Kedra Dierking: Digging in to geothermal

2012_dierking_kedra-geothermal_discover_image.jpg

Kedra Dierking, a senior architectural and civil engineering major, is digging deep into Missouri S&T’s geothermal energy project. Photo by B.A. Rupert

Kedra Dierking‘s parents recently converted their home in Union, Mo., to a geothermal energy system. Like many home improvement projects, it involved some retrofitting and rearranging. But that conversion pales in comparison to Dierking’s summer project on the S&T campus.

[Read more…]

Building a Miner nation

2012_ewb_discover_image.jpg

Bradley Distler of Jefferson City, Mo., a senior in civil and architectural engineering, gets assistance from a child in Tacachia, Bolivia, where the team has been working on a water distribution system. Photos submitted

Sometimes it takes a community to care for a village …

[Read more…]

Fireworks and more

2012_worsey_fireworks-safety_discover_image

Paul Worsey instructs campers on fireworks safety. Photo by B.A. Rupert

Watch the video: 


Paul Worsey is an explosives expert. He’s been known to blow up watermelons and other objects for fun, but, as a professor of mining engineering at Missouri S&T, he also teaches students about the science behind creating various explosions.
[Read more…]

Sounds interesting …

2012_shilliday_organ_discover_image.jpg

Recent graduate Peter Shilliday assembled a theater organ in his dorm room. Photos by B.A. Rupert

When you think of a stereotypical dorm room in a residence hall, theater organs don’t typically come to mind.

[Read more…]

Get outdoors!


The inside of a nondescript warehouse just east of the Missouri S&T campus seems an unusual place to begin any outdoor adventure. Inside are canoes, kayaks and other outdoor gear waiting to be rented out to Missouri S&T students, staff, alumni and anyone living near Rolla.

[Read more…]

Miners in the jungle

2012_studyabroad-malaysia_discover_image.jpg

Rachel Kautz and Shane Myers ride an elephant in Malaysia. Photos submitted

During the spring semester, three Missouri S&T students lived with monkeys, rode elephants and caught barracuda.

[Read more…]

Being a mentor

2012_simmons_leslie_discover_image.jpg

Leslie Simmons (right) helps a local elementary school student with her homework. Photo by B.A. Rupert

With her strong aptitude in math and science, Leslie Simmons was drawn to the actuarial field while in high school. Essential to the insurance industry, actuaries assess the risk of events occurring and help create policies for businesses and clients that minimize the cost of that risk.

[Read more…]

Attention students and parents: Now’s the time to embrace science and engineering

2012_jackling_camp_discover_image.jpg

Last year’s campers test their designs in a friendly student competition. Photo by B.A. Rupert

The average starting salary for Missouri S&T graduates was $59,500 last year. Not bad. In fact, S&T graduates earned the second-highest starting salaries among grads of all public universities in the U.S. It’s no secret that this success can be attributed to the nation’s strong demand for scientists and engineers.

[Read more…]

Catie Mohrmann: Prepared for the working world

2012_mohrmann_catie_discover_image.jpg

Recent S&T grad Catie Mohrmann (center) is pictured with career opportunities and employer relations staff (left to right) Julie Pittser, associate director; Colleen Kapeller, recruiting assistant; Edna Grover-Bisker, director; Sara Earl, recruiting assistant; Adrienne Neckermann, assistant director; and Hilary Beam, administrative assistant. Photo by B.A. Rupert

Who says engineers aren’t multidisciplinary?

Meet Catie Mohrmann, who graduated this May with a bachelor of science degree in ceramic engineering. She now works with engineers of other disciplines — mainly mechanical — and for a company that makes interconnect devices for the electronics industry.

[Read more…]

Something’s fishy

2012_fishingclub_discover_image.jpg

Missouri S&T Anglers club founder William Kleine, left, joins Grady Porter and Scott Kuhl at Maramec Spring Park near St. James, Mo. Kleine and his 30-member club are preparing to represent S&T while competing in collegiate fishing tournaments. Photo by Terry Barner

William Kleine likes mechanical engineering and bass fishing. When he graduates from Missouri S&T, the senior plans to pursue a career in an industry associated with outdoor activities. He says there are lots of opportunities out there for people who know about equipment used for fishing: rods, reels, fish locators, trolling motors, boats, outboard motors, and so on.

[Read more…]

Smartphone savvy pays off

2012_phagan_brian_discover_image.jpg

Senior Brian Phagan begins a position with Microsoft Corp. following graduation. Photo by B.A. Rupert

Now that he’s graduating from Missouri S&T, Brian Phagan is heading off to a new campus in the Seattle metropolitan area. This new campus has soccer fields, outdoor basketball courts and biking trails. Oh, yeah, it’s also the sprawling headquarters of Microsoft Corp.

[Read more…]