The CDMS Experiment at the Soudan Underground Laboratory

The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) employs low-temperature detectors to search for interactions of WIMPs while discriminating against interactions of background particles. This talk will be the first of a sequence of three from CDMS. We will provide a summary of the status of theoretical and experimental evidence for WIMP dark matter. The CDMS experiment operates at the deep Soudan Underground Lab in Northern Minnesota. Its first run resulted in the world's best sensitivity to WIMP dark matter over much of the interesting parameter space. We will present an overview of the CDMS experiment design, implementation, and run strategy to date.