Category: Colorado

Crested Butte celebrates permanent protections for its ‘Red Lady,’ a victory 47 years in the making 10/8/2024

Crested Butte celebrates permanent protections for its ‘Red Lady,’ a victory 47 years in the making

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jessica Smith contributes to this article about how Sue Navy’s moment finally came, it took nearly 50 years.  For decades, she and many others, protested, fundraised, lobbied, filed lawsuits and negotiated with government leaders and industry executives to permanently protect Mt. Emmons, which, at about 12,400 feet, towers over the town from the west and often glows red at dawn and dusk. October 8, 2024.

Kamini Singha selected to 2024 class of AGU Fellows 9/18/2024

Kamini Singha selected to 2024 class of AGU Fellows

Payne Institute Fellow, Kamini Singha has been named to the 2024 class of fellows for the American Geophysical Union (AGU). She joins a distinguished group of 54 individuals from this year’s class.  AGU, the world’s largest Earth and space science association, bestows this honor annually to a select number of individuals who have made exceptional contributions. Since its inception in 1962, less than 0.1% of AGU members have been selected as fellows each year. September 18, 2024.

Colorado’s quantum hub will revolutionize technology, with Colorado School of Mines helping lead the way 9/16/2024

Colorado’s quantum hub will revolutionize technology, with Colorado School of Mines helping lead the way

Payne Institute Fellow Lincoln Carr contributes to an article about Zhexuan Gong and other Mines researchers on how they turned to a quantum simulator made of a particular experimental device that uses electrodes and lasers to trap charged atoms. By controlling the interactions among the trapped ions, Gong and his collaborators were able to create a brand-new synthetic quantum material—the world’s first 1D magnet, made of just 23 atoms. September 16, 2024.

Colorado School of Mines, Payne Institute for Public Policy announce grant from Quadrature Climate Foundation 9/5/2024

Colorado School of Mines, Payne Institute for Public Policy announce grant from Quadrature Climate Foundation

The Payne Institute for Public Policy and the Mineral and Energy Economics Program at Colorado School of Mines are pleased to announce the award of a three-year grant from Quadrature Climate Foundation in support of critical mineral development in resource communities, with an emphasis on the Global South.  September 5, 2024.

Alexis Navarre-Sitchler named department head for Geology and Geological Engineering 8/30/2024

Alexis Navarre-Sitchler named department head for Geology and Geological Engineering

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Alexis Navarre-Sitchler has been named department head for Geology and Geological Engineering at Colorado School of Mines. A member of the Mines faculty since 2012, Navarre-Sitchler is a professor of geology and geological engineering. Her new appointment began July 1.  August 30, 2024.  

Forging a Greener Future: The Imperative of Decarbonizing Steel Production 8/26/2024

Forging a Greener Future: The Imperative of Decarbonizing Steel Production

Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield and PhD candidate at School of Mines Edikan Udofia write about the EVRAZ Rocky Mountain Steel mill, a longstanding institution in this industrial area for more than a century and how it is evolving as part of the push to decarbonize the global steel industry. Collaborating with Lightsource bp, the mill is shifting to solar energy, positioning itself as the first steel mill in North America to operate predominantly on solar power.  The solar conversion is set to abate almost half a million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. August 26, 2024.

The Colorado Geothermal Frontier

The Colorado Geothermal Frontier

Payne Institute Program Manager Anna Littlefield and CSM PhD Candidate Edikan Udofia write about how in Chaffee County Colorado, residents and visitors alike have long taken advantage of the natural hot springs generated by thermal anomalies deep underground.  Soon, this same heat may be tapped to provide energy for the local community. August 20, 2024.

Satellite Data Reveals Scale and Intensity of Colorado’s Front Range Fires 8/1/2024

Satellite Data Reveals Scale and Intensity of Colorado’s Front Range Fires

Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Research Associate Mikhail Zhizhin, Communications Associate Kristin Ziv, Senior Research Associate Christopher Elvidge, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about the four separate wildfires that have erupted since Monday, July 29, along Colorado’s front range foothills, consuming more than 8,300 acres, and being fought by hundreds of firefighters.  One person has died, and thousands have been forced to evacuate. On Wednesday, July 31, Gov. Jared Polis ordered the deployment of the National Guard to aid in the firefight.  August 1, 2024.

RADIOACTIVE 7/17/2024

Radioactive

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about how Energy Fuels Inc., a Denver company, is seeking to mine uranium near the Grand Canyon — and an Indigenous tribe’s long fight to stop it.  Prices for uranium rose enough for the company to seek to bring uranium ore to White Mesa from one of the company’s mothballed uranium mine sites.  July 17, 2024.

Elevate Quantum awarded $40.5M to expand quantum ecosystem in Colorado, Mountain West 7/2/2024

Elevate Quantum awarded $40.5M to expand quantum ecosystem in Colorado, Mountain West

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Eliot Kapit is featured in this article about how Mines is part of regional consortium receiving federal funding to support efforts to strengthen the quantum workforce over the next decade.  The federal funding, alongside Colorado’s recently passed $74 million Quantum Tax Credit and New Mexico’s substantial quantum investments, will enable Elevate Quantum to deliver on its key objectives, such as launching 50+ quantum startups, upskilling 30,000 workers, and establishing a world-leading quantum lab to provide state-of-the-art hardware and expertise to startups.  July 2, 2024.