1 - Mines Magazine - Colorado School of Mines

CAMPUS HEADLINESIntensive Science ProgramMajor Chonge in CurriculaAn intensive integrated science programis the major change in the ColoradoSchool of Mines curricula, announcedby Dr. John W Vanderwilt,Mines president.Thc curricula changes—first in severalyears—-were outlined at theSchooFs monthly faculty meeting inDecember. The class changes resultedfrom a two-year study of the presentcurricula by the School's faculty, administrationand board of trustees.Major changes occurred in the supportingdepartments of mathematics,chemistry and physics. Also changedwere the numbers of credit hours necessaryfor professional degrees in thesix degree-granting departments atMines, All changes become effectivenext fail.Expanding Areas of EngineeringIn commenting on tbe new requirementsfor a Mines degree. Dr. TrumanId. Kuhn, dean of faculty, said"These changes have been made toinsure preparing our students for thcvastly expanding areas of mineral engineering.Since new and varied fieldsopen each year, we are attempting tobetter acquaint our students withbasic work and basic sciences in anintegrated manner."In addition to the science changes,the School also added six more semesterhours of humanities—includingcourses in history, languages, economicsand psychology—as requirementsfor each student. They will be requiredto take three of the humanityhours in either the freshman or sophomoreyear (making the lower divisionhumanity requirements 15 semesterhours) and the reinaining three in thejunior or senior year.The School's Board of Trustees approvedthc changes and passed a resolutionstating "We do not believe astudent load of 60 hours a week isexcessive." The average Mines studentnow carries 20 credit hours eachsemester (about four more than thenormal college student) ; 31 actualhours of lecture and laboratory workeach week; and spends about 30 hoursa week at borne preparing for theweek's course work.Infegrated Teaching ProgramsPhysics, mathematics and chemistrydepartments have tightened integratedteaching programs which began severalyears ago. The faculty believesthat, through integration of coursematerial, thc transition from beginningsubjects to more difficult areaswill result in greater retention ofcourse material and ability to applyprinciples of science to their particularoption courses.In mathematics, all Mines studentswill be required to talce at least 17semester hours during their first twoyears. The four-semester math programcombines elements of trigonometry,calculus, analytical geomcteryand differential equations. Previouslythe students had been required to take20 semester hours of math the firsttwo years, but the courses were notas closely integrated. The integrationwill also allow brighter students toproceed at a faster rate and entermore difficult classes earlier.Nearlv 50 per cent of the Minesstudents continue math studies intheir junior and senior years—mostof them taking courses in advancedcalculus, statistics and numerical analysis.Emphasis on Modern PhysicsIn physics, the changes are made toincrease attention in modern physics.Previously required to take 10 semesterhours of physics in the first twoyears, Mines students will now be requiredto take 13 hours—with themajority of the increase devoted tomodern physics. The integrated coursefor freshmen and sophomores willcombine elements of mechanics, wavemotion, magnetism, heat, electronics,optics and nuclear physics.Freshman and sophomore chemistrystudents will take two less semesterhours now—a reduction to 16 from18—but the emphasis on chemicalprinciples has been increased. Thechemistry classes will now be knownas the four-semester program in Principlesin Chemistry. The new programwill combine elements and classification,atcmic structure, molecularstructure, chemical equilibria, chemicalkinetics and advanced atomic andmolecular structures.Hours Necessary to GraduateAlso changed in the new curriculaare the numbers of hours necessary forgraduation. Formerly the School requiredundergraduates to take from164 semester hours (in geology) to153 hours (in metallurgy) for thefirst degree. Now the required hourswill range from mining and geologywith 158 to metallurgy's 152. In addition,all undergraduates will still berequired to take from 13 to 15 semesterhours of summer session coursesand field work.This vear 1080 students are enrolledat Mines—10- per cent ofwhom are graduate students.Captain Sutton ReceivesCommendation MedalCapt. James L. Sutton, assistantprofessor at Mines, was recently presentedwith the Army CommendationMedal for meritorious service bvPMST Lt. Col. Bruce D. foncs ata formation of the CSM ROTCcadet battalion. Captain Sutton, assignedto Mines frcm Greenland, wasresponsible for tbe construction of oneof the eastern stations of the DistantEarly Warning (DEW) Radar Line.He effectively coordinated the effortsof civilian contractors. Navy, AirForce, Coast Guard and Army transportationunits to complete the jobwell ahead of schedule, despite thehazardous and unusual working conditionsexisting north of the ArcticCircle.Mining Equipment GivenTo CSM Experimental MineNearly $40,000 worth of miningequipment has been given to the ColoradoSchool of Mines for use in theSchool's experimental mine at IdahoSprings, Colo.The equipment—which previouslyhad been used in tbe U. S. Bureau ofMines exploration work—has beenmoved to the School and will be installedin tbe Edgar Mine in tbe nearfuture.The mining items came from a Hstof excess expendable and non-expendableproperty which the U. S. Departmentof Interior offered to the mineralengineering college. Included areeight drifting drills, 19 jackhammerdrills, accompanying machinery andvarious mountings, dies and drill steel.The cost of the equipment to theBureau is listed at slightly more than$8,000, but the same equipment pur-chased new on the commercial marketwould cost at least five times that.The new additions of machinery bringtbe total amount of School-ownedequipment in the Edgar Mine to$170,000.The Edgar Mine is used to teachpractical mining techniques and safetyprocedures to mining engineeringstudents. The mine is also used as atourist attraction during the vacationmonths. Last summer 11,000 visitorstook guided tours of the former gold,silver, lead and zinc mine.ROTC Rifle TeamMoves to New GymThe Colorado School of MinesROTC rifle team has moved to itsup-to-dai:e range in the new gymnasium.John W Vanderwilt, presidentof Mines, fired off the first twoshots for an eight and a nine toinaugurate use of the new facility.Faced for many years with substandardrange facilities, the Minesrifle team will have home shoulderto-shouldermatches for the first timethis year. M/Sgt. Wiiiiam King,coach of last year's Colorado-WyomingSmall Bore Rifle champs, hopesto see continued improvement in theMiners on the new range.The 10-point range has firing lanesat distances varying from 25 feet to1000 inches.CSM Engineer ROTC GraduatesRank Among Nation's BestThe School of Mines EngineerROTC graduates continue to rankamong the nation's best. Figures releasedby the army engineer schoolat Fort Belvoir, Va., show that 51per cent of the Miners attending theschool during the fiscal year 1959ranked in the upper one-third of theirclass. Of 35 engineer ROTC units inthe nation, only Rice Institute ofTexas was able to outshine the Minerswith a figure of 52 per cent in theupper third of the class.During the fiscal year of record,Mines sent 41 students through theeight-week basic offlicers' course ascompared to 21 from Rice. As a noteof interest, during this period, onlyeight other schools in tbe nation, includingthe U. S. Military Academy,commissioned more officers in tbeCorps of Engineers than the School ofMines.V Dr. John W Vanderwilt, CSM president, fires ihe first shot on the rifle range in the newgymnasium. In the foreground, left, is Sgt. William C. King, rifle feam coach; in ihe backgroundis Sgt, Walter E. Gilmore, administrative NCO.100 Enrolled at MinesFor Graduate DegreesEnrollment this fall of 100 graduatestudents at Mines (greatest numberin the School's history) is distributedamong the following departments:28, geology; 25, geoph3'sics;15, mining; metallurgy, 10; 7, petroleumengineering; 3, petroleum refining;3, combined options; 9, withoutoption.Twenty-four countries and 22 U.S.states are represented by the graduatestudents.Sixty-six are candidates for Master'sdegrees, 15 for Doctor's degrees.The rest of the graduate students areeither without options or within specificoptions, but not working for degrees.George Morehouse GrantFor Geology and MiningA $2,230 grant to the ColoradoSchool of Mines Foundation, Inc.,will be used to purchase needed equipmentfor the School's mining and geologydepartment. The . grant wasmade by George E. Morehouse ofGrand Junction, Colo.Morehouse, a 1949 mining engineeringgraduate of the School, is aconsulting engineer and geologist withoffices in Grand Junction. He alsoreceived a master of science degree ingeological engineering in 1950 fromMines.The majority of the recent grantwill be used to purchase a $1,730Frantz Separator for the geology department.This equipment allows arapid method of mineral separationthrough the use of changeable magneticforces. The remaining $500 willbe used to buy stress and strain gaugemeters from tbe University of Durham(England). The equipment willbe used both in class and research.26-Game Basketball SclieduieAnnounced by BrenneckeA 26-game basketball schedule fortbe 1959-60 season has been announcedby Fritz S. Brennecke, directorof athletics at the ColoradoSchool of Mines.Mines will play 18 Rocky MountainFaculty Athletic Conferencegames, and splits its entire schedulewith 10 home games and 16 on thcroad. Jimmy Darden, former AAUand professional player and coach,will enter his sixth year as head basketballcoach.The schedule of games still to beplayed is:Sat. Jan. 16—at Colorado State College,at Greel'ey (RMFAC)Mon. Jan. 25—-at Colorado State College,at Greeley (RMFAC)Fri. Jan. 29—Western State College, atGolden (RMFAC)Sat. Jan. 30—Western State Coll'ege, atGolden (RMFAC)Wed. Feb. 3—at Coiorado College, ColoradoSprings (RMFAC)Mon. Feb. S—Colorado State College, atGolden (RMFAC)Wed. Feb. 10—Air Force Academy, atGoldenFri, Feb. 12—at Adams State College,Alamosa (RMFAC)Sat. Feb. 13—at Adams State College,Alamosa (RMFAC)Tne. Feb. 16—Colorado State College, afGolden (RMFAC)Fri. Feb. 19—at Western State College,Gimnison (RMFAC)Sat. Feb. 20—at Western State College,Gnnnison (RMFAC)Mon. Feb. 22—Colorado College, at Golden{RMFAC}Fri. Feb. 26~at Idaho State College, Pocatello(RMFAC)Sat. Feb, 27—at Idaho State College, Pocatello(RMFAC)The Miners will have a basketball"home" for the first time in a dozenvears this season. Work has beencompleted on tbe new Mines $1.1miiiion gymnasium, which contains abasketball arena. The arena can seat1500 spectators for intercollegiategames. Since 1947 the Orediggershave been playing on a portable floorerected over Steinhauer Field house'sclay surface.(Continued on page 41)38 THE MINES MAGAZINE • JANUARY, 1960THE MINES MAGAZINE • JANUARY, 1960 39