Dear Friends,
Assistant Professor of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering Scott Ahrenkiel will study the management of defects in lattice-mismatched materials. This important project will seek to develop greater control of defect generation in multilayer thin-film materials used for the direct conversion of sunlight into electrical energy. The project "Lattice-Mismatched III-V Epilayers for High-Efficiency Photovoltaics" has been chosen as one of only12 projects selected for funding by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) in fiscal year 2008. The School of Mines was the only South Dakota institution to receive an award.
While on sabbatical this spring, Dr. James Feiszli, Director of Music, traveled to Germany as part of the quincentennial Symposium on Heinrich Isaac's "Choralis Constantinus", the music composed for one of the finest choirs in early Renaissance Germany. Dr. Feiszli prepared most of the music and also presented workshops and lectures at the symposium and surrounding universities. His group Dakota Voices joined him in the last week to perform at the concluding concert.
Congratulations to Dr. Kyle Riley, Chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department, who was elected to the Board of Governors of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). Dr. Riley will be the Governor for the Rocky Mountain section of the MAA and will represent the section at the National level. For more information on the MAA, visit: http://www.maa.org/.
The School of Mines' Steel Bridge Team will compete in the American Society of Civil Engineer's (ASCE) National Steel Bridge Competition in Gainesville, Florida, May 23-24. The team qualified to compete at the national competition after placing third overall at the 2008 ASCE Rocky Mountain Regional Conference, held April 4-5, 2007, in Golden, Colorado. At the competition, the bridge placed first in efficiency, first in lightness, second in construction speed, third in economy and fourth in stiffness. For a list of student team members and more information, visit: http://news.sdsmt.edu/stories/8695/ .
Developing a pipeline of talented Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students is a critical issue for this university and for the nation. The School of Mines has a strong record of efforts designed to stem the STEM challenge. I was honored this week to have guest perspective on this topic published in the American Council on Education Solutions for our Future newsletter. http://www.solutionsforourfuture.org/site/PageServer?pagename=guest_perspective_ruch . I encourage you all to make difference in addressing this daunting issue.
As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments. I can be reached at charles.ruch@sdsmt.edu.