Mines, Colorado Classic celebrate trailblazing women

The Colorado Classic, a four-stage women’s pro road cycling race, and Colorado School of Mines, are joining forces to celebrate trailblazing women, athletes, and engineers as a part of the climb to this year’s Colorado Classic (August 22-25). 

On Friday, July 26, Mines and the Colorado Classic will convene a panel of women who are leading the pack in their respective sports, fields and communities. The event’s keynote panel will feature a collegiate cycling and triathlon champion, an author and the first female paraplegic to complete an Ironman triathlon, and a competitive equestrian and Gates Corporation engineer who together will address the topic of “Women Engineering Change and Blazing Their Own Trails.” 

The event is free and open to the public. 

Panelists will include:

Erica Clevenger, the 2017 Collegiate Cycling Road Race National Champion, a USA Cycling Board Member and a PhD student in Environmental Engineering at Colorado School of Mines; Tricia Downing, author and first female paraplegic to complete an Ironman triathlon; and Lauren Revis, a competitive equestrian, process development engineer at Gates Corporation and a 2015 graduate of Colorado School of Mines.  

Women Engineering Change and Blazing Their Own Trails

When: Friday, July 26, 2019 at 9:30 a.m
Where: Colorado School of Mines - Ben Parker Student Center, 1200 16th St. Golden, CO 80401. (Parking is available in the D lot on Elm Street, as well as along nearby cross streets.)

PANELIST BIOS

Erica Clevenger is a doctoral student in environmental engineering at Colorado School of Mines who is working towards alleviating water stress around the world through her research in advanced water treatment techniques. She has held prestigious internships at Intel and Lawrence Livermore National Labs while rising in the professional ranks of endurance sports.  Clevenger was the 2017 Collegiate Cycling Road Race National Champion and the 2016 Collegiate Triathlon National Champion.  

In one instant, on September 17, 2000, Tricia Downing went from being a competitive cyclist to a paraplegic requiring a wheelchair for mobility. Through her experiences in both rehab and racing, she has overcome adversity and learned what it takes to perform at the top of her game. Downing has completed over 100 races, including marathons, duathlons and triathlons, since her accident. She was the first female paraplegic to complete an Ironman triathlon and qualified for the Hawaii Ironman World Championships in 2006 and 2010. In 2011, she competed as part of the U.S. Rowing team at the World Championships in Bled, Slovenia. She is the Director for Camp Discovery, a camp for women in wheelchairs, and is the author of “Cycle of Hope—A Journey from Paralysis to Possibility.”

Lauren Revis joined the Gates Corporation in 2015 as rotational engineer, before transitioning into her current role as a process development engineer. A graduate of Colorado School of Mines, she holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, with a minor in petroleum engineering. Revis enjoys the outdoors and spends much of her time hiking, fishing and, more recently, mountain biking. Her true passion is horses, both riding and competing.