingham Trent
University in the United Kingdom.
Jan Puszynski, professor of Chemical Engineering, was honored by the
Russian Academy of Sciences and the International Association of
Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis for his contribution to science and
education during the special international conference in Chernogolovka, Moscow
Region, on October 24, 2007. Puszynski has published over 140 papers on the
subject of combustion synthesis of advanced ceramics and reaction engineering
aspects of nanoenergetic materials. Puszynski was one of five researchers from
the United States who received this prestigious recognition by the international
community. During this conference, Puszynski also presented an invited lecture
on “Historical Perspective and Accomplishments of U.S. Scientists and Engineers
in the Field of Combustion Synthesis.”
Judy Sneller,
professor, Humanities Department, has had a paper accepted for publication. The
paper, “On the ‘great subject of Wimmen's Rites’: American Cultural
Transformation and the Humor of Marietta Holley,” will appear in the
International Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 5, 2007.
Sneller also presented a
paper, “The Tablet PC Classroom: Erasing Borders, Stimulating Activity,
Enhancing Communication,” at a recent conference, Frontiers in Education Annual
Convention 2007. The paper will also be published in the FIE 2007 Conference
Proceedings.
Keith W. Whites
(professor and Steven P. Miller Chair, Electrical and Computer Engineering),
recently presented the following two conference papers:
K. W. Whites, T. Amert, K. Kirschenmann, and S. M. Woessner , “Monolithic
fabrication of multi-material artificial electromagnetic surfaces and devices
(invited paper),” Proceedings of Metamaterials 2007, Rome, Italy, pp.
66-69, Oct. 22-26, 2007; and B. Glover, K. Kirschenmann, and K. W. Whites,
“Engineering R-card surface resistivity with printed metallic patterns,”
Proceedings of Metamaterials 2007, Rome, Italy, pp. 621-624, Oct. 22-26,
2007.
Whites also co-organized and
co-chaired the following two sessions: “Effective Material Parameters and Role
of Disorder in Metamaterials (I) and (II),” Metamaterials 2007: First
International Congress on Advanced Electromagnetic Materials in Microwaves and
Optics, Rome, Italy, October 22-26, 2007.
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Students Say “Yes” to Surbeck
Renovations
With School of Mines’ students
voting “yes” to an increase in the General Activity Fee (GAF) in November and
the Board of Regents preliminarily approving that same fee increase in December,
renovations to the Surbeck Student Center could soon be well underway.
According to school officials,
the cost of the renovation is approximately $6.5 million, and by Board of
Regents’ policy, student union renovations cannot come from state-allocated
dollars. This means that the bulk of funds needed for renovations have to be
generated from the proposed increase in the GAF.
“Over the past ten years or
so, student unions at most other state universities have been updated and
remodeled using increases to the General Activity Fee,” said Pat Mahon, vice
president of Student Affairs and dean of students. “Now the goal is to upgrade
the School of Mines’ Surbeck Center into a modern, welcoming student union as
well.”
The final step is a yes vote
by the Board of Regents to approve the increase in the GAF in March. If the
Board of Regents say yes, renovation of the Surbeck Center could start in May
2008 and be largely completed by the fall 2008
semester. This would allow students the chance to almost immediately benefit
from the increase.
“Student voter turnout on this
issue was amazingly high at 41 percent,” said Reeny Wilson, director of
Residence Life and Surbeck Center. “The student body’s ‘yes vote’ shows that
students are interested in improving their student union today and for those in
the future.”
Student Association president
Melanie Satchell added, “The goal is to make Surbeck Center a modern, more
usable facility that students and alumni are proud of.”
The Surbeck Center was built
in 1963. A renovation of the South Lounge and the Student Activities and
Leadership Center was completed in 2004 along with the construction of Peterson
Hall. However, this partial renovation left the north portion of the building
untouched. Much of the infrastructure and equipment is aging and upgrades to
items like fire detection/suppression and handicap accessibility need to be
addressed.
In addition, as the student
center is currently configured, space for studying is limited to the crowded
main floor while areas used for dining on the ground floor sit empty outside of
designated mealtimes. The goal is for students to maximize the available space
in the student center. When the new dining area is not being used for eating, it
will be a study area and multi-purpose area designed for maximum comfort that is
accessible to students 24 hours a day, seven days per week. The goal is a
refreshed, modern look with plenty of room for both
large groups and independent study.
Proposed renovations for the
main floor include: new bathrooms; infrastructure improvements; and a remodeled
back entrance. Proposed renovations for the ground floor include: infrastructure
improvements and completely new kitchen and dining areas.
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Met Department Blooms with
Artwork
Walking through the garden
level of the Mineral Industries Building on the School of Mines campus has
become a little more vivid thanks to some vibrant
prints that now pepper the hallways with color. The
artwork is called metallography, and the prints are sure to spark the attention
of current and potential students, which is just what Jon Kellar, chair and
Douglas Fuerstenau professor, Department of Materials and Metallurgical
Engineering, had hoped for.
The photographs were provided
by research staff of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), in Oak Ridge,
Tennessee. The donation of prints was made possible by the coordinating efforts
of Dr. Everett Bloom (MetE 63). Bloom had collected some of the prints himself
and had access to many others because of his work at the Metals and Ceramics
(M&C) Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) where he recently retired
as director after over 40 years of service.
The entire project came into
being, says Bloom, after Kellar talked to him about displaying various pieces
metallography within the department. Kellar stated that looking at
microstructures tells us why materials have the properties they do. “The prints
are educational and technically informative as well as aesthetically pleasing,”
said Kellar. “They are being used to both recruit and educate students.”
“These prints are being used
as teaching tools to excite students and potential students,” agreed Bloom.
“Once students have a chance to look at the prints and read about the metals,
alloys, and composites involved, they will realize what a fantastic and exciting
field material science and engineering really is.”
Finding the metallographic
prints was not particularly difficult, added Bloom. “Understanding the structure
of materials and its relation to behavior and properties is the center of
materials science and engineering. ORNL has the state-of-the-art tools and
diversity of research programs that provide a ‘gold mine’ of information of this
type.”
Individuals who provided the
metallographical prints or in other ways helped with the project include: Dr. S.
Surresh Babu, Dr. Lynn A. Boatner, Dr. Stan A. David, Janie Gardner, Dr. James
F. King, Hu F. Longmire, Jackie R. Mayotte, Dr. Bruce A. Pint, Shirley Shugart,
Dr. Vinod Sikka, and Roxanne Steel.
Bloom, a long-time supporter
of the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, earned his
bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from the School of Mines in 1963.
He then earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in metallurgical engineering
from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1964 and 1970 respectively. He
joined the staff of the M&C Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1964
and served there in various positions, retiring as director in 2006.
Bloom is internationally
recognized for his research on radiation effects on materials and development of
improved materials for fission and fusion reactor applications. He has broad
experience in mechanical and physical metallurgy of materials and is recognized
particularly for his contributions to understanding the behavior of complex
alloys under irradiation. He is a Fellow of ASM International and the American
Nuclear Society. Bloom holds several patents, has published over 100 open
literature publications, and has served on numerous academic and international
advisory, technical planning, and steering committees.
Bloom also serves on SDSM&T’s
Academic Advisory Board and has been a strong and vocal supporter of SDSM&T.
Before retiring from ORNL, he collaborated with Kellar to bring students from
SDSM&T to ORNL for summer internships. Bloom was also recently recognized with
the SDSM&T Distinguished Alumni Award in 2003.
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Contribution Goes Against the
Grain
Contributions to the School of
Mines Foundation literally come in all shapes and sizes.
While it is not unusual for
the Foundation to secure a wide variety of gifts-in-kind (which over the years
have included computer and lab equipment, books, vehicles, and more), a recent
contribution from Burdell Kuhl of Worthington, Minnesota, marked the first time
that the School of Mines Foundation has received a gift of soybeans. The 144
plus bushels of soybeans translated into over $1,000 which Kuhl directed to the
SAE Mini Baja team.
Burdell’s son, Amery Kuhl, is
a School of Mines junior double majoring in physics and mechanical engineering;
he is also a member of the SAE Mini Baja team.
“This unique gift shows that
there are many ways that donations to the Foundation can benefit both the
individual or entity making the gift as well as the School of Mines,” stated Rod
Pappel, president of the SDSM&T Foundation. “The soybeans’ sale translated into
dollars that will directly benefit the Mini Baja team and the CAMP program.”
Works of art, antiques, rare
books, coin collections, and almost anything of value can be used to make a gift
to SDSM&T. Before making any gift in kind, contact the Foundation to discuss
details of use, valuation, and deductibility.
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156th Commencement Held
Gerard Baker, superintendent
of the Mt. Rushmore Memorial, was the commencement speaker at the South Dakota
School of Mines and Technology’s 156th Commencement held on December
22, 2007, at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Theatre. More than 100 graduates
received associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees.
Gerard Baker, a graduate of
Southern Oregon State University with degrees in criminology and sociology, is a
full-blooded member of the Mandan-Hidatsa Tribe of the Fort Berthold Indian
Reservation, Mandaree, North Dakota. He has had a widely varied career, serving
as a deputy sheriff, a campground ranger, law enforcement ranger, wilderness
ranger, park ranger-historian, and a park superintendent. In May 2004, he
assumed the position of superintendent, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, and
responsibility for more than 1,200 acres, which include the magnificent
monument. Mount Rushmore National Memorial visitation is nearly three million
visitors per year.
Micah Sheldon (Geol 07) joined
Baker in addressing the graduating senior class as the senior class speaker. As
a student Sheldon, from Ray, North Dakota, was active in Intervarsity Christian
Fellowship (IVCF), Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), Ranger Challenge, Phi
Eta Sigma honor society, Society of Economic Geologists, and Tau Beta Pi honor
society. He has served as a small group leader and as president of IVCF,
competed in five Ranger Challenge Competitions leading the team to a fourth
place finish as captain, and participated in the Baaton Memorial Death March
marathon, finishing in the top 40. Phi Eta Sigma voted Sheldon vice president
for two consecutive years, and he also served as a peer advisor, FIRST
assistant, intramural athlete, and an employee in the Surbeck Student Center.
After graduation, Sheldon began his career with Cleveland-Cliffs in Hibbing,
Minnesota.
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The SDSM&T Foundation offers
our sincere thanks for the continued generous support of alumni who participated
in the fall 2007 phonathon. Pledges and contributions totaled nearly $78,000.
Many alumni choose to give unrestricted dollars which are allocated to the area
of greatest need on campus. Others choose to direct their funds toward a
particular group, department, endowment, or need on campus.
Students participating in the
fall 2007 phonathon included:
Alexis Braun is a
four-time phonathon caller who is a senior majoring in civil engineering with an
emphasis in water resources. Alexis came to SDSM&T from Bismarck, North Dakota,
where she grew up on a farm with four siblings. She keeps busy on campus with a
variety of activities including the Ski and Snowboard Club, Rock Climbing Club,
American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Mentor/Mentee (M&M) program. She’s
proud to say that she gave up fast food for New Year’s 2007 and has yet to break
her resolution. She decided to work on the phonathon again this fall because she
had fun in the past and because she needed to buy food for Mario and Midget, her
pet turtle and fish.
Alex Brech is a
first-time phonathon caller who is a freshman computer engineering student from
Wabasso, Minnesota. He came to the School of Mines because he knew about its
great reputation from his brother, Dale Brech (EE 99), and his father who was a
past student. Alex likes being in the Black Hills and likes the size of the
university as well. When Alex is not busy studying, he is involved with the
Amateur Radio Club, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, IEEE Robotics, and the pep
band. Alex faithfully wore his beanie hat every day during the phonathon and
proudly declared after M-Day, “I was a frosh. I survived M-Week. Now, I am a
FRESHMAN!!!”
Ashten Breker is a
freshman electrical engineering student from Havana, North Dakota. She joined us
on this, her first-ever phonathon, at the urging of her roommate, Tara Martian.
Ashten enjoys talking, and she especially liked speaking with all of the alums
she called during the phonathon. We hope that Ashten will join us again this
spring when the next phonathon comes around.
Kendra “Smiley” Frank
is a junior geological engineering student from Dickinson, North Dakota. Kendra
transferred to the School of Mines last year and has worked on two prior
phonathons. She came back to work on her third phonathon this fall to earn a few
extra dollars. Kendra is happy to be at the School of Mines because of its great
reputation in the field of geological engineering and because it’s close to her
hometown. When she is not busy with school work, Kendra loves going to the lake,
spending time outdoors, helping at her grandpa’s farm, and planning weddings. Or
at least her own. Kendra is getting married in May.
Phoebe Li is a junior
industrial engineering student from Hong Kong who transferred to the School of
Mines this year after attending classes in Casper, Wyoming. She is active in IIE
and the Ski and Snowboarding Club, and she also serves as a Student Ambassador.
She chose to come to the School of Mines because she liked the size of the
campus, and she chose to work on this, her first-ever phonathon, because she
likes to talk. When asked to state something interesting about herself for the
record, Phoebe declared, “I am a girl at this school.” She also offered up that
she likes to cook and eat.
Tara Martian is a
freshman electrical engineering student from Buffalo, South Dakota. She became
interested in electrical engineering after attending the Youth Engineering
Adventure (YEA) Camp, an outreach program for high school students interested in
math and science programs, at the School of Mines. Tara states that she decided
to come to the School of Mines to pursue her electrical engineering degree
because “it’s the best engineering college around.” Tara and her roommate,
Ashten Breker, faithfully arrived at the phonathon each night,
with smiles on.
Alex McLean is a
freshman chemical engineering student from Foley, Minnesota. When he is not busy
studying, he is involved in Master Chorale. He is working on the phonathon to
earn a few extra dollars, and he chose the School of Mines because of the great
value of education received for the price tag.
Kathleen “Beowulf” Schwabe
is a freshman geology/paleontology major who left her pet flying squirrel at
home in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and came all the way to the School of Mines
“to hunt dinosaurs.” On campus, Katherine is active in the Paleontology Club,
and when she’s not busy with her schoolwork, she enjoys swimming, water skiing,
and playing softball. She joined her roommate, Kendra Frank, in working on this,
her third phonathon, because, “It’s fun!” Kathleen also wanted everyone to know
that she is a big Red Sox fan.
Jessica Tsingine is a
sophomore industrial engineering student who transferred to the School of Mines
from Tuba City, Arizona. She is a member of the Hardrocker Women’s Basketball
team and had to cut her time on the phonathon short because regular basketball
practices were underway. Jessica worked on the phonathon to make a few extra
dollars to support not only her schooling, but also her love of shopping. She is
also the only girl in her family who has ever been to Africa. Jessica is a star
caller who chatted up a storm with alumni.
Corinne Vottero is a
senior industrial engineering major from Rapid City. Among her relatives with
connections to SDSM&T are her father, Tim Vottero (Chem 84), who is Tech’s
Alumni Association Director, and her sister, Breanne Vottero (ChemE 06). Corinne
is active on campus with United Campus Ministries, Alpha Pi Mu, and IIE, and she
has worked part-time in the Alumni Association. Corinne also works part-time as
a barista for a local coffee company, and in her spare time, she enjoys playing
her violin and traveling. She worked on the phonathon this spring to carry on
family tradition – between her and her sister, Breanne, the Vottero sisters have
now worked on nine phonathons.
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Ruch to Retire
A group of 11 people will
assist the South Dakota Board of Regents in its national search for the next
president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology as President
Charles Ruch has announced his plans to retire on June 30, 2008. He has been at
the School of Mines since 2003.
“Chuck Ruch has provided
exemplary leadership for the School of Mines,” said Regents Executive Director
Robert T. Perry. “At a time five years ago when he could have retired from his
last presidency and taken more time for himself, he agreed to launch another
chapter in a distinguished higher education career. South Dakota was indeed
fortunate to benefit from his experience.”
“President Ruch gets high
marks from the regents for his keen focus on the academic, research and public
service missions of SDSMT,” said Regents President Harvey C. Jewett. “The School
of Mines has long enjoyed an outstanding reputation in science and engineering
fields. When Chuck arrived, he redoubled the school’s focus on research and
graduate education, as well as strengthening a quality undergraduate program.”
Ruch’s launch of a comprehensive strategic planning process will also position
the school to respond quickly to the challenges ahead, Jewett said.
Ruch said he is particularly
proud of the efforts under way at the Rapid City campus in research and graduate
education. Since he arrived in 2003, the school has doubled the number of
doctoral programs offered, and awards for research-related grants and contracts
increased to $17.2 million last year from $12.7 million five years ago, a 35
percent increase in four years. A new business incubator on the School of Mines
campus also has created important linkages between higher education, economic
development and the Black Hills region, he said.
“I am also pleased that the
School of Mines has increased its admissions standards so that we can ensure
that students who want to be scientists and engineers are well prepared for
college work when they arrive on our campus,” Ruch said. As a result, retention
has also increased. In just the past two years, freshmen to sophomore retention
has increased from 72 percent to 76 percent.
Ruch said his time in South
Dakota has been especially rewarding. “It has been a great five years because of
the people, the community and the opportunities,” he said.
Prior to his service at the
School of Mines, Ruch was president at Boise State University for 10 years. He
previously held positions at Virginia Commonwealth University as an associate
dean, dean, and as provost and vice president for academic affairs and at the
University of Pittsburgh, where he was a faculty member and department chair.
Ruch holds degrees from Northwestern University and The College of Wooster
(Ohio).
Serving as campus community
representatives for the presidential search are: Randy Hamburg, senior
vice president at Wells Fargo Bank and vice chair of the Rapid City Area Chamber
of Commerce; Randy L. Parcel (MinE 67), semi-retired from the practice of
natural resources law, living in Westminster, Colo.; Larry V. Pearson (ME
72), president and CEO of Tenaska Inc.’s Operations Group, Omaha, Neb. ;
Julie Smoragiewicz, vice president for university and public relations ;
Richard J. MacDonald, computer support analyst ; Terry H. Lauritsen,
controller and director of administrative services; Sid Goss, professor
of sociology; Jon Kellar, chair and professor of materials and
metallurgical engineering; Melanie Satchell, Student Association
president; Brady Wiesner, civil engineering major; and Kay
Schallenkamp, president of Black Hills State University
Working with the search
committee will be Robert T. Tad Perry, executive director of the Board of
Regents, and Mary Turman, the board’s executive assistant. Elaine H. Hairston of
Academic Search Consultation Service is a consultant to the committee and
regents in the search process.
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Family Weekend Offers Fun for
All
Mike Keegan, coordinator of
the Student Activities and Leadership Center (SALC) for the past two years,
wears many hats. He is the advisor to multiple students groups on campus and is
a mentor to students in many other organizations. He coordinates New Student
Orientations, Welcome Week, and M-Week, and he also recently organized the 47th
Annual Family Weekend held on October 12 and 13, 2007.
“Family Weekend is a great
time for parents and relatives to come to the School of Mines campus,” said
Keegan. “Parents visit their students, meet faculty and staff, and see
first-hand the many aspects of campus life at the School of Mines. We also plan
a variety of activities so that everyone can find something that is of
interest.”
Again this year, Family
Weekend was one of a trio of events running concurrently as part of the Meeting
of the Mines weekend. Visit Mines, which included events for prospective
students, and CommUniversity, a community open house for individuals to get an
inside look at campus, labs, and facilities, were also held on October 13.
Family Weekend kicked off on
Friday afternoon with the tenth anniversary celebration of the Center of
Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing and Production. Friday evening, the School
of Mines hosted a variety show for parents and students. The show, Friday
Night Live, which was a mix of dance, comedy, and music, was hosted by Mr.
and Ms. Tech 2007, Carson Sweeney (Senior ME, Rapid City) and Mariah Tooley
(Senior APCMath, Platte). Sam Tlustos (Senior MetE, Sioux Falls) wowed the crowd
with his rendition of the favorite Heywood Banks song “Toast” and won the award
for Best Performance of the night.
On Saturday, there was a
hospitality room for parents in Bump Lounge followed by a wide array of campus
activities in which parents could participate. An academic fair, tours of campus
labs, department open houses, and a football game and tailgate were options in
which many chose to participate.
“Our goal is to continue to
make Family Weekend bigger and better,” added Keegan. “We also strive to
continually offer our academically-oriented students opportunities for
much-needed breaks in their studies, which are designed to teach students who
they are outside of the classroom.”
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The 2007 Distinguished Alumni
Awards honored four graduates who have pursued excellence in their careers by
making outstanding contributions in their professions and to SDSM&T. This is the
tenth year for the award that is co-sponsored by the SDSM&T Alumni Association
and the SDSM&T Foundation.
Nominees are evaluated in four
categories: level of professional achievement, evidence of significant and
creative professional activity, involvement in professional or business
organizations, and balance of community and professional service and awards.
Candidates must have an academic degree from the School of Mines and have
established a professional career of more than ten years with five of those
years in a responsible capacity with outstanding contributions to their
profession.
This year’s Distinguished
Alumni are: Dr. Gary W. Dirks (Chem 73), James A. Green (ME 73),
Stephen D. Newlin (CE 75), and Lowery J. Smith (GeolE 51).
Dr. Gary W. Dirks (Chem
73)
Dr. Gary W. Dirks was raised
in Harrisburg, South Dakota, and earned his degree in chemistry from the School
of Mines in 1973. He went on to earn his master’s and doctorate degrees in
chemistry at Montana State University and Arizona State University,
respectively. He was initially employed by Sohio Corporate Research and
Development as a senior research scientist and was later promoted to department
group leader. Dirks had a prolific career as a research scientist. His extensive
publications and patents detail significant contributions in applied chemistry.
When Sohio was acquired by
British Petroleum (BP), he had several assignments in marketing and management
of retail fuel sales. He was then promoted to manager of domestic marketing for
BP Chemicals Nitriles Division, and he later became manager of international
marketing. In this position he was responsible for sales of $1.2 billion
annually worldwide.
Dirks was promoted to the
Corporate Headquarters in London as a member of the group strategy team, where
he was responsible for preparing the BP Group global strategic plan. He then
became manager for procurement of BP Oil Europe where he managed the central
procurement for petroleum products for all of Europe. He went on to become
manager for strategic planning and procurement for BP Oil Europe where he was
responsible for developing the business and operating plans for BP Oil in
Europe.
Dirks was appointed as BP
Group Vice President in 1997. He is currently President of the Asia Pacific
Region, President of BP China, and is a member of the Senior Executive Forum of
BP. During his time as president of BP China, BP has invested more than $4
billion, making BP the largest foreign investor in the energy and petrochemical
industry in China. In 2007, the company will have revenues of approximately $1.5
billion, spend in excess of $700 million on new capital projects, and employ
2,000 people directly, and an additional 5,000 indirectly through 20 joint
ventures.
Dirks has been actively
involved in numerous Asian business organizations including British Chamber of
Commerce, National Committee for US/China relations and the US/China Center for
Sustainable Development. He was recognized in 2005 by Queen Elizabeth II for
contributions to British Foreign Policy and made a companion knight of the Order
of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG), an honor usually awarded to citizens of
the Commonwealth involved in the Foreign Ministry. Dirks was also given the 2003
Friendship Award from the People’s Republic of China, the highest award given by
China to a foreign national, for his significant contribution to the development
of China’s petrochemical industry. Dirks’ excellence in academics and industry
was recognized by Arizona State University with the 1999 Class Leader Award. His
executive action and diplomacy have contributed to the development of the energy
industry in emerging nations of Southeast Asia. He has earned an international
reputation as an effective executive and a persuasive diplomat.
James A. Green (ME 73)
James A. Green hails from
Bridgeport, Nebraska, and began his association with Caterpillar Inc. as a
summer intern while earning his degree in mechanical engineering. After
graduation, he joined Caterpillar Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of
construction and mining equipment, clean diesel and natural gas engines, and
industrial gas turbines. His career began as a design engineer doing structural
analysis of engine components. The majority of his 34 years with Caterpillar has
been associated with diesel engines. Green holds several patents related to
engine technologies. He also completed the Program for Executives at Carnegie
Mellon in 1995.
Green is currently the general
manager for program management and conformance for large power systems, a
division within Caterpillar with more than $8 billion in annual engine sales. He
leads a department that is responsible for the development and introduction of
new engine products. Prior to taking this position, his work assignments have
included 10-12 liter product manager, director of engine research, general
manager of large power systems engineering, and general manager of engine
components with responsibility for managing Caterpillar’s fuel systems, after
treatment, and gray iron foundry businesses.
Green is a member of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Society of Automotive
Engineers (SAE). He has served as chairman of the Central Illinois Section of
ASME and chairman of the SAE Earthmoving Industry Conference. He currently
serves as vice chairman of the Engine Manufacturers Association, an organization
that serves as the voice of the engine manufacturing industry on public policy,
regulatory, and technical issues. He is an active member of Redeemer Lutheran
Church in Peoria, Illinois, and has served as president of the congregation and
chairman of the Long Range Finance Committee for the construction of a new $5
million church facility.
Green has served on the
Mechanical Engineering
Department’s Industrial Advisory Board at the School
of Mines and currently is the co-chair of the Academic Advisory Board, a
campus-wide advisory and advocacy group comprised of industry and local leaders.
His longtime affiliation with the Center of Excellence for Advance Manufacturing
and Production (CAMP) at the School of Mines helped secure funding from
Caterpillar for the Caterpillar Student Excellence Center and a major gift for
CAMP earlier this year as part of Caterpillar’s contribution to the school’s
current capital campaign. His leadership has also helped secure funding from
Caterpillar for the Crazy Horse capital campaign.
Green also serves as a trustee
for the SDSM&T Foundation. He and his wife, Connie, have established an
endowment fund that provides the Jim and Connie Green CAMP Award to support
faculty advisors of any major student project that is competing at a national
level involving mechanical engineering students. This award is in recognition of
a faculty member’s time and effort spent serving as an advisor on student
projects involved in CAMP. In addition, the James and Connie Green Scholarship,
also established through the SDSM&T Foundation, is awarded to an incoming
freshman student from Bridgeport, Nebraska, who is majoring in engineering or
science.
Stephen D. Newlin
(CE75)
Raised in Rapid City, Stephen
D. Newlin’s humble South Dakota background and strong work ethic provided solid
footing along the path of a career taking him around the country and the world.
Upon graduating from Rapid City High School, Newlin enrolled at the School of
Mines and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1975. He also
completed the Tuck Executive Program at Dartmouth College and the Advanced
Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Newlin served a brief stint as
a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service, where he led the
design, contracting, and construction of water and wastewater systems. He then
joined Nalco Chemical Company as a Sales Representative in 1980. Newlin spent 23
years with Nalco Chemical, the world’s largest water and process specialty
treatment company with revenues of $3 billion and more than 10,000 employees
worldwide. He progressed rapidly through a series of sales management and
general management positions and was named president of Nalco Pacific in 1992.
In this role, he led all manufacturing, functional, and commercial activities in
Asia Pacific.
In 1994, Newlin embarked on a
three-year assignment as president of Nalco Europe, with responsibility for all
aspects of the company's businesses throughout Europe and the Middle East.
Returning to the United States, he was named president of Nalco’s Specialty
Division, and was elected president and a director of the company in 1998. He
added the responsibilities of chief operating officer and vice chairman in 2000.
That same year, Newlin became chairman of Nalco Exxon Energy Chemicals, a joint
venture of Nalco and Exxon Energy Chemicals.
From 2003 through 2006, Newlin
served as president, industrial sector, of Ecolab, Inc., a global developer and
marketer of cleaning and sanitizing specialty chemicals, products, and services.
In 2006, he accepted the position of chairman, president, and CEO of PolyOne
Corporation, a leading global polymer materials and services company,
headquartered in Avon Lake, Ohio, with revenues exceeding $2.6 billion. The
company employs approximately 4,700 people and has 52 manufacturing sites
globally, 11 distribution facilities in North America, Europe, Asia, and
Australia, and joint ventures in North America and South America.
Newlin is also a member of the
board of directors of the Valspar Corporation, board of directors of Black Hills
Corporation, board of trustees of the SDSM&T Foundation, board of directors of
Great Lakes Science Center, past director of the American Chamber of Commerce of
The Netherlands, received the Triangle Fraternity Men of the Century Award in
2007, member of the Fifty Club, an organization of northern Ohio’s chief
executive officers, and founder of the Ochsner Memorial Scholarship established
through the SDSM&T Foundation. Newlin has been involved in coaching junior high
school basketball, active in fundraising for various civic and community
organizations, has served as a judge for the DECA high school business
organization, and has been involved in mentoring for career development.
Lowery J. Smith (GeolE
51)
Lowery J. Smith was raised
near Oglala, South Dakota, where his parents were teachers with the Bureau of
Indian Affairs. Because there were no high schools in the area, he boarded and
roomed in Rapid City, where he attended high school. He graduated from the
School of Mines in 1951 with a degree in geological engineering. His
professional career began as a field geologist in Wyoming and Montana for a
subsidiary of what is now Exxon from 1951 to 1953, and he then embarked on a
career in technical sales with Hercules Power Company from 1953 to 1964. His
territory included much of the upper Midwest, including the iron mining
operations of northern Minnesota.
In 1964, Smith joined the J.
L. Shiely Company, a Minnesota-based construction aggregate company. Over the
next 25 years, he progressed from technical sales to president of one of the
company’s subsidiaries to member of the Shiely Company’s board of directors, and
ended his career with the company as senior vice president of sales and
marketing. His leadership aided the company in becoming one of the first
aggregate producers in the country to develop a marketing program, which
included an advertising program to promote the company’s products, seminars, and
a Construction Aggregate Handbook for decision-makers in the construction
industry. Smith’s leadership was recognized in 1980 when he became president of
Minnesota Frac Sand Company, a subsidiary of the J. L. Shiely Company, which
produced industrial sand for oil and gas well stimulation. He was responsible
for development and distribution of these products throughout the United States
and Canada.
Since retiring from the Shiely
Company in 1989, Mr. Smith has owned, operated, and served as president of
Ag-Lime Sales, Inc. The company brokers agricultural limestone and over the past
12 years has developed a limestone bedding product for dairies in the upper
Midwest.
Smith’s professional
affiliations include serving as chairman of the
Marketing Division for the National Crushed Stone Association,
authoring a chapter on marketing for their
Aggregate Handbook, and serving as president of the
Minnesota Surveyors and Engineers Society.
He has had a lifelong
dedication to the School of Mines and education in general. He co-founded the
Twin Cities alumni chapter, served as national alumni president, served on the
board of trustees for the
SDSM&T Foundation, was a national Co-Chair
for the Vision 2000 capital campaign, and established the Lowery J. and
Mary Ann Smith scholarship through the SDSM&T Foundation. He received the Guy E.
March Medal award in 1997. He also utilized his leadership and expertise
throughout numerous projects with the St. Paul Winter Carnival, the YMCA, and
Bethlehem Covenant Church where he is currently congregation president. Through
Covenant Mission Connection, he and his wife Mary Ann have made twelve
short-term mission trips to Chile to work on building churches and a parsonage
as well as doing maintenance at a girls’ orphanage. Community service is one of
Smith’s core values.
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School of Mines Develops Global
Opportunities (GO)
Studying abroad, working
abroad, international field experiences, and visiting professors. These are some
of the phrases that are becoming more and more commonplace on the School of
Mines campus as interest in everything international continues to grow.
An initiative to “engage and
serve the broader community” was adopted on campus several years ago, and it has
taken hold with fantastic, if not sometimes overwhelming, results, said Suzi
Aadland, director of the Ivanhoe International Center. Facilitating students’
study, travel, and work abroad has become a priority and a mainstay at the
School of Mines.
Support of international
experiences is coming from the highest echelons of campus, filtering down
through the ranks, and making a positive impact on students. Aadland says that
School of Mines president Charles Ruch,
vice president for Academic
Affairs and provost Karen Whitehead, and
engineering dean Duane Abata
have been some of the most vocal proponents for study abroad and international
experiences.
Engineering and science
graduates from the School of Mines may take on assignments anywhere in the world
in this global economy, and many alumni are now living abroad. “It is absolutely
essential that our students think globally, understand the world marketplace,
and have the vision, ambition, and temperament to live outside the United
States, and be able to work with people from all lands,” says Abata. “Several
industrial people serving on our engineering advisory boards tell us that
exposure to the international community is essential.”
“It’s wonderful that so many
are championing our international initiatives, and we are already seeing the
results,” added Aadland. “Having this support helps to make international
experiences more positive for our students.”
Whitehead, whose own
background and academic history is filled with international experiences, is
proactive in encouraging students to study abroad and has helped to make
international study a university priority. Abata, who has a longstanding
relationship with the European Project Semester, is also a strong proponent of
having students study or work abroad.
“We need these advocates at
the highest level of the university for our international programs to succeed,
and so we feel fortunate to have that component in place,” said Aadland. “But it
still takes time for student interest to become widespread.”
Exchange programs are in place
with several universities, and collaborations with many other universities in
countries around the globe are being evaluated. At last check, the School of
Mines was hosting students and visiting professors from over 20 countries and
had set up agreements with universities in approximately ten countries. In
addition, School of Mines’ students and professors are studying, volunteering,
working, and taking part in field experiences in locales spanning the globe.
Interest among students is so strong that a new student organization, Engineers
and Scientists Abroad (ESA), was formed in December 2006. ESA’s primary goal is
“to promote the welfare of underdeveloped international communities with the
efforts and skills of engineers and scientists by supporting and undertaking
projects to better their community.” The students involved also hope to gain
experience and knowledge of other cultures.
“There are so many
international projects taking hold right now, and I think I know a little bit
about most of them,” quipped Aadland. Although her job revolves around
coordinating study abroad and exchange programs, she also finds herself becoming
involved with other international adventures as well.
As more and more students
seize the opportunities to work or study abroad, Aadland’s focus is having a
solid core of policies and procedures in place. “If our study abroad programs
are organized in these ‘infancy stages,’ then we’ll be on solid ground as our
programs continue to grow,” she said.
“The main thing we are doing
is building relationships and encouraging relationships with other countries so
that we can have a reciprocal exchange program,” added Aadland. “This all takes
one-on-one contact to establish.”
According to Aadland, many
students have already shown an interest in international experiences, but others
are asking, “Why should I study abroad?” Aadland explained that many factors
hold students back, and an important part of her job is to make the exchange
programs and travel abroad programs as student-friendly as possible.
One of the main obstacles to
studying abroad is the language barrier. Many students may know a second
language, but they may not have the language requirements necessary to spend a
semester or a year studying abroad. Along with this language barrier are the
difficulties encountered when students experience culture shock or have trouble
acclimating to cultural differences.
“Culture shock is a very real
issue for many travelers,” said Aadland. “Knowing this, we try to prepare
students for what they will encounter and make them aware of local customs
before they leave.”
Finances are another factor
that can deter students from studying abroad. Aadland explained that the School
of Mines is constantly searching for ways to partner with universities abroad.
“We offer programs in which students pay for the coursework through the School
of Mines but take classes abroad,” said Aadland. “This is a great advantage for
students because the only real added expenses are travel and the higher cost of
living.” But Aadland was the first to acknowledge that even with stable tuition
costs, the added costs of traveling and living abroad can still be significant
and overwhelming for many students.
This is where scholarships,
like the Brass LIFE Award, are critical. Lorin Brass (MetE 75) and Mary (Rausch)
Brass (CE 77) recently established the Brass LIFE (Leadership Involvement
Foreign Experience) Award to encourage and support a student’s desire to study
abroad and obtain international experience.
Students with international
experience, faculty, and staff take on the role of spreading excitement about
international opportunities to the campus. Abata, Whitehead, and Aadland work
with professors and students in all departments to ensure students maximize the
credit they receive while studying abroad. “We don’t want studying abroad to be
a negative experience in which students lose credits or graduate later than they
should. We all work together to make sure the student knows what is expected,
and we work with the professors to maximize the credit they’ll receive,” said
Aadland. “This is all done on a one-to-one basis as every travel experience and
study experience is unique.”
Even though not every student
will consider travel abroad, Aadland sees more and more students who are
interested all of the time. “Potential employers give a very serious look at
students who are ready to compete in the world marketplace, and our students
realize this,” she said. “To say that having ‘global context’ is important is an
understatement. It’s not a nicety, it’s become a necessity.”
This was reinforced recently
by Distinguished Alumni Award recipients Jim Green (ME 73) and Dr. Gary Dirks (Chem
73). Both men spoke to the topic “Technology and Economic Development in a
Global Economy” at a luncheon sponsored by the Alumni Association, Western
Research Alliance, and Rapid City Economic Development. When asked what students
could do to prepare for a career in the global economy, both Dirks and Green
stated that some kind of international experience would be helpful, even a short
term experience. They also indicated that students should be open to the concept
of living and working in a global environment.
Part of the growing interest
in studying abroad comes from students hearing other student experiences. “Our
students come back to the School of Mines and share their fascinating journeys
with other students, and the result is more and more students who are interested
in these programs,” said Aadland. “Listening to these firsthand accounts is also
beneficial for us because we can all learn how to make these experiences even
better for those in the future.”
In addition to using student
experiences as learning tools, a workshop, Dakota Globe Trekkers, was held for
the first time this year and was geared at helping faculty and staff learn more
and become more interested in global opportunities. This forum-style workshop
was used to inform faculty and staff at state schools about the educational
opportunities of studying abroad. “It is only when we all work together for a
common goal will we achieve success, and these are all parts of that,” said
Aadland.
“Having an international
experience as a student is important for so many reasons,” concluded Aadland.
“It increases their employability and potential future job opportunities, makes
students more independent and offers them greater skills in adaptability, and
perhaps most importantly, experience abroad offers students a global perspective
and teaches them to value and appreciate diversity – something important for all
of us.”
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Engineers & Scientists Abroad Looks
Forward to 2008
How many times have you said,
“I should have traveled when I was younger”? For some, the opportunity was not
available as a student, and only recently has the School of Mines organized a
student group that offers students both travel and work experience on a global
scale. In the past year, Engineers & Scientists Abroad (ESA) has been committed
to giving students opportunities to increase their knowledge and experience in
the international science and engineering fields.
Within the first year of
forming, ESA traveled to Vicuña, Chile, to help with the beginning steps of
building a vocational school. Since that trip in May 2007, students have been
brainstorming ideas for addressing and solving additional issues concerning the
site including concrete stability, power storage, and environmental concerns.
ESA plans to travel back to Chile in May 2008 to finish surveying and start
incorporating designs.
In addition to their work in
Chile, ESA also hopes to travel to Suriname in the near future. This opportunity
surfaced thanks to the interest of Lt. Col. Tracy Settle of the South Dakota
National Guard. Lt. Col Settle is director of the State Partnership Program, a
humanitarian effort in which states are matched up with countries in need based
on similar criteria which includes agriculture, mining, tourism, and population
size. South Dakota has been paired with Suriname, a country located north of
Brazil.
This past November, ESA
members met with the U.S. Ambassador to Suriname and several other distinguished
officials of Suriname during a conference held in Rapid City. The key note
speaker for the conference, Dr. Mark Plotkin of the Amazon Conservation Team,
works as an ethnobotanist with tribal shamans in the rain forest of Suriname.
ESA got the chance to meet personally with Plotkin to learn more about issues
that affect the people of Suriname and possible projects in which ESA could
participate.
Following the Rapid City
Conference, ESA student president Andrew Muxen and faculty advisor Dr. M.R.
Hansen joined with Lt. Col. Settle and business entrepreneurs on an exploratory
trip to Suriname in order to start defining possible new projects in and around
the capital city of Paramaribo. ESA was well received by organizations in
Suriname including the University of Suriname and the Amazon Conservation Team.
“As ESA extends its travels to
new countries and continues on follow-up projects, ESA members are creating
amazing experiences for themselves and the people around them,” said Eric
Hoffnagle, secretary for ESA.
“Engineers and Scientists
Abroad wants its supporters to know that they are not creating vacations for
college students; they are creating unique bonds between people with different
backgrounds in order to preserve and build a sustainable world with science and
engineering,” concluded Hoffnagle.
ESA has gathered support from
the School of Mines and local community as it has quickly grown over the past
year, and it is now looking for more individuals to get involved. If you are
interested in assisting ESA financially or by serving on a committee involved
with public relations, fundraising, and projects, please contact Eric Hoffnagle
at
Eric.Hoffnagle@Mines.sdsmt.edu
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School of Mines Takes STEPS in
New Direction
In the fall of 2007, a new
initiative, STudents Emerging as ProfessionalS (STEPS), was kicked off on the
School of Mines campus. STEPS is a way for School of Mines students to evaluate
their professional development skills by measuring against a group of preset
criteria. The eight criteria are continuously being learned on campus, but now
students have a tool to gauge how they are doing.
The
professional development characteristics include: acting with integrity, valuing
diversity, respecting self and others, communicating, leading and serving on
teams, valuing a global perspective, applying technical understanding, and
engaging in life-long learning.
“In addition to being
competent in a chosen career field, we want every School of Mines student to be
recognized as a professional when entering the work force,” said Pat Mahon, vice
president of Student Affairs and dean of students. “Through STEPS, we are
providing students the ability to build their own professional development plan
so that they leave the School of Mines knowing that they have earned not only a
degree in their chosen field, but also knowing that they have developed skills
and abilities needed to succeed both personally and professionally.”
The STEPS program starts when
all students take the STEPS self assessment at the beginning of their freshman
year. Students can re-evaluate themselves as many times as they wish throughout
the year, and their final “score” is then used during their sophomore, junior,
and senior years to see how they have changed. According to Mike Keegan,
coordinator of the Student Activities and Leadership Center, “The STEPS
evaluation brings about self-awareness of professional development skills and
allows students to make conscious decisions on how to improve in areas where
they may be lacking.”
The STEPS program is designed
so that the survey can also be sent to others for their input allowing for a
360º assessment. Director of the Career Center, Darrell Sawyer, explains, “This
aspect is important because how students perceive themselves might be very
different from how others perceive them. It also helps our students by exposing
them to the concept of 360º assessment, which is frequently used by industry as
part of the employee review process.”
The concept for STEPS has been
in the making for several years, fueled by the input of many on campus including
those closely tied to the Center of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing and
Production (CAMP) and the Industrial Engineering Department. “The STEPS program
mimics the principles of CAMP and the assessment models utilizes the expertise
in Industrial Engineering,” said Mahon. “CAMP faculty members Dan Dolan, Mike
Batchelder, and Jim McReynolds were instrumental in establishing the STEPS
initiative. Stu Kellogg and Jennifer Karlin, along with associate vice president
for Academic Affairs, Kate Alley, actively participated in the development of
the 360º assessment. Jamie Sumners and Jon Day in Information Technology
Services (ITS) implemented the impressive e-assessment program. Reeny Wilson,
director of Residence Life and Surbeck Center, designed the logo.”
Other big players representing
business and industry included several alumni who serve on School of Mines’
advisory boards. “Jim Green (ME 73), Doug Aldrich (ChemE 62), and Marlene Nelson
(ME 74) also helped us model the STEPS program using the industry standard,”
added Mahon.
“The STEPS initiative is an
ideal way for us to learn more about ourselves and to advance our professional
development,” summarizes Student Association president, Melanie Satchell. “The
program is still in its infancy stages, but I am certain this will help prepare
us to interact with others from diverse cultures in this state, country, and
around the world.”
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For the fourteenth straight
year, the Friends of Devereaux Library is presenting the Nostalgia Night film
series. This year’s ten films are collectively named “Favorite Son” and
spotlight silver screen legends who were born in our region.
Movies in the “Favorite Son”
series will be shown from the beginning of January through mid-March. Film
titles include: True Grit; A Letter to Three Wives; A Streetcar Named Desire;
Teacher’s Pet; The Dirty Dozen; On Golden Pond; Cheaper by the Dozen; High Noon;
The Trouble with Harry; and Easter Parade.
In January 1995, the Friends
of Devereaux Library incorporated the Nostalgia Night film series at the Elks
Theatre as a way to boost the success of the library. The Nostalgia Night series
is now an eagerly anticipated event in the community and brings in a
considerable amount of income on behalf of the Devereaux Library.
Funds raised from past
Nostalgia Night proceeds have been used to create and improve the Downtime
area of the library, purchase oak tables specially constructed and purchased for
electronic reference resources, renovate the staff room, and purchase a new
outside book return. Funds have also been used to build a very popular
collection of more than 500 classic films and educational videos on VHS and DVD
for checkout and a collection of audio books.
Current projects include new
furniture in Downtime, a new electronic learning center named “i-hub”
which includes a giant LCD television/computer monitor, DVD player, speakers,
and furniture.
Nostalgia Night sponsors
include: Brink Electric Construction; Cretex Concrete Products West; Dean Kurtz
Construction; First Western Bank; GCC Dacotah Cement; Dick & Nancy Gowen; Ketel
Thorstenson; Lynn, Jackson, Shultz & Lebrun; (mostly) Schnauzer Station; Pet
Pantry; RESPEC; SDSM&T Alumni Association; SDSM&T Foundation; TSP, Inc.; United
Corporation; and West Plains Engineering.
Season tickets are available
at the library, the Elks Theatre, and Bag Ladies. Tickets for individual films
will be sold at the theatre the evening of the film on a space available basis.
For more information, contact the Devereaux Library at (605) 394-6821 or visit
their website at www.sdsmt.edu/services/library/friends/friends.html
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Everett Pompy
Everett Pompy (EE 50) passed
away October 20, 2007, at the age of 85. Everett was born in Roseau, Minnesota,
on March 29, 1922, and grew up in Tyndall, South Dakota. After graduating from
high school, he attended Southern State Teacher's College.
At the age of 19, Everett
joined the U.S. Air Force and was commissioned 1st Lt. In 1944, during World War
II, Everett married Faye Young in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. After completing his
duty with the military, he returned to continue his studies at Southern State
Teacher’s College. Later, the family moved to Rapid City so he could attend the
School of Mines, where he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering.
Everett began his career as a
section foreman for Black Hills Power and Light Company (BHP&L). He later became
a management trainee and was transferred to Spearfish and then to Newcastle,
Wyoming, serving as district manager in both locations. His career advancements
with BHP&L brought him to Rapid City where he served as vice president of Human
Resources. He retired in 1985 after 35 years with BHP&L.
Continuing after his
retirement, Everett was an active member in the community. He was president of
the Spearfish Chamber of Commerce, president of the Spearfish Lions Club, member
of the American Legion, life member of the VFW (Cosmopolitan Club member since
1968), president of the Boy Scout Council from 1971-72 (where he received the
Silver Beaver Award), a member of the Arrowhead and Meadowbrook Golf Clubs, and
an active member of the South Canyon Lutheran Church. In his leisure time, he
enjoyed golfing, playing the saxophone in the New Horizons Band, reading,
fishing with his family, traveling, and restoring classic cars.
Memorials may be sent to the
Pompy Scholarship Fund at the SDSM&T Foundation.
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School of Mines Professor’s
Ensemble Hits the Road
Dakota Voices, a choral
ensemble founded in 1997 by Dr. James D. Feiszli, director of music at the South
Dakota School of Mines and Technology, is the recipient of several prestigious
upcoming musical performance invitations.
Feiszli and the Dakota Voices
have been asked to be artists in residence for the Bodenseefest and the Choralis
Constantinus Symposium. This year marks the 500th anniversary of the
commissioning of the Choralis Constantinus, a set of choral motets composed by
Heinrich Isaac, which also served as the basis for Feiszli’s doctoral
dissertation.
In celebration of this
anniversary, the 2007-2008 Konstanz Münsterkonzerte season and liturgical
worship services will contain numerous motets from the anthology. The
celebration will culminate in a collaborative effort between the Münster and the
20th International Bodenseefestival (April-May 2008). This Bodenseefestival,
sponsored each year by the German radio station SWR2, the governments of the
German state Baden-Württemberg, the Swiss canton of Appenzell, and cities from
the Bodensee region, is a month-long arts festival featuring the best musicians
in Europe.
In addition to the
Bodenseefest, the Dakota Voices and Feiszli have received two additional
prestigious performance invitations for 2008. The North Central Division
(including Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Nebraska)
of the American Choral Directors Association has invited the Dakota Voices to be
one of the featured performing groups at its biennial convention in March 2008.
The convention planners screened hundreds of recordings before issuing
invitations for performing groups at this gathering, recognized as one of the
premier venues for choral music in the United States. They followed this with a
direct invitation to Feiszli to present the results of his research on the
Choralis Constantinus to the convention.
About Dakota Voices:
Dakota Voices is a group of Black Hills area singers dedicated to improving
their individual vocal and musical skills while studying and performing a wide
range of vocal music – one-on-a-part ensemble music as well as solo vocal music.
The members are all current or former voice students of Feiszli. For more
information, visit
http://music.sdsmt.edu/dvoices.
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Help Create Future Scientists and
Engineers!
The School of Mines is again
offering a variety of educational opportunities for middle and high school
students, and you can help by spreading the word.
Again this summer, the School
of Mines is allowing students to try their hand at engineering and science
before they arrive at college by attending a summer residential camp or day
class. Here are just some of the great camps offered for summer 2008:
Leadership Camp
Working in cooperative teams,
students will learn leadership skills. Students will identify a problem in their
community that requires a solution, gather and evaluate information on the
problem, examine and evaluate alternative solutions, develop a proposed policy
to address the problem, and create an action plan to get the policy adopted by
government.
Socket to Me! Computer
Science and Computer Engineering Camp
This camp provides a hands-on
computer science and engineering experience. Students will learn the importance
of being computer literate, computer basics, how to disassemble and reassemble a
computer, PC maintenance, basic and Web programming, and electronics.
Space Adventures! Camp
Students will explore the
birth of the universe, the life cycle of stars, black holes, relativity and time
travel, star mythology, satellites and global positioning. Participants will
take field trips to the Air & Space Museum and the Hidden Valley Observatory, as
well as build and launch their own model rocket!
STEPS Engineering Camp
Science Technology Engineering
Preview Summer Camp (STEPS) is an introduction to the world of technology and
engineering. Campers will participate in hands-on activities that give them an
understanding of what engineers do, science and engineering topics such as
materials, clean manufacturing, CAD, and team building, and group presentations
of their project.
Youth Geology Field Camp
Through daily field trips,
participants will learn an introduction to rocks and how they form, mining, gold
panning, geologic history of the Black Hills, and unique rocks and different
fossils. Field trip locations include the Mammoth Site, The Black Hills
Institute, Mt. Rushmore, and the Badlands.
If you know of a young person
who might be interested, please let them know about these terrific programs.
More information on these camps and scholarship forms can be found at
http://sdmines.sdsmt.edu/learn/youth or by calling (605) 394-2693.
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Starting Salaries Soar for Recent Grads
Career Fair Continues to Grow
The South Dakota School of
Mines and Technology is well known for placing more than 90 percent of its
graduates in jobs in their career fields or in graduate or professional programs
within a year of graduation. This long-standing tradition has long been an
allure of recruiting students to study at the School of Mines. And now, says
Darrell Sawyer, director of the Career Center, SDSM&T has yet another feather in
its cap.
The average overall salary
offer for 2007 graduates who entered the workforce jumped nearly $5,000 from
2006 numbers, topping out at over $54,200. Graduates of the Department of
Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Department of
Geological Engineering top the list with average starting salary offers
of $59,206 and $57,300 respectively. A list of salary averages by major for 2007
graduates is available at
http://www.hpcnet.org/sdsmtsalaries.
“The job outlook is great for
our engineering and science graduates,” said Sawyer. “Employers have a strong
interest in School of Mines students because of their technical skills,
practical experience, and strong work ethic that will help them succeed in their
careers.”
That strong interest helped
fuel industry attendance at the 2007 Fall Career Fair to a record-setting high.
SDSM&T was the proud host to over 120 companies on October 2, 2007, a nearly 50
percent increase from the prior year. With such a large increase in attendance,
the Career Fair also outgrew its historical location in Surbeck Student Center
and was moved to the King Center. The wide range of participating employers
included local and regional companies, government agencies, and Fortune 500
corporations.
“This is one scenario where
bursting at the seams is a good problem to have,” added Sawyer. “The Career Fair
offers an excellent opportunity for employers to meet an impressive group of
students for internships, co-ops, or full-time positions. It’s clear that our
students have many excellent career options available to them.”
In addition to participating
in the Career Fair, over 40 employers conducted student interviews in the days
preceding and following the Career Fair, providing School of Mines students with
additional opportunities to receive job offers for full-time, co-op, and
internship positions.
“It’s exciting to see our
students being in such demand,” concluded Sawyer. “The starting salaries that
our graduates are earning show a great return on their investment in a School of
Mines education.”
The fact that 75 percent of
School of Mines’ graduates have relevant work experience through co-ops and
internships increases their marketability to employers.
For more information on this
year’s Career Fair, visit
http://www.hpcnet.org/sdsmtcareerfair.
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CAMP Celebrates Ten Years
The School of Mines recently
celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Center of Excellence for Advanced
Manufacturing and Production (CAMP). Nearly 150 community members, alumni,
faculty and staff, and current students joined together in celebration at a
banquet held on October 26, 2007, at the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn where Tana
L. Utley, chief technology officer and vice president of the Technology &
Solutions Division at Caterpillar Inc., gave the keynote address.
CAMP was officially dedicated
in October 1997 and started with four student teams. Now, ten years later, CAMP
consists of ten student teams and one support team. Based on and committed to a
unique multi-disciplinary, team-based philosophy, CAMP students participate in
enterprise teams centered on internal or externally sponsored projects. Teams
consist of students from all disciplines and from all levels, from freshmen
through graduate students, together with faculty and industry partners.
During the past decade, CAMP
teams have been enormously successful in competitions featuring many of the best
science and engineering universities in the world. Recent highlights include the
Aero Design Team's first place finish at Aero Design West for two consecutive
years and the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Team's first place finish in the
International Aerial Robotics Competition at Fort Benning, Georgia.
CAMP is co-directed by Dr. Dan
Dolan (professor, Mechanical Engineering) and Dr. Michael Batchelder (professor,
Electrical & Computer Engineering). Current CAMP teams include: Aero Design,
Alternative Fuel Vehicle, ChE Car, Concrete Canoe, Amateur (Ham) Radio Club,
Human Powered Vehicle, Robotics, Mini Baja, Formula SAE, Steel Bridge, and
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
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College Bowl Campus Champs
Prepare for Regionals
Since its inception in 1953,
hundreds of thousands of college students from over 500 universities across the
nation have competed in College Bowl, and this spring, a team of four students
from the School of Mines will participate at the regional level with hopes of
making the cut to the National Championship.
This year’s School of Mines
team includes Ben Bangasser (Sr., ChemE), Joe Cass (Jr., CSc), Scott Connor
(Sr., ChemE), and Robyn Krage (Soph., CSc). The students will travel to
Minneapolis during the spring semester to take part in the competition that is
being held at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
In order to have this
opportunity, the students competed on the campus level against seven other
student teams. When asked about their preparation and ensuing success at the
event, Bangasser, the group’s unofficial press secretary, quipped that the team
was “thrown together at the last minute.”
“I wanted to participate and
mentioned it to a classmate who also happened to be interested,” said Bangasser.
“From there, we just started asking around and we had our team.”
According to its website,
College Bowl, a competition in which teams of competing students are asked to
answer a variety of questions about academia, pop culture, current events, and
sports in a beat-the-buzzer type of format, has a long history of entertaining
millions of people on television, on radio, and on college campuses. Since its
inception, College Bowl has and continues to receive widespread acclaim from
Presidents, Congress, state and local officials, schools, churches, the press,
and the public. College Bowl has been awarded many major educational, newspaper,
and television awards.
With their upcoming trip to
the Regional Championships and all of the prestige of College Bowl in front of
them, Bangasser, a self-proclaimed trivia buff, and his team continue to have a
casual attitude. “We really aren’t doing anything special to prepare,” he said.
Then, after pausing a moment, he added, “Although I have been watching a lot of
Jeopardy®.”
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Christensen Hall of Fame Inductees
2007
As part of M-Week, the South
Dakota School of Mines Hardrock Club and Athletic Department celebrated the
Christensen Hall of Fame Inductees for 2007. The new inductees were honored at
the fourth annual Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, September 15, following the
“M” Day football game. Six individuals and one team were honored.
The inductees included:
Dan Ptak (EE 86) – Football
Dan Ptak was one of the finest
quarterbacks to play for the Hardrockers. He directed the team to South Dakota
Intercollegiate Conference Championships in 1984 and 1985 and earned MVP status
during both seasons. Dan helped the team compile a 13-5 record during that time
including a 10-2 conference mark. A native of Menno, South Dakota, Ptak was an
adept passer and fine scrambler. He rushed for six touchdowns and passed for
three in his senior SDIC MVP season of 1985.
Dave Jackson (ME 70) –
Men’s Basketball
Dave Jackson was one of the
greatest two-way players in Hardrocker basketball history. A fine scorer, he was
third on the Hardrocker all-time scoring list at the time of his induction with
1,887 points. A good defensive player and great rebounder, he also currently
holds the team’s all-time rebounding record with 1,198 boards. Jackson’s
accomplishments on the Hardrocker team speak volumes for the talented player who
was the backbone of the Mines team in the late 1960s.
Tammy (Peterson) Williams
(CE 82) – Women’s Basketball
Tammy (Peterson) Williams is
one of only a few Lady Hardrocker basketball players who played for the only two
women’s basketball coaches in school history. Bob Hunt was her coach her first
three years, and then Barb Felderman took the reigns during Tammy’s senior
season of 1981-1982. At the time of her induction, Williams was fourteenth on
the Lady Hardrocker all-time scoring list with 1,168 points. She was a vital
member of very successful Lady Hardrocker teams from 1978 to 1981. Tammy was a
South Dakota Intercollegiate All-Conference selection her junior and senior
seasons and was the captain and anchor of Coach Felderman’s first Lady
Hardrocker team.
Kris Griffith (EE 86)
–Volleyball
Kris Griffith was an
outstanding outside hitter during one of the greatest eras in Lady Hardrocker
Volleyball history. She was instrumental in helping the School of Mines earn
consecutive SDIC Conference championships in 1984, 1985, and 1986. During that
time she was named to the SDIC all-conference team three times and to the All-NAIA
District 12 team twice. She still holds the record for serving aces in a season
(77 aces in 1985) and is in the top ten in several career categories.
Gary Trohkimoinen (EE 73) –
Track and Cross Country
Gary Trohkimoinen was
instrumental in helping the School of Mines Cross Country team to consecutive
South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference Championships in 1970 (placing 4th),
1971 (placing 8th), and 1972 (placing 3rd). He also excelled in track and was
the 1972 SDIC steeplechase champion. He ranks third all-time in the steeplechase
for the Hardrockers with a time of 9:32.04 and sixth all-time in the 5,000 meter
with a time of 15:35.20
Roger Opp (MS Math 1965) –
Builder
Roger Opp began his long
career at the School of Mines in 1966 as an assistant professor of mathematics.
He began serving as the official scorer for basketball games that same year and
eventually moved over to the game clock in the late 1970s, where he continued
until his retirement in 2003. He served as the faculty
athletic representative and also as the secretary of
the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference for many years and is a member of
the SDIC Hall of Fame. “Service to the students, both academically and
athletically, was important to me,” said Opp. “Seeing a student in the classroom
and then on the playing field allowed me to see both sides of the educational
experience.” Roger’s loyalty to the School of Mines and to its students and
athletes is a hallmark of his dedication to the university. He played a very
important role as a member of the scoring table and will be remembered for the
professional manner he handled his role.
Men’s 1972-73 Basketball
Team
Coached by Mike Riley, the
Men’s 1972-73 Basketball Team was the first School of Mines team to qualify for
a national basketball tournament. The team finished with a 19-8 record.
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Clares Establish Athletic
Scholarship in Memory of Son
Paul (GenE
59) and Shirley Clare recently established the Clare Family Charitable
Remainder Trust. At the termination of the trust, the Paul and John Clare
Endowed Athletic Scholarship will be established in memory and honor of their
son, John Russell Clare. The Paul and John Clare Endowed Athletic Scholarship
will be awarded to a student in good academic standing who participates in men’s
varsity basketball at the School of Mines.
John Clare was the third of
three children born to Paul and Shirley Clare. He was born in Sydney, Australia,
where the family lived while Paul worked for Kaiser Aluminum. John graduated in
1994 from Seabreeze High School (Daytona Beach, Florida) where he was in the top
three percent of his class and was voted most likely to succeed. He was a
tremendous athlete, participated in varsity basketball and volleyball, and was a
track standout.
He earned a national merit
scholarship commendation and a host of other academic accolades including being
named U.S. Military Student Athlete of the Year, American High School
Mathematics Exam finalist, Pride winner in Mathematics, Science and Social
Studies, and Seabreeze High Hall of Fame inductee.
After graduation from
Seabreeze High School, John attended the University of Virginia where he studied
systems engineering. Yet again, he excelled, earning a spot on the Dean’s List
with a GPA of 3.5 and being named a finalist for a national Society of
Professional Engineers Scholarship.
During summer breaks, John
interned as an engineering assistant at Hudson Tool & Die Co. in Ormond Beach,
Florida, and JSJ Corp. in Grand Haven, Michigan, and he served as a
congressional intern to Rep. Tilly Fowler in Washington, D.C. John intended to
follow in his father, Paul’s, footsteps and begin a career in manufacturing
after graduation, but his life was tragically cut short by an automobile
accident in 1997.
Paul Clare was raised in Sioux
Falls and graduated from Sioux Falls Washington High School in 1955. He attended
the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and graduated with a degree in
general engineering in 1959.
Upon earning his degree, Paul
went to work from General Electric. After one year with General Electric, he
entered the U.S. Army where he was on active duty for over three years and
achieved the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. While serving
in the Army, Paul married his wife Shirley and returned to General Electric from
1963 until 1965. He continued his studies simultaneously and earned a master’s
in business administration from the University of Washington in 1966.
In 1966, Paul left General
Electric to pursue an opportunity with Kaiser Aluminum. Over the next 18 years,
Paul’s work with Kaiser Aluminum took the Clares to many areas of the country
and abroad including Spokane, Washington, where daughters Kelley and Kristin
were born, and Sydney, Australia, where son John was born. Other stops along the
way included Oakland, California; Louisville, Kentucky; and Edison, New Jersey.
In 1985, Paul joined Hudson
Tool & Die Company (now Hudson Technologies) as president, and the Clare family
made their final move to Ormond Beach, Florida, in 1991 where Paul was directing
the consolidation of all the operations of the firm into the Ormond Beach
facility. Paul remained president of Hudson for 18 years until his retirement
in 2002.
Hudson is a manufacturer that
specializes in difficult to make deep drawn and stamped metal products. It has
over 250 employees and over 2,000 customers in 49 states and 20 foreign
countries. Hudson designed the first metal container for the original
implantable heart pacemaker and has made parts for such products as the
Hewlett-Packard atomic clock, the Mars Sojourner, the space shuttle, and U.S.
missile systems.
Paul and Shirley continue to
reside in Ormond Beach where he remains active in many facets of the community,
recently receiving the 2007 Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Florida
Hospital Memorial Foundation. He is also a member of the Volusia County,
Florida, Manufacturers Hall of Fame.
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Jeitzes Establish ASCE Student
Chapter Assistance Fund
Ron (CE 69) and Jean Jeitz
recently established the Jeitz ASCE Student Chapter Assistance Fund. Ron
appreciates the leadership and team building experiences provided by the ASCE
Student Chapter during his years at SDSM&T, and Ron and Jean hope that this fund
will provide the encouragement and subsequent support for more School of Mines
students to participate in and enjoy the ASCE Student Chapter competitions such
as the Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge.
Ron and Jean both attained
their elementary and secondary education in the Pierre school system. After
graduation from the T. F. Riggs High School in Pierre in 1964, Ron enrolled at
SDSM&T and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in January
1969. While at the School of Mines, Ron was active in the Delta Sigma Phi
Fraternity and was business manager for The Engineer. Ron was one of 26
seniors named to Who’s Who in American Universities and Colleges in 1969.
While working in the Chicago area several years later, Ron attended Northwestern
University’s Graduate School of Management and earned a Masters of Management
(MBA) degree in 1981.
Upon graduation from SDSM&T,
Ron was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. He joined Texaco
Inc. and worked six months as a construction engineer before entering active
duty with the United States Army. While on active duty, Ron served at Ft.
Belvoir, Virginia, and Ft. Lewis, Washington, and then in Vietnam.
Upon completion of his
military obligation, Ron returned to Texaco and served in a variety of domestic
and international assignments in sales, marketing, brand management,
advertising, business development, sports and event marketing, and general
management throughout his 30-year career. One of the most fun and fulfilling
experiences Ron had was negotiating Texaco’s sponsorship with the United States
Olympic Committee and then directing and developing a comprehensive Olympic
marketing strategy and marketing programs to fully leverage their sponsorship
investment. Ron retired from Texaco Inc. as Director of Worldwide Advertising
and Sales Promotion in 1998.
One of Ron’s most rewarding
work experiences was in 1982-1983 during a sabbatical from Texaco when he served
in the Reagan Administration as an executive assistant to the Secretary of
Treasury in Washington, D.C. as a participant in the
President’s Commission on Executive Exchange (PCEE) program. The PCEE program
provided an opportunity for selected individuals from the private and public
sectors to experience working in the opposite sector to develop an understanding
and appreciation for the importance of working together for their mutual benefit
and success.
Ron has served on the board of
directors of the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature Conservancy as well as
serving as chair of the Nature Conservancy’s Devil’s Den Preserve in Weston,
Connecticut. Ron also served as president of The Pawling Mountain Club, a
premier private shooting facility, in Pawling, New York, after his retirement
from Texaco.
Ron and Jean relocated from
Connecticut to rural Georgia in 2005. They now reside in Reynolds Plantation
located on Lake Oconee between Atlanta and Augusta. Ron continues to play
competitive tennis and enjoys an occasional round of golf, but he spends most of
his free time fulfilling his passion of upland game bird hunting with his
English springer spaniel, Mac, and shooting sporting clays where he has attained
the national ranking of Master Class. Jean continues to pursue her love of
interior design and decorating in addition to creating a line of personalized,
one-of-a-kind handbags. Jean also volunteers at the local Habitat for Humanity
retail store in Greensboro, Georgia.
Ron is currently assisting the
SDSM&T Foundation in regional development as it
embarks on its $50 million Building the Dream capital campaign.
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West Plains Engineering
Establishes Scholarship
West Plains Engineering,
Incorporated recently established the West Plains Engineering Scholarship at the
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. This non-endowed scholarship will
be awarded to a School of Mines student majoring in mechanical engineering.
First preference will be given to students from western South Dakota, and second
preference will be given to students from Wyoming.
West Plains Engineering, Inc.
is a mechanical, electrical, and electric utility engineering firm with offices
located in Rapid City and Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Casper, Wyoming; and Cedar
Rapids, Iowa. Established in 1984, the firm serves a multi-state area and has
design professionals that maintain active registrations in numerous states
throughout the Midwest as well as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) accredited professionals.
West Plains Engineering, Inc.
specializes in the design of mechanical and electrical systems for the building
industry and transmission, distribution, and substation design for the electric
utility industry. West Plains Engineering, Inc. maintains a staff of engineers
and technicians with capabilities and experience to provide complete design
services for systems that are functional, reliable, energy efficient, and
environmentally friendly. They are a business dedicated to staying in touch with
the ever-changing aspects of the engineering field including sustainable and
green building design. West Plains Engineering, Inc. strives to achieve and
maintain leadership as a major consulting engineering firm by serving their
clients at high professional standards.
Dave Berg (ME 73), president
of West Plains Engineering, Inc., stated, “We at West Plains Engineering hope
that this scholarship will provide the encouragement and subsequent support for
more students to pursue mechanical engineering degrees at the School of Mines.”
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Zimmerman Memorial
Scholarships
The Zimmerman Memorial
Scholarship fund was recently established at the South Dakota School of Mines
and Technology upon the death and subsequent bequest of Mary Zimmerman.
The Zimmerman Memorial
Scholarships will be awarded to female engineering or
science students at the School of Mines who
are in their sophomore,
junior, or senior year and who have a minimum 3.0
grade point average.
Zimmerman was a true South
Dakotan – she was born in Aberdeen, grew up in Ridgeview, and graduated from
high school in Mobridge. She then attended and graduated from Northern State
Teachers College in Aberdeen. She taught school at McLaughlin for a short time
prior to moving to Rapid City where she taught at Central High School for 23
years. She earned a master’s degree from the University of Wyoming.
In her spare time, Mary loved
gardening and photography, and she was a member of the Catholic Church. She was
also an avid traveler, and especially enjoyed her trips to Arizona. One summer,
Mary even drove by herself to Alaska so she could attend a summer session which
was applied toward her master’s degree.
Zimmerman wanted to assist
School of Mines’ students with their tuition and fees, but she also believed
that students should be responsible for a portion of their own costs. “It tends
to make better students who appreciate what they receive, and it builds
character,” said Zimmerman before her death.
The planned gift made through
her will allows Mary Zimmerman to be part of the SDSM&T Foundation’s Heritage
Society and places her at the Patron level for the Building the Dream
campaign.
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