May 11, 2018

Mines celebrates Spring 2018 undergrad commencement

 
Colorado School of Mines celebrated its Spring 2018 Undergraduate Commencement on May 11, conferring a total of 910 bachelor's degrees as it welcomed its newest class of graduates into the Oredigger alumni community. 
 
At the ceremony, held at Marv Kay Stadium at the Harold M. and Patricia M. Korell Athletics Center, 16 outstanding students representing each of Mines' academic departments received special recognition for their high scholastic achievement and active involvement in departmental and school activities. The Spring 2018 Outstanding Graduating Seniors are:
 
Erica Dettmer-Radtke, Applied Mathematics and Statistics
Post-graduation plans: Dettmer-Radtke, from Boulder, will work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory this summer before returning to Mines to begin a master's degree in statistics. 
Favorite Mines memory: "Tubing down Clear Creek with the people on my dorm floor right after we all moved in."
 
Clayton Kramp, Computational and Applied Mathematics
Post-graduation plans: Kramp, from Tokyo, Japan, will pursue a master's degree in computer science at Mines. 
Favorite Mines memory: "The first M Climb. It was the first time I felt the Mines spirit in my veins, and I was full of excitement for the upcoming years.
 
Kenneth Sullivan, Civil Engineering 
Post-graduation plans: Sullivan, from Prague, Czech Republic, plans to pursue a master's degree in structural engineering at University of Washington, where he will research the resiliency of building structures from seismic activity.
Favorite Mines memory: "Firing my team's trebuchet for the first time after a complete redesign for the E-Days competition sophomore year."
 
Rosalie O'Brien, Environmental Engineering
Post-graduation plans: O'Brien, from Lakewood, is getting married in July (to another Mines alumnus) and will attend graduate school at Mines.
Favorite Mines memory: "Traveling to Ireland with the Mines Marching Band my sophomore year to play in the St. Patrick's Day Parade."
 
James Baumann, Chemistry
Post-graduation plans: Baumann, from Golden, will attend the University of Washington to pursue a PhD in organic chemistry. 
Favorite Mines memory: "Hanging in hammocks with friends on Kafadar Commons during sophomore year, studying and enjoying the beautiful Colorado spring sunshine."
 
Brennan Requist, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Post-graduation plans: Requist, from Lakewood, will attend a 10-week leadership/discipleship training program through The Navigators and hopes to launch a career in biomedical research.
Favorite Mines memory: "I'll take away memories of calculus (super fun!), Navigators (growing closer to God) and the cardboard boat race at E-Days (my mechanical engineering friend did the math right, and we didn't sink!). Also, I was blessed to work with great friends on the never-ending homework and projects - our fun Taco Bell and Domino's runs kept us going!"
 
Tabitha Kalin, Chemical Engineering
Post-graduation plans: Kalin, from Colorado Springs, will intern in the Propulsion R&D Division of Orbital ATK this summer before returning to Mines to complete a master's degree in engineering and technology management.
Favorite Mines memory: "Being a part of the music program and marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade with the Mines marching band in Dublin, Ireland."
 
Jonathan Sumner Evans, Computer Science
Post-graduation plans: Evans, from Littleton, has a summer internship at Pivotal, a software company based in Denver. He will return to Mines this fall to continue his studies in the computer science graduate program. 
Favorite Mines memory: "All of my favorite memories involve doing things with my friends: the late nights studying and working on projects, the fun club meetings, the on-a-whim dinner runs."
 
David Borkert, Electrical Engineering
Post-graduation plans: Borkert, from Lakewood, is going on a trip to Iceland before he begins work as an electrical engineer at Sierra Nevada Corporation.
Favorite Mines memory: "Building a MIDI laser harp for my embedded systems class."   
 
Dingxin Cai, Geological Engineering
Post-graduation plans: Cai, from Beijing, China, will attend the University of California, Berkeley for a master's degree in geotechnical engineering. 
Favorite Mines memory: "Probably the geological engineering field camp!"
 
Felicia Nurindrawati, Geophysics
Post-graduation plans: Nurindrawati, from Duri, Indonesia, plans to pursue a master's degree at the University of Houston.
Favorite Mines memory: "Studying for eight hours straight in the library alongside friends."
 
Alexandra Joseph, Mechanical Engineering
Post-graduation plans: Joseph, from Denver, will take a couple of years off from academics before moving on to a PhD. 
Favorite Mines memory: "Helping students as a teaching assistant and building robots in Introduction to Robotics."
 
John Copley, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Post-graduation plans: Copley, from Plano, Texas, will attend graduate school at Mines, studying metallurgical and materials engineering.
Favorite Mines memory: "Of the many things I've had the pleasure of doing, the most exciting was being on the TMS bladesmithing team. From trying to smelt steel with magnetite and thermite, to making the damascus for the blade and patterning it, it's among my fondest Mines memories."
 
William Behre, Mining Engineering
Post-graduation plans: Behre, from Flanders, New Jersey, will work with Summit Materials at the corporate office in Denver as a member of the aggregates performance team.
Favorite Mines memory: "Meeting people at Career Day and all the internship experience I have gotten from the connections I made."
 
Nathan Mills, Petroleum Engineering
Post-graduation plans: Mills, from Modesto, California, is moving to Midland, Texas, where he will work for XTO Energy as an operations and production engineer.
Favorite Mines memory: "Designing a fully automated, outdoor hydroponic vegetable growing system with my EPICS team. I was immersed into the world of computer coding and electrical automation for the first time. Our system was even selected as the best humanitarian engineering design at the Summer 2016 trade fair show."
 
Ariel Shlosberg, Physics
Post-graduation plans: Shlosberg, from Boulder, plans to pursue a PhD in theoretical physics at University of Colorado Boulder, studying quantum information and potentially its relation to high energy theory.
Favorite Mines memory: "Spending late nights with friends working through problem sets, especially those related to black holes in general relativity. Woody's trivia nights were also a lot of fun."
 
ADDITIONAL UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS:
  • The Professor Everett Award, provided for by Frank Ausanka '42 in honor of James R. Everett, an outstanding former faculty member in mathematics at Mines, is presented to a graduating senior in mathematics who demonstrates scholarship, leadership, community service and the potential for the innovative application of mathematics to mineral engineering: Nicholas Rummel
  • The Ryan Sayers Memorial Award recognizes the outstanding academic achievements of a graduating student majoring in engineering physics and/or applied mathematics and statistics, who has performed significant undergraduate research: Connor Mattes 
  • Ryan Sayers Memorial Scholarship: Jaden Davidson
  • The Harrison L. Hays 1931 Award is presented in chemical and petroleum refining for demonstrating scholarship, personality and integrity of character and the general potentialities of a successful industrial career: Johanna Madenjian
  • The Selim Memorial Scholarship is presented by the faculty of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering to a graduating student who promises great success in graduate school: Rachel Mizenko
  • The Pearson Potential Award is given to students in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering who have shown emerging leadership and engineering potential in hands-on challenges such as Summer Field Session: Bella Yu and Christopher Siebarth
  • The Outstanding Senior Research Award in Chemistry is awarded to a student who demonstrates superior performance and creativity in undergraduate research: James Baumann
  • The Robert A. Baxter Award is presented for meritorious work in chemistry: Alisha Eskew
  • The American Institute of Chemists Award: Juliet Mullen
  • The Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award: Nhan Tran
  • The Faculty Choice Award in Computer Science is given to a top graduating senior who helped improve computer science at Mines: Victoria Girkins
  • The Brunton Award in Geology is awarded in recognition of the highest scholastic achievement and interest in and enthusiasm for the science of geology: Jacob Weems
  • The Neal J. Harr Memorial Outstanding Student Award, provided by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, is presented for scholastic excellence in the study of geology with the aim of encouraging future endeavors in the earth sciences: Leah Macey
  • The Hutchinson Award: Ariel Rickel
  • The Cecil H. Green Award is given to the graduating senior in geophysical engineering who, in the opinion of the Department of Geophysics, has the highest attainment in the combination of scholastic achievement, personality and integrity: Delaney Marsh
  • The George R. Pickett Memorial Award is presented on the basis of demonstrated interest and accomplishments in the study of borehole geophysics: Courtney Bone and Bennett Hoogenboom
  • The George T. Merideth Award, established in 2012 by Keith A. '52 and Mary Ann Kvenvolden to carry forward the legacy of former Mines Geophysics Professor George T. Merideth, is presented to outstanding graduating geophysics students who have demonstrated academic excellence, community involvement and potential for leadership in earth science engineering: Devon Dunmire
  • The John C. Hollister Award is presented to the most deserving student in geophysics and is not based solely on academic performance: Kristen Marberry
  • The Maryanna Bell Kafadar Award is presented to the graduating senior who has excelled in humanities courses and humanities-related activities: Kyle Markowski
  • The John Steele Faculty Choice Award is awarded to a top graduating senior whose contributions significantly strengthened the Department of Mechanical Engineering: David Wahlstrom
  • The Charles N. Bell 1906 Award, provided for by Mr. Bell, is a Brunton transit, awarded in mining for completing a course in mining and showing the most progress in schoolwork during the entire period for which the course is given: Adam Pollack
  • The Clark B. Carpenter Award is presented to the graduating senior in mining or metallurgy who, in the opinion of the senior students in mining and metallurgy and the professors in charge of the respective departments, is the most deserving of this award: Roland Daniels and Ryan Willis
  • The Honorable D. W. Brunton Award, provided for by Mr. Brunton, is awarded for meritorious work in mining: Christine Peterson 
  • The H. G. Washburn Award is presented in mining for good scholastic record and active participation in athletics: Nathan Smythe
  • The Old Timers' Club Award is presented to the graduating senior who, in the opinion of the Department of Mining Engineering, has shown high academic standing in coal mining engineering and potential for the coal industry: William Reyes-Silvis
  • The Alan Kissock Award is awarded to a graduating senior in metallurgical and materials engineering, acknowledging creativity in metallurgy: Alec Saville (creative effort in outreach); Melissa Thrun (creative effort in outreach); Reid Winchester (creative effort in the Materials Advantage Chapter)
  • The Henry W. Kaanta 1915 Award is presented for the outstanding paper on a laboratory procedure or experimental process written by a graduating senior majoring in extractive metallurgy or mineral processing: Michael Caplan
  • The Mary & Charles Cavanaugh Award, presented in metallurgy, is determined by scholarship, professional activity and participation in school activities: Karen Chen
  • The McIver-Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Faculty Award is presented by the faculty of the department to the graduating senior who, by participation in and contribution to campus life and by academic achievement, has demonstrated those characteristics of a well-rounded graduate that Mines aspires to develop in its students: Chloe Cook
  • The Physics Faculty Distinguished Graduate Award is presented by the faculty of the department to graduating seniors with exceptionally high academic achievement in physics: Nathanael Smith and Richelle Streater
  • The President's Senior Scholar Athlete Award is presented to one graduating female and male athlete with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher who has lettered in a sport during their senior year and demonstrated leadership qualities of an exemplary student-athlete: Molly Reicher and Griffin Jones
  • The University Ethics Scholars Award: Blake Jones
  • The McBride Honors Program Distinguished Graduating Senior Award: Matthew Kowalsky
  • The McBride Honors Program Award for Campus Citizenship is presented to a student who has made a significant and positive impact on the campus community: Samantha Beck
  • The Outstanding International Undergraduate Award is presented to the international student who has demonstrated scholastic achievement: Felicia Nurindrawati
  • The Colorado Engineering Council Awards are presented for excellence in scholarship, high integrity and general engineering ability: Mariia Alibekova (winner); Molly Reicher, Matthew Martin
  • The Outstanding Student Service Award is presented by the Division of Student Life to the student who, during their tenure at Mines, outside and above their academic role, vigorously participated in activities or projects for the greater benefit of their peers and community to promote excellence and well-being: Tyler Evans   
  • The William D. Waltman Award is presented to the graduating seniors who have consistently demonstrated the utmost integrity, scholarship and citizenship in and outside of the classroom throughout their collegiate career: Nathan Mills
MILITARY COMMISSIONS
The following students will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States Air Force:
  • John W. Boswell, Mechanical Engineering
  • Timothy D. Cranor, Computer Science
  • Timothy A. Kelvin, Mechanical Engineering
The following student will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army:
  • Christopher S. LeBaron, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
CONTACT
Emilie Rusch, Public Information Specialist, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3361 | erusch@mines.edu
Mark Ramirez, Managing Editor, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3088 | ramirez@mines.edu
 
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About Mines
Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering, producing the talent, knowledge and innovations to serve industry and benefit society – all to create a more prosperous future.