Dear Colleagues and Friends, Over the past two weeks I have enjoyed the opportunity to meet and visit with many members of the campus community including faculty, staff, students, alumni, Foundation Board trustees, and community members. Carolyn and I thank you all for your warm welcome. We are incredibly impressed with the enthusiasm, dedication, and professionalism of all those that we have met and appreciate your tremendous commitment to the School of Mines. Below are some recent campus highlights that may be of interest to you. I plan to continue this important tradition of presidential email messages in order to share exciting campus news with our colleagues and friends.
Congratulations to School of Mines' chemistry major, Channing Thompson, who has been named a Scholar of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Scholars Program. Ms. Thompson, from Rapid City, is one of approximately 150 Scholars chosen nationwide.
The Youth Engineering Adventure (YEA) program was held on campus June 22nd-27th. High school students spent the week learning about engineering and associated careers while participating in group and hands-on projects and demonstrations. Hundreds of students have participated in YEA during the past seven years. Thank you to YEA organizer Dr. Larry Simonson, faculty, staff, and area engineering firms who assisted in this important program.
More than 200 students participated in the South Dakota Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Honors Program Closing and Graduation Ceremony on Tuesday, July 8th. Governor Rounds attended the ceremony and spoke to the graduates. The Honors Program has been held on the School of Mines campus every summer for the past 16 years. The students participating in this program, range from grades 9th through college, and are selected on the basis of academic achievement and teacher recommendations. Thank you to GEAR UP director, Stacy Phelps (ME96), Dr. Carter Kerk, Professor, Industrial Engineering Department, and everyone who assisted them in putting together a successful program and making a positive impact in the lives of these students. If you would like to learn more about the SD GEAR UP program at the School of Mines, please visit: http://news.sdsmt.edu/press/8992 .
Many of you may have seen the news brief from Senator Thune in the Local section of the July 17th edition of the Rapid City Journal, announcing that the School of Mines had been awarded $420,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for research of high-efficiency solar energy technologies. The proposal for this grant was initiated in FY07 by Dr. S. Phillip Ahrenkiel, Assistant Professor, Physics Department, to the DOE via EPSCoR, and is now being funded.
The Educational Programs and Professional Conferences offices, under the direction of Nancy Anderson-Smith, have kept the campus abuzz with activities and programs this summer for youth, adult continuing education, overnight camps, etc. For more information on programs being offered, visit http://sdmines.sdsmt.edu/learn .
Thanks to the hard work and contributions of local businesses; the student Leadership Development Team (LDT); Student Activities Coordinator Mike Keegan; Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Pat Mahon; the SDSM&T Foundation, and many others, the Leadership Challenge Course (aka ropes course) will soon become a reality on campus. This course will be a valuable leadership training tool for use by the campus and the community. More details will follow in the months ahead. In the meantime, if you have any questions, or would like to inquire about contributing to this exciting opportunity, please contact Mike Keegan at mike.keegan@sdsmt.edu .
These are just a few highlights of the many happenings here at the School of Mines. For more information on these and other activities and news, please visit our website at: http://www.sdsmt.edu/.
I invite your comments and questions. You can reach me at: robert.wharton@sdsmt.edu.
Robert A. Wharton, Ph.D.
President
