Transverse Energy at RHIC in the forward/backward direction with the PHENIX Muon Piston Calorimeter

Progress in the measurement of transverse energy from RHIC Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$~GeV will be reported. This measurement will be taken in the forward/backward directions. The pseudo-rapidity coverage of the PHENIX Muon Piston Calorimeter (MPC), an electromagnetic calorimeter, is $3.1<|\eta|<3.8$. Measurement of the transverse energy over this kinematic range will differ from that at mid-rapidity in that the baryon density is much higher. Ultimately, analysis of transverse energy fluctuations as a function of center of mass energy might help signal the existence of a critical point in the phase diagram of nuclear matter.