Mines Softball
Cr ushes Adams
Brush fire getting too close for comfort
The Indian Gulch fire burns along a ridge near campus. By Sunday evening, it had burned 550 acres and threatened nearby homes.
Improving underwater surveying
techniques in shallow water
Deborah Good
Content Manager
Controlled Source Electromag-
netic (CSEM) surveying is becom-
ing possible in shallow water as
well as deep, reported exploration
advisor Frieder Roth at the March
10 Heiland lecture. He then ex-
plained the technical challenges of
shallow water CSEM surveying and
offered a few possible solutions.
The first obstacle shallow water
CSEM faces is that of airwaves. Ac-
cording to Roth, this phenomenon
“reduces target response in relative
terms. However, in absolute terms,
the airwaves enhance the response
due to multiple scattering.” This
means that in shallow water, the
target’s response is stronger, but
so are the background distractions
due to the airwaves. “What we can
learn from this is the following: If
we want to identify and interpret
this weak target response here,
we really need to very accurately
handle the background response,”
concluded Roth.
“Data uncertainties… tend to
be much higher in shallow water
CSEM than in deep water CSEM,”
said Roth. He then demonstrated
this with several 3D models as
well as a discussion of detection
limit. According to Roth, detection
is primarily limited by multiplica-
tive or acquisition uncertainties
NEWS - 2
~world headlines
~scientific discoveries
Volume 91, Issue 19
such as position, orientation, and
calibration.
Additionally, reducing additive
noise becomes important when
multiplicative noise is reduced as
well. Most of this added noise
comes from the environment in
the form of magnetotelluric, ocean
swell, and tidal noise and is spe-
cific to shallow water CSEM. Roth
explained that “the shallow water
environment is very particular” and
that these noise types occur dif-
ferently in different places around
the globe.
To further improve the effective-
ness of shallow water CSEM, Roth
pointed toward surface-towed
sources for the answer. “When
the water is just 40 meters or 60
meters [deep], it actually makes
sense to tow the source close to
the surface and to suspend it from
buoys.” The primary advantage of
this method is a greater control of
depth, pitch, and position, thereby
reducing the overall data uncertain-
ty. Productivity can be increased
by the faster towing speeds and
greater maneuverability compared
to the deeper towed sources and
the possibility of damaging subsea
installations is nearly eliminated.
Additionally, when the uncertainty
factors are held constant, sensitiv-
ity remains roughly the same as in
the standard methods. But when a
smaller, more accurate uncertainty
percentage is used, sensitivity
FEATURES - 3
~tech break (pg. 4)
~Soap
March 21, 2011
increases.
Another frequent problem is
the discreditization of shallow
water CSEM. A main cause of
this discreditization is a common
technique known as up-scaling.
Up-scaling is a process in which
effective conductivity is assigned to
nodes in a way that the assimilation
grid is much greater than the input
grid such that the nodes can be
treated as resistors in either series
or parallel. It is effective in deep
water, but much less accurate in
shallow water. Roth explained how
to increase the accuracy, “We don’t
just provide an input model, we…
provide a bathymetry grid as well.
That actually allows us to define the
so-called mini-cells, which provide
a much more accurate represen-
tation of seabed.” Additionally,
Roth and his team also worked on
improving interpolation by taking
into account jumps in the vertical
derivatives of electric field. This can
decrease error from ten percent to
almost nothing.
Roth also discussed some of
the difficulties which necessitate
the solutions he presented. CSEM
surveying in shallow water is an
emerging technology with a bright
future, but there is still work to be
done. As Roth explained, “There
is not a silver bullet that will help
you do CSEM in shallow water, but
we… need to really improve in all
the areas.”
SPORTS - 5
~National tourney
~csm men’s baseball
STEVEN WOOLDRIDGE / OREDIGGER
New technology leads
to natural gas farming
Josh Kleitsch
Staff Writer
Methane (natural gas) from coal
beds has long been a source of
clean energy. Abundantly available,
it burns cleanly and requires mini-
mal processing to be used as a fuel.
However, a supply problem is de-
veloping. Coal beds have a limited
supply of the gas, and it take a long
time to recharge the reservoirs. Gas
drilling companies initially make
large profits on the gas, because it
essentially pumps itself out of the
wells. After a time, however, the
pressure of the gas drops to the
point where it no longer makes
sense to keep harvesting it.
Luca Technologies is a com-
pany that has invested heavily in a
process that they hope will enable
gas companies to literally farm
methane. Dr. Joel Sevinsky, the Se-
nior Principal Investigator at Luca,
presented the technology from a
microbiologists’ point-of-view.
Sevinsky pointed out that com-
panies are required by law to close
down their gas well operations
when they cease to be profitable,
and that Luca has developed a
technology that he hopes will ex-
tend that profitability considerably.
“Many hydrocarbon reservoirs are
alive with microbes,” he said, to
dispel any thoughts that coal beds
OPINION - 7
~minds at mines
~tim’s two cents
State 9-1
See Page 5
Tech Break
Merger Mania
Ian Littman
Asst. Business Manager
Welcome back from Spring Break,
everyone! AT&T is buying T-Mobile...
and CenturyLink is buying Qwest. The
latter story has been out for awhile,
though only recently has the federal
government approved the wireline
telephone giant merger. The former
is hot off the presses and is by far the
more worrisome of the two stories.
First, some stats about post-
merger AT&T (they are not going to
keep the T-Mobile name, I can tell
you that right now). The combined
company will have around 130 mil-
lion customers, a full quarter more
than Verizon’s huge customer base.
AT&T’s $39 billion purchase price
pegs each of T-Mobile’s 33-plus-
million customers at a little over $1100
in value, if we are measuring by that
alone.
Of course, T-Mobile has more than
just customers; they spent around
$4.2 billion in the FCC’s 2006 AWS
auction to pick up large swaths of
1700MHz spectrum, on which they
have built a respectable HSPA+ (“4G”)
network in many metropolitan areas,
including Denver.
See Tech Break, Page 5
are dead. “These reservoirs can be
enlivened with nutrients to generate
natural gas in real time,” he added.
Natural gas can be literally farmed.
The process of natural gas
farming is fairly simple. First, the
coal bed is drilled and the casing is
dropped into the bore hole. Then,
concrete is pumped around the
outside of the casing, sealing the
well. Water is then pumped out of
the hole, and the lower pressure
allows the methane gas to seep
out of the coal and be collected
at the well-cap. The technology
that Luca is implementing involves
drilling another well in the same
manner, but instead of water being
pumped out, water that is packed
with nutrients and minerals to re-
enliven the microbes in the coal is
pumped in. These microbes then
produce methane at a rate much
greater than natural processes.
What is actually happening,
Sevinsky explained, is that the
natural process of reservoir res-
toration is being mimicked. The
natural process takes thousands
of years, however, and Luca is
doing it in a matter of months. The
primary focus at Luca right now
is understanding the differences
between various wells in terms
of the microbial community, and
figuring out more efficient and
environmentally-conscious ways
of producing natural gas.
SATIRE - 8
~spring break is here
~you missed e-days
page 2 n e w s march 21, 2011

Joshua Kleitsch, Staff Writer

Sussex, UK - Asian elephants are not as unintelligent

as most animals, according to a new study by research-
ers at the University of Sussex in England. Elephants have
a higher level of cognition than many other animals, even
understanding how to help each other accomplish a task.
The elephants, when presented with a task that they can-
not do themselves, will wait until another elephant shows
up to help. This level of problem-solving ability and cogni-
tion of surroundings is rare in the animal world. In the study,
it also became apparent that the elephants understood
why they needed help, not just that they needed help.

Bristol, UK - Creatures of the Sapporo, Japan - The late Plio-

Evanston, Illinois, US - New
cancer treatments in the form of dia-
mond-coated chemotherapy drugs
look promising. One of the primary dif-
ficulties with battling cancer has been
getting the drugs to stay in the tumor
long enough to kill it. Tumors, over
time, develop “pumps” that evacu-
ate the drug before it has a chance to
work. Researchers have been working
on a method of binding chemotherapy
drugs to diamond nanoparticles, in an
attempt to get the drugs “stuck” in the
tumor. The particles are too large to be
pumped out. With a longer drug resi-
dence time, tumors are reduced in size
much more effectively.
deep apparently have greater audi- cene era has long been used to
tory acumen than many believed. roughly model what the Earth’s atmo-
Researchers have been studying sphere will become in the near future.
how different crustaceans respond Until recently, the Pliocene era was
to sound, and have found that thought to show an Earth that was
many tiny crustaceans, such as stuck in a perpetual El Nino, which is
shrimp and larval crabs, not only when the temperature of the surface
detect sound but also respond to it. of the Pacific ocean is high relative to
The study showed that most inver- the Atlantic ocean. Researchers at
tebrates do not like noise, and try Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Ja-
to find quiet places to live. Of the pan, have started reanalyzing the evi-
species studied, only larval crabs dence that supposedly showed that
seemed to like to noise of the reefs. the Pacific ocean was warmer than
This new information holds implica- the Atlantic ocean. New evidence
tions for off-shore sea traffic such as shows that, in fact, temperatures
tanker ships and traffic. back then followed the same El Nino
cycles as we experience now.

Oredigger Staff Local News

Ryan Browne
Editor-in-Chief
Headlines from around the world On March 17, former city
councilman Webb Aldrich was
found dead in his home. Po-
lice continue to investigate the
Katie Huckfeldt Joshua Kleitsch, Staff Writer
Managing Editor cause of his death.

Robert Gill Japan was struck by a 9.0
Business Manager magnitude earthquake March
11, shaking buildings and dis-
Steven Wooldridge rupting normal life for much of
Webmaster the island nation. A 13-20 foot
tsunami washed away cars and
Barbara Anderson boats, as well as damaging some
Design Editor
buildings.
Zach Boerner Worries in Japan are increas-
Copy Editor ing as elevated radiation levels
are being detected in foods such
Neelha Mudigonda as spinach and milk. The lev-
Asst. Design Editor els are low enough not to cause
immediate health problems,
Abdullah Ahmed
but many in Tokyo have started
Asst. Business Manager,
Sales and Marketing stocking up on food supplies.
The US and other allies
Ian Littman launched a series of strikes
Asst. Business Manager, against Libyan targets in an ef-
Web Content fort to establish a no-fly zone. US
Admiral Mullen has said that the
Trevor Crane
were indicted on charges of pira-
cy and use a firearm in the com-
mission of a crime as a 58-foot
yacht was discovered to have
been hijacked and its owners
killed. The pirates have not been
charged with murder, but the oth-
er charges amount to 30 years to
life in prison for all involved.
Apple has officially released
the iPad 2, which shows im-
provements over the original ver-
sion. Apple claims the new iPad
is 10% lighter and significantly
thinner, and also sports dual
cameras and a faster processor.
The price starts at $500 and ex-
tends to $829, the same as the
original.
Wisconsin lawmakers have
approved the long-debated union
bill that would eliminate most of
public workers’ collective bar-
gaining rights. Other states have
taken notice and are consider-
ing similar action to balance their
own budgets.
T-Mobile USA, owned by
Deutsche Telekom AG, could be
bought for a reported $39 bil-
lion by AT&T. The Department of
Justice would need to authorize
the transaction. If approved, the
merger would make AT&T the
largest wireless provider, by num-
ber of subscribers.
The Mines softball team won
both games against Adams
State by score of 9-1 and 5-4 on
the afternoon of March 20.
The city council announced it
was considering restrictions on
live music on March 14. Initially,
it planned to impliment “per-
performance permits”, but later
decided to consider “Hours of
Operation” and “Maximum Deci-
bel Level” limits.
On March 20, The Mines
Baseball team defeated Mesa
State in a shutout, 2-0. CSM
is also introducing live video

B E M B E M
US will relinquish control of the on AmericaOne for all remain-
Content Manager
Libyan operation to its allies in the ing 2011 CSM home baseball
Deborah Good next few days. games.
Content Manager Government spending is
off the charts, as Wash-

Stephen Hejducek
Content Manager
Shira Richman
Faculty Advisor
A D Z A D Z
ington ran its biggest On March 20, a fire, known
ever one-month as the “Indian Gulch Fire” spread
deficit at $225 bil- over 550 acres. At last report of-
lion for February. ficials were trying to determine
The Congressio- whether to evacuate 350 homes

M C Q M C Q
nal Budget Of- in a nearby subdivision.
fice is predicting
that Obama’s
budget would On March 15, the U.S. News
increase the and World Report’s annual rank-
deficit by $9.5

P U Y P U Y
ing of engineering graduate
trillion over the schools placed CSM at 64th.
next decade, Several of Mines’ graduate en-
versus the gineering programs also were
$7.2 trillion the ranked including chemical en-
Obama Admin- gineering at 49th, environmental

B E M T N O
istration is re- engineering at 34th and materi-
porting. als engineering at 26th.
13 Somalis
and one Yemeni

w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
march 21, 2011 f e a t u r e s page 3

Chemistry Corner: How to make soap?

Bryant Pocock
Staff Writer
Soap makes a unique and
personal gift, especially when it
is homemade. You can also sell
your soap at a farmer’s market
or just use it yourself, and it is a
great way to get rid of old grease
and fat that would otherwise find
it’s way to sewers or landfills.
The process uses caustic
chemicals, so it is slightly dan-
gerous, but if you follow general
safety guidelines and keep your
wits, you should be fine. You
might make a mess, but it should
be easy to clean up because
most of the spills will be made of
soap!
Ingredients you will need:
A large amount of animal fat or
vegetable oil (I added some olive
oil to my recipe to make it milder).
Lye (NaOH) crystals: you can
get this at the hardware store,
usually located next to the drain
openers.
Distilled water: you can use
tap water, but I wanted to make
sure there were no dissolved min-
erals that could ruin the soap.
Essential oils for a scent: this
is optional, but I think it helps. I
use tea tree oil and jasmine oil.
You can find these at a natural
foods or local drug store.
Tools you will need:
Safety equipment: rubber
gloves, goggles, and an open
bottle of vinegar within easy
reach, just in case you need to
neutralize any spilled lye. Lye is
very basic and caustic, and it will
burn your skin, or any part of your
body, for that matter. If you have
ever seen “Fight Club,” then you
know what I mean.
A large glass or ceramic bowl
to melt the fat and mix everything
in.
An accurate scale: it does not
matter whether you measure in
grams or ounces, but you must
be accurate.
Something to stir with: you
can always just use a big spoon,
but it will take a long time, and
you will get tired quickly. I use a
blender for mixing.
Some kind of mold to pour the
finished soap into: besides a cas-
serole pan or plastic bin, you can
also use lengths of PVC or paper
cups to mold the soap into round
shapes.
Notepad, pen, and calculator
to make calculations.
You will also need a few more
tools such as bowls, scrapers,
etc.
Render and clean the fat:
Lay down some newspaper
on a big table or counter space.
You will need plenty of room to
make soap. To make soap, you
need some animal fat and oil.
Vegetable oil will make a softer
soap than saturated fat like lard
or shortening, so it is a matter of
personal preference whether you
like a hard bar soap or a some-
what ‘squishier’ soap. Blending
several kinds of oil or fat together
can give you a wide variety of
characteristics.
Most of my fat came from
bacon and hamburger drippings
with some olive oil as well. It is
important to make sure that you
have each kind of fat separated
and pure. Do not mix beef tal-
low and lard together until after
you have weighed them, as it will
throw off your calculations, and
your soap will not turn out right.
Then you must render and clean
the fat. Rendering is the process
of melting the fat to separate it
from water or bits of meat. In my
case, I just fried my bacon and
poured off the extra grease into
a jar.
To clean the fat, you can either
boil it, filter it, or both. I first fil-
tered everything through an old
sock and a coffee filter. Then I
boiled it in a big, tall pot with half
water and half fat. This gets rid of
any water-soluble dirt or salt left
in the fat. Boil it for about 20 min-
utes, then cover and let it cool in
a fridge or cool location until the
fat floats to the top and solidifies.
You can then scoop out the puri-
fied fat and throw away the dirty
water at the bottom. Scrape any
dirt off the bottom of the fat.
Measurements and calcula-
tions:
A big part of making soap is
precision. You need to weigh out
ingredients precisely so you have
them in the right proportions.
Never measure by volume.
First, weigh out the fat. I mea-
sured out 720g of lard and an ad-
ditional 102g of olive oil.
In order to use the right
amount of lye and water, you
need a table of saponification val-
ues. You can find one set here:
http://waltonfeed.com/blog/
show/article_id/165
Since I am aiming for five per-
cent residual fat at the end, I used
values of 0.132 for lard, 0.129 for
olive oil, and 0.38 for measuring
the water.
720g lard x 0.132 = 95g NaOH
102g olive oil x 0.129 = 14.2g
NaOH
Total: 108.2g NaOH
Now is a good time to put on
your gloves and goggles. Weigh
out the lye crystals into a bowl.
It is alright to use plastic at this
point because the crystals are not
wet.
Calculate the total amount of
water needed.
822g of total fat x 0.38 =
312.4g water
On this last measurement, you
do not need to be too accurate.
Just add a little extra water if you
are not sure, since it will mostly
evaporate in the end. Put the wa-
ter in a smaller glass bowl so you
can mix the lye in. I used a coffee
pot because it is made of glass
and has a pour spout.
Now carefully and slowly add
the lye to the water. Never add
water to lye, because it can spit
out of the container and burn
you. Stir slowly as you add the
lye, making sure to dissolve all
the crystals. The water will heat
up due to an exothermic reac-
tion with the lye, but if you mix it
slowly enough, it will not heat up
too much.
Mix everything together:
Now comes the part where
you actually make the soap. Keep
your safety goggles and gloves
on because there is still a risk of
chemicals splattering.
Make sure that both the fat
and the lye/water mixture are
warm (about 100 degrees Fahr-
enheit). This will keep the fat from
solidifying before it actually turns
into soap. You can heat them in
the microwave if needed.
While stirring with a spoon,
slowly pour the lye/water mixture
into the fat. The fat will start to
turn milky and thick as you stir.
Once everything is combined,
keep stirring hard. If you are using
a blender, this step will go much
quicker.
Once the soap is the thick-
ness of pudding, test whether
it is ready by trying to leave a
‘trace.’ Drip a trail from the spoon
onto the surface of the soap. If it
leaves a trail for a few seconds,
that means it has traced and is
ready to be molded. If the trail
quickly drops back under the sur-
face, it is not ready and you need
to stir it more. Keep the mixture
warm, and remember that you
cannot stir it too much.
After it has traced, you can
add whatever scent you want.
You can also add ground spices
or herbs. I added some nutmeg,
ginger, and orange zest. Just do
not add anything really scratchy,
like coffee grounds, since you will
end up making sand paper out of
your soap. Also do not add any-
thing with alcohol, acid, or any
chemicals that might throw off
the reaction.
You can now pour the soap
into whatever mold you want. I
used a simple casserole dish. Af-
ter it solidifies, usually after a few
hours, you can cut it into bars
and wrap it. You can also imprint
a brand or logo into the soap
while it is still soft. It is good to
keep most of the air away from
the soap while it cures to prevent
carbonic acid from forming on the
surface due to the reaction with
carbon dioxide in the air. Plastic
wrap or wax paper works well for
this.
Now you have to wait. It takes
about 3 weeks for soap to fully
cure. During this time, any excess
lye will react with any remaining
fat. If you use the soap before this
time, it could irritate your skin.

The name says

The best
GRADUATE STUDIES of both worlds it all at Tequila’s
Joshua Kleitsch a side of refried beans and rice, and

Engineering Enhance your technical undergraduate degree with a Master of

Science in Engineering and Technology Management (ETM).
Staff Writer

With a selection of Tequila that

was quite filling. Tequila’s also serves
a basket of their white corn tortilla
chips and cups of salsa with every

and A growing number of engineers and scientists have taken

advantage of this unique graduate business education program.
boggles the mind, this purveyor of
Mexican cuisine leaves nothing to
order.
The service was quick and friend-
be desired. This fine establishment ly, but unobtrusive. The turnaround

Technology Join us for an Info Session & Reception to learn about the
boasts the largest selection of Te-
quila in town. With over 100 differ-
benefits of the ETM Program and to meet the ETM faculty, ent varieties and brands to choose
Management students, and alumni.
from, customers would be at a loss
to pick one without the assistance of
the very knowledgeable staff. With
• Wednesday, March 30th at 6:00 p.m. prices per-shot ranging from $4 to
• Student Center, Ballroom C $100, there’s sure to be something
for everyone.
• Refreshments will be served Tequila’s serves authentic and
• Please RSVP to kmartin@mines.edu tasty Mexican food, in addition to a
their selection of Tequila. Their lunch
specials include all the recognizable
fare, with tacos, burritos, enchiladas,
lable
Fellowships Avai and quesadillas. The Enchiladas
Suizo was very good, served with
time on an entree was remarkable;
from the time of placing an order to
receiving food was less than 4 min-
utes. This is astonishing when com-
pared to many other restaurants in
town, though the time was 1:30 in
the afternoon. The total cost of a
lunch entree is decent, around $9.00
with a tip.
Tequila’s is very popular among
the college crowd, primarily because
of large portion sizes, low cost, and
quick service. For those seeking a
quick and filling lunch, or a relaxing
atmosphere for dinner, Tequila’s is an
option.

Student manager wanted for handing out fly-

ers at the Colorado School of Mines. Must be a
Mines student.

Join us! Free summer storage/shipping/money in return

If interested, email info@csstorage.com for more

http://etm.mines.edu/ Division of Economics and Business • Colorado School of Mines
info.
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
page 4 f e a t u r e s march 21, 2011

Geek Week
Carly Paige
Staff Writer
This week’s edition of Geek
of the Week joins the Oredigger
from the freshman class. A me-
chanical engineer and resident of
Weaver Towers, Peter Jaron sat
down Thursday to share a snip-
pet of his life with the Mines com-
munity.
Do you consider yourself a
geek?
Of course! Like all good nerds
or geeks, I enjoy playing video
games, I do well academically,
and I have a good time in small
spaces... you know, the works.
What brought you to
Mines?
Engineering has been a pas-
sion of mine for as long as I can
remember, and Mines was the
best place in the state for that.
What kind of engineering?
Mechanical. I really have no
idea what I want to do within en-
gineering so mechanical gives
me the widest range.
What is your favorite mem-
ory or experience from Mines
so far?
of
the
Probably watching an entire
season of Dexter in one week at
Mines Park. Just good times with
good friends.
Who do you currently fol-
low on Facebook/Twitter the
most?
I’m a big fan of Family Guy,
and I found Stewie, which is
pretty funny.
What is the latest fad or
trend you caved and gave
into?
I’m usually not a follower. I
think the last thing I did was get
a Facebook about two and a half
years ago. I don’t think I could
imagine my life without it now
though.
What is your geekiest, most
embarrassing habit?
The fact that in high school I
spent more time at school then
I did at home during the robotics
season.
Robotics has a season?
Haha yeah, six weeks with
eight-hour Saturdays.
Did you see any success?
My junior year we took first at
the regional competition.
What is the worst part of
...Peter Jaron, Freshman: Mechanical Engineering
CARLY PAIGE / OREDIGGER
Slate food?
The fact that it’s Slate food!
They rehash the same foods but
with new names and the addition
of, maybe, cheese.
What are you most look-
ing forward to in the last five
weeks of the semester?
E-Days! I’m excited to expe-
rience it as a freshman and see
what all the hub-bub is about!
Picture yourself ten years
from today; what do you see
yourself doing?
Of course with a smokin’ hot
girlfriend and a fat wallet. But
hopefully in a nice, cozy desk in a
good engineering firm.
What is your go-to snack
food for late-night cram ses-
sions?
Cookies and milk! Lately I
have been into Chips Ahoy, but
I’ll try anything without nuts.
What advice would you of-
fer to incoming students?
Just don’t worry about what’s
coming ahead. Get excited, col-
lege is a lot of fun no matter how
you go about it. Don’t be afraid
to be a little nerdy. There are oth- Geek of the Week, Peter Jaron, enjoys robotics and
ers here who follow that trend. video games.

The stars
above Mines Continued from Merger on page 1
Merger mania
to pass, though neither of these with one or both to try to stay above

The rise and fall of American

companies had as many subscrib- water as they switch from WiMAX to
Their 4G cell sites are connected ers as T-Mobile. LTE as their own 4G play. In short,
to the Internet via fiber backhauls The bottom line is that, if the ac- wireless consolidation will not stop

space travel
John Bristow
Staff Writer
From the first unmanned cap-
sules to the fantastic array of
satellites and telescopes that are
launched every year, there have
been stunning stories of the mo-
ments that will capture the human
mind forever. Yet from the per-
spective of those living during the
height of the space race, it would
be surprising to see that humans
have not been to the Moon since
1972 or even made concentrated
efforts to go anywhere beyond
our pale blue dot.
ing costs are high, it is important
to remember that it is not just a
hangout for astronauts, but a
laboratory where scientific break-
throughs are being discovered on
a regular basis.
As for recent cutbacks, it is
unfortunate that the shuttle pro-
gram did not live up to its origi-
nal specifications. But those were
cutting edge missions to places
nearly beyond imagination, at the
time, and now the main question
is what space travel can provide
today. But whatever the future
holds, we should never find our-
(and probably some wireless tower-
to-tower links), allowing the carrier to
scale up capacity as they push out
upgrades to the top of the tower.
AT&T has spectrum and fiber-fed
cell sites as well, but they have been
complaining that their spectrum po-
sition is too weak to deal with the
onslaught of data-hogging customer
devices, and stated in their purchase
press release that T-Mobile’s added
bandwidth would help with that.
Of course, one convenient rea-
son for AT&T to make this takeover
is that now they will not have a
competing network, using a similar
wireless technology, who periodi-
cally peppers them with attack ads
stating how poor Big Blue’s network
quisition is approved, customers will
be losing a solid wireless option in
most urban areas, though merger
conditions may make AT&T be-
come a 4G competitor to Verizon a
bit faster. The fear, however, is that
the shockwave from this acquisition
will pressure Sprint to be bought up
by Verizon, leaving only two national
cellular carriers. More likely, Sprint
will form an even closer alliance with
such regional providers as CricKet
and MetroPCS, possibly merging


MINES INTERNET RADIO

with this, and the results probably
will not be pretty for customers, ex-
cept maybe in terms of data speeds
(but not prices).
What are your thoughts about the
T-Mobile takeover? Post a comment
on the online version of this article.
Also, look for an online exclusive
later this week about what the Cen-
turyLink-Qwest merger will mean for
folks in the Denver area (hint: it’s sig-
nificantly less earth-shaking than this
acquisition).


selves without a fleet of human is. The lack of this competitor means
From a brief glance at mod- launch vehicles, whether they be that customers have one less place
ern society, very few understand reusable or conventional rockets. to turn when looking for wireless

the practical benefits that space
sciences can have on the world.
While space travel is enormously
expensive and requires tech-
nological advances that toe the
line between reality and science-
fiction, it has uses that justify its
sacrifices. It may be difficult to
look at the Saturn V launches that
cost a total of a few billion dollars
and immediately see where the
investment has been returned,
Maybe it is not quite time to
return to the Moon, land on aster-
oids, or establish bases on Mars,
but these goals should at least
be on the drawing board. While
not everybody endorses the high
budget that is required or even un-
derstands the practical scientific
knowledge that would return from
such missions, it would be difficult
to find someone who truly does
not wish to see humans land on
service; if approved, the AT&T deal
would leave only Sprint and Verizon
on the national wireless field, with
Sprint weighing in at about half of
Verizon’s size and 40% of AT&T’s.
This brings up an important point.
What will the US government say
about the acquisition? They could
(and should, in my opinion) block the
purchase; AT&T and T-Mobile are di-
rect, fierce competitors in practically
every market that T-Mobile serves,












but a closer look reveals more.
The technology behind our mod-
ern society and its incredible sci-
entific advancements have been
made possible by the successes
of those missions. And without
the currently-doomed shuttle
program, the International Space
Station could not have easily been
assembled. Although the launch-
the red planet within their lifetime.
Maybe it is time to start looking
back up and pointing where we
want to go in the vast cosmos
above. We know our own system
well through our army of probes
and satellites, maybe it is time to
see it for ourselves.
May the stars shine brightly in
your skies.
and in every instance T-Mobile pro- 
vides a bigger bucket of minutes or 
data at a lower price than AT&T. That 
said, AT&T could wave their hands
about bringing LTE service to rural

areas (to compete with Verizon) and 
get the deal approved anyway. After 
all, Verizon’s purchase of Alltel and
Cingular’s (now AT&T’s) purchase of
the old AT&T Wireless were allowed
  

w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
march 21, 2011 s p o r t s page 5

Baseball defeats Mesa State 2-0 to end weekend series ALL PHOTOS STEVEN WOOLDRIDGE / OREDIGGER

Pitcher Michael Fuller (#37) pitches the ball to first baseman Elliott Riege Charlie Basil (#13) slides into second to beat the tag on a steal in the 3rd
(#25) to get the out. inning.

Jarred Wallace (#28) gains an RBI in the bottom of the second with a Elliott Riege (#25) makes the catch to get the out at first in the 3rd inning.
double to right field. Catcher Jordan Williams (#34) brings in the run.

Softball sweeps Adams State in Sunday doubleheader

Sarah Van Lingen (#3) beats the tag during Sunday’s game with Adams Teammates celebrate with Macy Jones (#11) as she hit a two-run home-
State. Mines won both games 9-1 and 5-4. run. This is Macy’s fourth home-run of the season.

Morgan Anderson (#6) picks up a grounder to force an out at first base. Molly Thiebaut (#8) catches an infield fly-ball.

w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
page 6
Trevor Crane
Content Manager
In the past decade, only four
Mines Softball pitchers have held
their opponents hitless for an en-
tire game. Now, Lady Oredigger
Kelly Unkrich can add her name
to that list. Unkrich, a sophomore
from Highlands Ranch, Colorado,
became the fifth Mines pitcher
since 2001 to toss a no-hitter dur-
ing a March 6 victory over New
Mexico Highlands University. In
just her second year of collegiate
competition, the civil engineer has
been named RMAC pitcher of the
week twice, pitched 20 complete
games and is currently on a six-
game winning streak.
The March 6 win was no fluke.
Unkrich nearly threw a no-hitter
the previous day before a last in-
ning home run spoiled her chance.
A fearless competitor by nature,
Unkrich responded the following
day, striking out nine batters en
route to her first career no-hitter.
Mines beats Adams National Championship
In the two days of pitching, she
State in round one Week wrap up
Trevor Crane
Content Manager
The Mines’ men’s basketball
team ended their season last
Monday, but not before making
school history one last time. Al-
ready breaking the single season
record for wins, the Orediggers
held on for a 62-59 win over Ad-
ams State in the opening round of
the Division II NCAA Men’s Bas-
ketball tournament, earning the
school’s first ever victory in the Di-
vision II form of March Madness.
Adams State had their chanc-
es late with an opportunity to tie
the game twice in the final 15 sec-
onds. But Junior Gordon Galloway
blocked Robby Hanzlik’s three
point attempt with 13 seconds
left and after Brett Green gathered
in the loose ball and finished at
the other end to put, Mines was
ahead by five. With one second
remaining, the Grizzlies pulled to
within three once again, but their
desperation three point attempt
missed at the buzzer.
Similar to last year’s opening
round game, in which Mines relin-
quished an 11 point lead in a loss
to top-seeded Minnesota State
Mankato, the Orediggers method-
ically built a 10 point cushion over
the Grizzlies to take a 28-18 point
halftime advantage. But unlike last
year, Mines was able to stave off
the Adams State rally and hold on
for the three point win.
Mines was once again led by
balanced scoring as three players
ended the game in double figures.
RMAC Player of the Year Sean
Armstrong finished with a team
high 14 points, Galloway finished
with 13 and Dale Minschwaner
added 12. Senior Drew Hoffman
scored seven, Green and Chris
Goutama each added six, and
Nico Mucci and Trevor Wages
finished with two points each to
round out the scoring.
The 18 point total was the low-
est allowed by the Orediggers
all season, an unusual defensive
s p o r t s march 21, 2011
Athlete of
the Week
... kelly unkrich, Sophomore: Civil Engineering, softball
faced only 39 batters, struck out about it anymore. But I do not What goals do the team I played soccer and basketball
15 and allowed only two hits. With tend to get too over-excited dur- have for this season? in high school and I still love to
the wins, Unkrich improved to ing wins. I mean, I enjoy them, but Our goal is always to get far- play soccer. I like art too. I am into
6-5 on the season for the Oredig- I just want to focus on one day at ther in RMAC. We take one game art, family, and friends, really.
COURTESY CSM ATHLETICS
gers (6-2 RMAC, 11-11 overall), a time. at a time and What is
who currently sit atop the RMAC What do you enjoy about just try to win your favorite
standings. As she and teammate being on the softball team at every game. part about
Libby Balogh continue to provide Mines? What has Mines?
solid pitching, Mines softball has a I have to say, we have a diverse been the I like the
bright future ahead. For her efforts team, age-wise and it is incredible hardest part people here
and performance this season, Un- how well we mold together. And about being a lot. I live
krich is this week’s Athlete of the we all already trust each other; I a student in Highlands
Week. trust every girl on the field to back athlete? Ranch, and it
What was going through me up. The big- seems like ev-
your head during the final in- How has the team molded gest problem eryone there
nings of your no-hitter? so well? for me is pro- is the same
Well, it is what I was striving for, I do not know what it is, really. crastination. type of per-
because I was really close the day We just already know each other, So this year, son. Everyone
before. But I was just focusing on and it is like we already know what I am work- here is differ-
the game and trying not to get dis- each other are thinking. ing on getting ent and down
tracted. I tend to over-analyze and How is the 2011 season dif- homework to earth. And
over think things and then I do not ferent with a first year head done right I like the small
do very well. So I was trying not to coach ? away to try to Kelly Unkrich is the fifth Mines campus feel.
over think it. With our [interim coach Kristie stay on top of W h a t
pitcher since 2001 to throw a
Describe what you were Hawkins], everything is more posi- things. would you
feeling after you had ‘no-hit’ tive and more fun. We definitely Besides
no-hitter. change at
New Mexico. have the mentality of getting bet- softball, Mines?
Afterwards, it was a relief be- ter every day, but we are enjoying what else are you interested Parking. Yep, that is the one
cause I did not have to worry the process. in? thing.
stand for a team that is no strang-
Trevor Crane Medley relay in a time of 9:58.18. 1:47.52, thirteenth in the Men’s 100
er to high-scoring contests. The
Content Manager The finish is Mines’ fourth consecu- backstroke (50.17), and twentieth
victory brought the season’s win
As many students were busy tive top five finish in the event and is in the 200 freestyle (1:40.71) at the
total to 26, setting a new school
planning their spring break plans, the highest finish in school history. Men’s Swimming National Champi-
record for wins in a season. It was
athletes from five different varsity Ryan Hanley, Men’s Track - Han- onships. The second place finish is
the fourth time Mines had squared
sports competed at their respective ley, a sophomore from Anchorage, the highest career finish for Zerwick
off against the Grizzlies this sea-
NCAA Division II National Champi- Alaska, placed seventh overall in the and shatters the previous school re-
son and the third in the previous
onships, hoping to earn an individu- 800m run in a time of 1:53.91. It was cord in the event. It is also the sec-
seven games.
al title. Eight athletes from the wres- Hanley’s first appearance in an indi- ond highest finish in school history
After defeating Adams State
tling, men’s and women’s track, vidual event at the indoor champi- and the highest finish by an Oredig-
in the first round, Mines faced
and men’s and women’s swimming onships and his best individual finish ger in the 200 backstroke.
second-seeded Fort Lewis. The
and diving teams each represented overall as he earns his second and Brianna Suppes, Women’s Track
game was closer than the final
Mines in their event. In honor of their third career All-American honors. - Suppes, a sophomore, recently
score indicated, as the two teams
performance at the national level, Jordan Larsen, Wrestling - Lars- broke her own school record in the
traded leads multiple times before
here are their results. en, a junior from Bayfield, Colorado, pole vault, clearing 12’0.5”. Sup-
Fort Lewis pulled away for a 77-
Mack McClain, Men’s Track - fell in his opening match against Tad pes, one of two women represent-
65 victory.
McClain, a senior, posted a time of Merritt, ranked second in the nation, ing Mines at the national champion-
Mines had faced Fort Lewis
4:08.32 in the mile run, placing first by a score of 5-3. Larsen would ships, posted a no height mark in
the previous week when they fell
overall and earning his third career then go on to defeat Jake Varilek the women’s pole vault.
to the Skyhawks in the RMAC
individual national championship 10-4 in session two before falling Kiera Benson, Women’s Track
Shootout championship game
and the fifth individual title in school in his third match to fourth ranked - Benson, a senior from Needville,
72-67. And just like that game,
history. McClain currently holds the Matt Gille 5-1. Larsen was Mines’ Texas, posted the eleventh best
Mines once again fell behind early,
record in the mile run at 4:02.70. only representative at the champi- preliminary time in the women’s
trailing 15-4 just five minutes in.
Mens DMR, Men’s Track - Mack onships. 60m at 7.64s, but did not qualify for
The Orediggers rallied a couple
McClain, Peter Jenkins, Ryan Han- Andrew Zerwick, Men’s Swim the finals. Benson currently holds
of times, and even led by two at
ley, and Ben Zywicki combined to and Dive - Zerwick, a junior, placed the school record in the event at
halftime, but were unable to re-
place second in the Men’s Distance second in the 200 backstroke in 7.52s.
cover from a 14-2 Fort Lewis run
in the second half and fell to the
Skyhawks for the second straight
game.
In their final game as Oredig-
gers, seniors Armstrong and Hoff-
man led Mines in scoring. Arm-
strong led all scorers with 19 and
Hoffman added 16.
2010-2011 was one of the
most successful seasons for a
men’s basketball team at Mines.
Mines set a new record in wins
with 26, reached the NCAA tour-
nament for the second time, won
their first ever NCAA tournament
game and were proud owners of
the RMAC Coach of the Year in
Pryor Orser and Player of the Year
in Armstrong.
The RMAC sent a total of
five teams to the NCAA tourna-
ment and all were placed in the
Midwest Region. None of those
teams reached further than the
third round, and Fort Lewis ad-
vanced the farthest, losing to top-
seeded Minnesota State Mankato
in the round of sixteen.
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
march 21, 2011 o p i n i o n page 7

Morals to your story

Minds at Mines
Shira Richman
Ethics Columnist
Dilemma #1

First round of tests

I recently got a test back, and I was very happy with my score. While going through the test, though, I noticed
some mistakes that the grader had missed. I really do not want grade to be diminished, but at the same time I do not
want to be walking away with a score I didn’t earn. Should I bring the test to the teacher’s attention, and throw myself
on his mercy with the possibility of him lowering the test grade? I could, also, just keep my grade and be happy with Stephen Hejducek
it. What is the moral thing to do? Content Manager
Test Results Aren’t Always Clearly Positive or Negative Students always end up creating one or more really good stories while in
Responses to Dilemma #1 college. It is what makes college such an interesting experience. Sometimes,
Honestly, if there were many mistakes made on grading the test then it probably would be best to take it to the these events get a little crazy or out of hand. That is why this week, Minds at
professor. By not doing anything you would be robbing yourself of a learning opportunity. Also, it will make the next Mines asked students what the craziest thing that they had ever done was.
test you honestly ace taste that much sweeter. Sartre would say it would be bad faith that your actions or inactions
don’t have an effect on society. An existentialist would tell you to focus on what applies the most meaning to your life One time, during a Boys Like Girls concert, I
today, feeling accomplished that you understand the material or having a good grade? Or both? (Just because you jumped over the guard rail onto the stage and got
did well on an exam with a couple unnoticed mistakes doesn’t mean you didn’t work hard to understand the material.) to get a picture with some of the band members.
Courtney Since it was the last song that they played, se-
curity escorted me off the stage once the con-
According to the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, you should tell your teacher about the mistake. First off, Kan- cert was over.
tian ideals are based on the thought that humans, being rational beings, are deserving of dignity and respect. Your Dani Nagler
teacher, who is a human (hopefully), is entitled to know if he or she made a mistake because of his or her status as a
person, capable of rational thought. Also, you should do something not because it has the best consequences, but
because it is the moral thing to do. You shouldn’t worry about how your grades will be affected; rather, you should
just let your teacher know the truth because it is the morally upstanding action. Another theme of Kant’s is that if an Well I have a lot of crazy stories. Once, a
action can be willed to be a universal maxim, it is a moral action, and vice-versa. Thus, if everybody were to withhold huge laser system was set up in Thomas
this type of information, it could lead to grades in general being not based on effort at all. So, you should tell your hall, so I put on tights and navigated my way
teacher—it will mean you’ve done the morally correct thing. If that’s not enough, just think about it: your teacher will through the laser system making sure not
most likely let you keep the free points anyways. to set any of them off. One of the best parties
Clayton Manning I ever went to was a ‘sandwich and whipped
cream party.’ This party was crazy because it
I would suggest talking to your professor. According to Aristotle’s virtue ethics, for a decision to be moral, it must consisted of everyone making sandwiches and
be made for the right reasons, at the right time, and in the right way. While it might be hard to approach your profes- licking whipped cream off of attractive people. All
sor knowing that your grade could be lowered, you would have the satisfaction of knowing that you were making a activities I was sober for.
decision for the right reasons. In this case, I would say that the right time to approach your professor is ASAP. Instead Kyle Gough
of feeling slightly guilty every time you think about that test grade, you will instead have continued forming the habit of
behaving virtuously. It doesn’t hurt that many professors at Mines are very understanding about these sorts of things,
and may already be aware of the mistakes that you found.  I once stole a parking cone with a couple guys
Virtue Ethics Enthusiast from my floor. We then proceeded to break into a
Dilemma #2 janitor’s closet using a credit card and leave the
I am a freshman here at Mines, and like most of you other freshman, I am looking for a place to live off campus next cone in there. When we returned to check if the
year. I had been approached by a couple of upperclassman friends (let’s call them roommates group one, or RG1) cone was still there, it wasn’t.
that were looking for a roommate starting this summer. Everything had been set in stone for me to live with them, or Kyle Vanderveen
so I thought. A couple of weeks ago, they told me that another one of my friends’ living plans for next year might not
work out and that if they didn’t, he wanted to move in with them. I was taken aback. They told me to start looking for

’ s
another place to live just in case the friend wanted to move in there.  

T i m
So I did, and I found people to live with (RG2) and we started looking for a place. After we found a couple options,
RG1 told me that it all worked out and that I could move in with them. Now here comes the problem. Originally I
was obligated to RG1 and they were just as obligated to me. They broke that trust when they put my position back
up for grabs. Then I became obligated to RG2. So now I am wondering what I should do. Which obligation should
I honor? The original one with RG1? Or the new one with RG2 because RG1 nearly broke their obligation to me?
Homeless Engineer
Responses to Dilemma #2

two ¢ ents
You should stick with RG2, because you now have an obligation to them. Because RG1 metaphorically threw you
out on to the street, they broke any obligation that you had to them. If you leave RG2 now, you will be doing to them
what RG1 did to you. If you consider how you felt when RG1 told you they would rather room with one of their other
friends, this is exactly how RG2 will feel if you go back to RG1. As Kantian ethics say, you should universalize your
maxim, and in this case, if everyone constantly broke their obligations to and contracts with other people, no one
would trust anyone else ever again, and the world would be much worse off. For this reason, Kantian ethics say that
breaking your obligation to RG2 would be morally unacceptable. You have no obligation to RG1, but you do have an

Traditions
obligation to RG2, and it would be morally wrong to break this promise.
Stick With Your Real Friends
Tim Weilert
This isn’t really a case of two obligations; it is a case of determining which verbal contract is still active. When RG1
Staff Writer
approached you about the room offer and you accepted it, it became a verbal agreement by both parties. They then
broke their side of the verbal agreement when they told you to look for somewhere else to live. At that point you were Tradition is one of those quali-
no longer obligated to room with them next year. You and RG2 went off to find a house and created a verbal agree- ties that separate the exceptional
ment to live with each other next year after finding a house. Ethically you are still obligated to live with RG2, since that from the average. There are a few
“contract” is still in effect. RG1 showed that you are not as valuable to them as you may have once thought, while characteristics within tradition: pride,
RG2 has shown no discrepancy on the subject. At the same time if you decide to room with RG1 next year you will community, history, and shared ex-
have displayed the same breach that RG1 did when they asked you to look for another place to live. All in all, room perience. On a macro level all of
with RG2 next year. humanity recognizes the traditions
Nailo that coincide with the stages of life:
celebration of a birth or marriage,
In the situation regarding the roommate dilemma, the proper action would be to move in with the second mourning and remembrance at fu-
group. Based on the presented situation, a trust was broken between an individual and a group of roommates leav- nerals. Moving down the scale we
ing this individual stranded. As a response to this, the individual moved on in concern of his/her personal pass religious and national traditions,
New Dilemma finally arriving at the microcosm that
My roommate snores. As you might guess, this leads to many sleepless nights for me. I know we have lived in is CSM.
the same room for several months now, but it has just gotten to be too much. I even have tried to go to bed earlier Stop and consider the multitude
to accommodate for the hours of sleep I lose per night. I wish I could say something to her, but she has made com- of reasons why you came to Mines
ments about how well she has been sleeping, and I would hate to ruin that. Should I confront her and jeopardize our in the first place. In all honesty you
friendship or stick to the earplugs while I sleep? could have gone most anywhere,
Sleepless Roommate but why choose Mines? My person-
al short answer: tradition.
We would love to know what you think Sleepless Roommate should do and the reasons that make you think so. Within tradition at Mines there are
multiple layers and type-categories.
Do you have an ethical dilemma in your personal, academic, or professional life? You don’t have to figure it out on On the prestigious/official front there
your own. Send your ethical dilemmas and responses to Sleepless Roommate to: srichman@mines.edu by midnight are the traditions of science, engi-
on Thursday, March 24th. neering, research, elite educational
experience and academic honesty.
Be sure to let me know if you want your name printed or not and if you have a preferred nickname what it is. We look As students we can appreciate
forward to hearing from you. humbler traditions related to com-
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
munal living and fun traditions like
E-days, Senior Stetsons, and the M
climb.
Where is the controversy here? It
exists within two camps: the admin-
istration and the students. In order to
maintain a tradition both sides must
agree to honor a practice in one form
or another. However, the acceptable
form of a tradition is often debatable.
Living in a progressive society
we must be careful about how we
approach traditions. On one hand
it may be outdated or socially ir-
responsible to celebrate a tradition
as it was originally intended. On the
other side there is a risk of losing
some facet of originality in reforming
a tradition. An excellent case study:
the M climb.
Making freshmen climb a moun-
tain with a 10 pound rock is a pretty
fantastic tradition. However, given
an official stance grounded in pub-
lic safety and the threat of legal ac-
tion, freshmen are no longer pelted
with water balloons. While debate
on this issue may still exist on cam-
pus, I would argue that this tradition
has become more progressive while
maintaining its original intent.
page 8
Students unsure about
Spring Break
Janeen Neri
Slave to Work
CSM’s seniors showed some
confusion last week about the
scheduled “break.” Many at-
tempted to show up for class or
turn in homework, and a few pro-
fessors followed suit, worsening
the situation.
Others thought that they were
attending classes even though
they were not. Said mechanical
engineering senior John Noble,
“Spring break? Isn’t that in June
or something?”
Those in charge of student life
claimed that this was probably
the result of capstone classes,
in which it is customary to have
three or more assignments given
over break. “In one of my class-
es,” said mathematics senior
Donna Collins, “I had a probably
20- or 30-hour homework set,
plus a project proposal to edit
Do you work on Campus on
Saturdays? proudly serving allegro coffee & tea
You can now get your AFPP organic espresso drinks
(Afternoon Face Plant
Prevention) at the Book & Brew hormone - free milk
and a chunk of my term project
that I needed to do. Of course
class was in session, don’t be
silly.”
Other students expressed a
similar level of denial, with one
threatening to go weep in a fetal
position if last week was actu-
ally supposed to be considered a
“break.”
The professors who remem-
bered that last week was spring
break were unapologetic. In the
real world, they said, students
should not learn to expect breaks,
vacation days, or weekends.
“Keeping the homework load
steady is great job preparation,”
said physics professor Darek
Skaro, “since modern jobs re-
quire hires to do the bulk of the
work in their homes or while on
vacation.”
Teachers also cited prepara-
tion for graduate school, resting
easy in the fact that most stu-
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
s a t i r e march 21, 2011
Sudoku
dents have not taken graduate
classes, and are unaware of how
light the postgraduate homework
load is.
“In graduate school,” said
Skaro, “professors expect stu-
dents to take ownership of their
own learning, and will tend to
give shorter, more substantive
assignments rather than flooding
students with busywork. It is thus
essential to give seniors long, re-
petitive assignments to prepare
them for this workload.”
Meanwhile, freshmen had
a different take. “Man, I was
soooooooo busy over spring
break,” said undeclared freshman
Adam Mitchell, “I had a calculus
worksheet to do and a meeting
with my EPICS team.
I barely managed to squeeze
in time for WoW, five parties, and
a road trip to New York. It was in-
tense.” Many also expressed ex-
See solution at oredigger.net/satire
citement about E-days.