On July 1, in the middle of a hot, dry Colorado summer, Geophysics Professor Roel Snieder assumed a two-year term as chief of Genesee Fire Rescue, where he has served as a firefighter since 2000.

“It is an honor to serve my community� This is a completely different activity than my day job at Mines; this diversity of my roles personally enriches me,” �Snieder says.

Snieder, who is the W.M. Keck Distinguished Professor of Basic Exploration Science in the Department of Geophysics and co-director of the Ethics Across Campus program, oversees the fire rescue staff of the residential mountain community west of Golden. Forty volunteer firefighters and two full-time paid, firefighters serve a 10-square-mile area that includes 1,500 homes, 28 commercial structures and 3,000 acres of urban-interface and wildland open space.