Each fall, U of M mechanical engineering students participate in the largest robot show in the Twin Cities. The show is a culmination of their introductory design class (ME 2011). The final six weeks of these students' semesters are spent designing and building computer-controlled machines that "do something interesting" for no more than 60 seconds.

Students received a kit of parts and could supplement it with no more than $40 worth of additional materials. These design constraints are important because students need to learn how to be creative and deal with limitations to prepare them for their future careers.

At the end of the semester, a robot show is held in McNamara Alumni Center where students are judged by mechanical engineering faculty and graduate students, faculty from other departments, and professionals from industry. For complete information about the assignment, read the robot project website.

This year, I was able to attend the robot show. I wasn't sure what to expect, and I was impressed by the number of visitors and robots on display.

Tables with robots took up two rooms in the alumni center! These robots can do useful things, like tie a shoe or make a sandwich, or they can be purely entertaining, like the robot playing a xylophone or golfing Goldy Gopher robot.

Here are some of my favorite robots from the show:

There is nothing better than the holiday season! On Monday, my sorority had its annual holiday party. We invited various people from the community and everyone dressed in red and green. We had a huge feast, a gift exchange, and sang carols. Even Santa showed up! (Well, a fraternity gentleman dressed as Santa.) It truly is the most wonderful time of the year, especially here in Minnesota with our snowy winter wonderland. There are so many great ways to enjoy the holiday season on the U of M campus and in the Twin Cities!

Holidazzle Parade
The parade has been happening since 1992 on the historic Nicollet Mall and takes place each weekend for a month before Christmas. It is a beautiful outdoor, sparkling night parade. This year's theme is "A Fairytale for All" and features various characters from all the classic fairytales. To learn more about the Holidazzle, visit http://www.holidazzle.com/. 

Skating
The Depot used to be a train station in downtown Minneapolis and now is home to a number of attractions including a restaurant, water park, and hotel. One of the most popular attractions at The Depot is their ice rink housed in the old train storage building. The rink is surrounded by windows with a view of the downtown skyline. And of course, there is a deal for college students: $2 on Thursdays!

Shopping
There's no better place to do your holiday shopping than at the biggest mall in the United States! Mall of America has over 400 stores and is just minutes away from the University of Minnesota campus. I will be heading there on Saturday to get all of my Christmas shopping done!

Sporting Events
The Twin Cities is a great place to live if you are a sports fan like me. Not only are there plenty of competitive sports to watch at the U of M, but also in the greater Twin Cities. I love going to professional sports games, especially during the winter to get out of the cold! It is the perfect time to go watch the Minnesota Wild NHL hockey team and the Minnesota Timberwolves NBS basketball team.

Theater and Dance
Did you know that the Twin Cities has the most theater seats per capita after New York City? There are so many great shows to attend here, especially during the holiday season. I would love to see the Minnesota Orchestra or Minnesota Chorale to hear some classic holiday tunes. My holiday season is never complete without seeing the Nutcracker Ballet, which is being performed at the State Theatre this year. Another great option would be the 36th anniversary of A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theater.

Outdoor Adventures
The Center of Outdoor Adventure (COA) at the University of Minnesota offers trips and clinics revolving around the great outdoors throughout the entire year. The COA provides plenty of opportunities for students to enjoy the outdoors during the winter including ski and snowboard trips. There are free Nordic ski trips for the entire month of December on the University's golf course. There is also a weekend trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for cross-country skiing, dog sledding, and snow shoeing.

Did you know that the University of Minnesota is one of the most sustainable campus systems in the entire country? 

Committed to sustainable and energy efficiency, the University of Minnesota is a leader in sustainable developments throughout all of its campuses around the state. For instance, in 2009, the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium on the Twin Cities campus was awarded the LEED (Leader in Energy and Environmental Design) silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the standard for sustainable design. The stadium actually incorporates innovative stormwater features that reuses that water from storms to hydrate the greenery surrounding the stadium then returns it to the Mississippi River.

In addition to sustainable facilities, the University of Minnesota's It All Adds Up campaign promotes sustainable initiatives throughout our community. According the campaign website, in 2010 the University reduced its energy consumption by five percent through pledges from students and faculty, saving the University $2.25 millions dollars and the atmosphere 25,000 tons of CO2 emissions!  

As a former biology student, environmental sustainability is something I try to practice in my daily life. Are you trying to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle as well? Check out these tips for individuals. Or, make an energy conservation pledge and help us better the environment!

On Friday, I thought it would be fun to go bowling, so I called a group of friends to get together at Goldy's Gameroom in the basement of Coffman Memorial Union (our student union). Goldy's Gameroom features:

• 11 pool tables
• 14-lane bowling alley
• Video game arcade
• Pinball
• Snack bar

Plus, Goldy's Gameroom is very wallet-friendly. On Friday, they provided free bowling shoes and the cost to bowl was just $3 per lane. Other deals include $2 Tuesdays, Bowl for a Buck Thursdays, and 25% off Sunday Fundays.

In addition, there are various events happening at Goldy's Gameroom throughout the year. There are game day events, galactic bowling nights, and free pizza nights. There is an event coming up soon in which students will have the opportunity to win merchandise and tickets to the premiere of "TRON: Legacy", a movie coming out in January.

Learn more about Goldy's Gameroom at http://www.coffman.umn.edu/goldys/.
 

Our group at Goldy's Gameroom 

Seventeen students from the University of Minnesota recently returned from "COP16," otherwise known as the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Among them were several students from the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. This year, the conference was held this year in Cancun, Mexico. The U of M was one of just a handful of universities world-wide that sent undergraduate students to this important event. I was able to attend a public forum lead by the student participants this past Wednesday. It was great to see these U of M students talk so passionately about the life-changing experiences that they were able to take part in at the conference.

Our students wittnessed and even participated in a number of incredibly important conversations on climate change and the Kyoto Protocol. Many of the students used this opportunity to network with some very important people from around the world, including delegates from Germany and Congo. One of our undergraduate U of M students, Andy Pearson, was actually interviewed about his visit by Minnesota Public Radio. Click here to listen to Andy chat with Tom Crann from MPR.