Terence Parker has been named executive vice president and provost. Parker, who came to Mines in 1994, has served as Engineering Division director since 2006. During that time, student enrollment in the graduate program in engineering and the annual research award level has more than doubled. Undergraduate student enrollment has also increased, with more than one-third of Mines’ student population majoring in engineering. Steven Castillo, who previously served as provost, has undertaken a special assignment reporting to President Scoggins.
The Colorado School of Mines Board of Trustees elected trustee James Spaanstra chairman of the board through December 2012. Spaanstra, who has served on the board since 2008, is a partner in the law firm of Faegre & Benson. He has been in private practice for more than 30 years, developing one of the largest and most diverse environmental practices in the Rocky Mountain region.
Josh Sharp, assistant professor of environmental science and engineering, received an NSF Faculty Early Career Development award for his research ‘Cleaner Water Through Microbial Stress: An Integrated Research and Education Plan,’ which focuses on how biological processes can impact water quality and how to use microbes to clean contaminated sediments and water supplies.
In January, A. Keith Turner, emeritus professor of geological engineering, was presented the Roy W. Crum Distinguished Service Award by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), which is part of the National Academies, for his contributions to transportation research.
Pankaj K (PK) Sen, professor of engineering, was named a fellow of the IEEE, the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology. Sen was nominated for ‘leadership in arc flash hazard research and electrical safety curriculum.’ He is Mines’ site director for the Power Systems Engineering Research Center, an NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center.
