Mining Education and Innovation – Page 17

Time to ’embrace’ Sudbury’s mining heritage – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – August 20, 2015)

August 20, 2015

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Up, up and away we rose, into the clouds and swirling winds over Copper Cliff. It was my first-ever helicopter ride and an exhilarating way to spend 15 minutes on a Wednesday afternoon.

My hawk’s eye view of the Vale smelter complex was unparalleled and unforgettable. The tailings ponds were all shades of Pantone pretty and deep in the belly of the vast property, there was a gigantic hole in the ground. It looked like it may have been an old quarry or open-pit mine, long disused and perhaps one of the first spots in town to be mined.

The ride, courtesy of the Canadian Shield Consultants Agency, was part of the annual North American Mining Expo (NAME). The trade show extravaganza included more than 300 vendors and exhibitors from around the world — many with massive multi-wheeled, motorized rigs in tow — spread over the Copper Cliff curling club, McClelland Arena and Veterans Road.

Jay Cornelsen, national publicity director with Canadian Trade-Ex, suggested the Nickel City offers unparalleled strengths in terms of mining expertise and innovation.

Toronto-Waterloo corridor could be Canada’s own Silicon Valley – by Iain Klugman and Kevin Lynch (Globe and Mail – August 19, 2015)

August 19, 2015

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

But it takes more than geography and statistics to build an innovation ecosystem
capable of driving national productivity and growth. It requires an incredibly
intensive interplay among world-class university research, targeted government
support for technology development, industry R&D, venture capital and astute
early adopters of the newly created technology. (Iain Klugman and Kevin Lynch)

Iain Klugman is CEO of Communitech. Kevin Lynch is vice-chair of Bank of Montreal.

Each September, thousands of new students stream into Ontario’s universities, carrying their clothes, books and increasingly global ambitions. The question for Ontario and Canada is: Where will those ambitions ultimately take them?

If they are technically brilliant, entrepreneurial and highly motivated, as many of our graduates are, Silicon Valley will beckon – and it has only a little to do with the California weather.

With a population of just more than three million, the single corridor between San Francisco and San Jose has the greatest concentration of high-tech jobs in the United States; is the headquarters for technology companies with billions in sales and trillions in market capitalization;

Sudbury study to examine mental health of miners – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – July 24, 2015)

July 24, 2015

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

A research project on the mental health of workers in the mining industry is exactly the type of study Ontario Labour Minister Kevin Flynn would like to see more of in Ontario.

The three-year, $400,000 study, funded by Vale Ltd., is a partnership among the mining company, United Steelworkers and Laurentian University’s Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH).

The goal of the study, called Mining Mental Health, is to collect information to develop strategies to promote strong mental health among workers in Vale’s Ontario operations.

Flynn paid his first visit to a mine earlier this year when he went underground at Vale’s Coleman Mine.

Travelling 5,000 feet below surface “was quite the experience for a city kid,” Flynn told about 100 people in the lobby of Laurentian’s Ben Avery building Thursday.

NEWS RELEASE: VALE, THE UNITED STEELWORKERS AND CROSH KICK-OFF GROUNDBREAKING NEW STUDY ON MINING AND MENTAL HEALTH

July 23, 2015

(L to R) France Gélinas, MPP Nickel Belt; Jody Kuzenko, Director of Vale’s Ontario Production Services; Leo Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers; Dr. Michel Larivière, clinical psychologist and Associate Director at CROSH; Hon Kevin Daniel Flynn, Ontario Minister of Labour; Dr. Tammy Eger, Research Chair in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Associate Professor in Laurentian’s School of Human Kinetics

SUDBURY, ON (July 23, 2015) – Today Vale and the United Steelworkers, in partnership with the Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH) at Laurentian University, announced a groundbreaking new research project on the topic of mental health in the mining industry.

The aim of the 3-year study, called ‘Mining Mental Health’, is to gain vital information in order to develop key strategies that promote the best possible mental health for workers at Vale’s Ontario Operations. In addition, this study will contribute substantially to the body of research to help others in the mining industry and similar sectors to develop evidence-based practices that effectively promote positive mental health.

NEWS RELEASE: Harper Government Invests in British Columbia’s Kootenay Region Mining and Metals Industry

July 14, 2015

TRAIL, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwired – July 13, 2015) – Western Economic Diversification Canada

Today, David Wilks, Member of Parliament for Kootenay-Columbia, on behalf of the Honourable Michelle Rempel, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, announced a $748,601 investment to the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology (KAST) to establish a metallurgical industry development accelerator in the West Kootenay.

Funding, provided through the Western Diversification Program, will allow KAST to establish and operate a centre for Metallurgical Industrial Development Acceleration and Studies (MIDAS). This sector-targeted applied research and commercialization centre will provide downstream metallurgical expertise, a digital fabrication laboratory, and business development support for the region.

MIDAS will assist with the establishment and growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by strengthening the direct-to-market deployment of mineral/metal by-products; supporting applied research and development of commercial applications; providing technical training in metallurgical science and digital fabrication; and offering business mentoring.

Shedding light on deep mining – by Staff (Sudbury Star – July 9, 2015)

July 9, 2015

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Cambrian Innovates, the applied research arm at Cambrian College, will receive $190,000 to support applied research through a Voucher for Industry Association R&D Challenge grant from the Ontario Centres for Excellence and its partner, the Ultra-Deep Mining Network. These grants will allow students and faculty to develop commercially-viable new technologies that aim to enhance the safety of underground workers.

“Ultra-deep mining poses some unique challenges,” said Dr. Tom Corr, OCE’s president and CEO in a release. “We have had many successes working with Cambrian Innovates, and we welcome the opportunity to make advances in mining safety and productivity.”

Cambrian Innovates will collaborate on two projects with two industry partners.

The first, with Rock-Tech, a manufacturer of equipment engineered specifically for underground mining, aims to improve rock-breaking. During this process, ore is collected and passed through a steel screen, while a person operating a rock-breaker crushes the ore that is too large to pass through the screen.

[Ontario Mining] Schools engineer partnership – by Sandi Krasowski (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – June 25, 2015)

June 25, 2015

Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

Lakehead University and Queen’s University are mining each other’s resources to serve engineering students.

The deans of the engineering programs at the two schools signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday in a step toward making their engineering courses available to students on both campuses.

David Barnett, the dean of engineering with Lakehead University says they don’t offer a mining engineering program at Lakehead, but there is active research going on within the mining sector.

“Queens is a worldwide-known mining engineering school and (partnering) just seemed to make sense,” says Barnett. “Whether it’s chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical or software engineering, mining touches all the engineering programs that we have here.”

He says it’s very difficult to start a new mining engineering program, but since mining is such an important part of the Northern Ontario economy, it make sense to get their students that expertise.

Moonscape to greenbelt: Conference celebrates regreening – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Northern Life – June 9, 2015)

November 5, 2015June 10, 2015

http://www.northernlife.ca/

www2.laurentian.ca/sudbury2015

Sudbury world-renowned for its remediation program

Researchers from as far away as Russia and Norway will gather in Sudbury for the sixth Mining and Environment International Conference at Laurentian University June 20-25.

“The goal this year is to really celebrate the successes of the Sudbury regreening program,” said Graeme Spiers, an associate professor with Laurentian’s faculty of the environment, and one of the conference organizers. “Sudbury is recognized globally for this. The citizens of Sudbury should be really proud of what the city has done.”

The “Sudbury Method,” as some have termed the city’s regreening effort, which began in 1978, has served as a model for jurisdictions around the world to remediate environments damaged by mining, smelting and other industrial activities.

[Mining] Education, research help create success – by Brian Burton (Saskatoon Phoenix – May 20, 2015)

May 25, 2015

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/index.html

Alberta couldn’t do it — but Saskatchewan did. Today it’s home to the world’s first carbon capture and storage (CCS) operation at a coal-fired power plant.

Alberta approved three coal-based CCS projects and saw proponents back away from all of them. Meanwhile, SaskPower completed its $1.5-billion CCS unit at the Boundary Dam coal-fired power plant in 2014 and now captures 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to removing 250,000 cars from the road. Captured carbon dioxide is mostly injected into Weyburn and Midale oil reservoirs; earning a revenue on CCS, boosting oil production, prolonging oilfield life and raising provincial crude royalties.

While some jurisdictions, notably Ontario, have turned their backs on carbon-heavy coal, Saskatchewan is making the technical and environmental case for continued use of a resource that provides about 70 per cent of its electric power.

“It enables the continuation of coal use in the generation of electric power,” says David Grier, chief strategist with Innovation Saskatchewan. Without CCS, he says, new carbon dioxide limits could have spelled the end of coal mining in the province.

Laurentian Exploration and Research: MERC looks to the future – by Norm Tollinsky (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – May 2015)

May 22, 2015

http://www.sudburyminingsolutions.com/

The Mineral Exploration Research Centre (MERC) has committed itself to an ambitious, five-year business plan. The mineral exploration research arm of Laurentian University’s Department of Earth Sciences, MERC boasts a global reputation as a centre of excellence for research focused on Precambrian ore deposits.

The five-year business plan will help guide MERC’s growth and allow it to play an even more important role in the global search for mineral deposits.

Completed in November 2014, the business plan sets six key strategic directions, including a greater focus on Precambrian shields around the world, the establishment of a science advisory council, the hiring of research associates to assist with project management, and the recruitment of more corporate members.

With increased financial resources from courses, workshops and membership dues, MERC will allocate $20,000 annually for pre-research investigation and establish a one-year operating reserve to offset shortfalls due to cyclical downturns in the mining industry.

Laurentian’s Bharti School of Engineering makes its mark – by Norm Tollinsky (Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal – May 2015)

May 21, 2015

http://www.sudburyminingsolutions.com/

Skyrocketing enrollment, national awards contribute to Bharti School’s stature as academic powerhouse.

It’s easy enough to illustrate the amazing growth of Laurentian University’s Bharti School of Engineering with a recitation of its skyrocketing enrollment numbers, but nothing speaks to the school’s stature as an academic powerhouse as eloquently as the awards its junior and senior teams took home from the 2015 Canadian Engineering Competition in March.

When the junior team won top honours at the Ontario Engineering Competition in February and the senior team came in second, both qualified to represent Ontario at the national competition at Memorial University in St. John’s.

“It was the first time that a university sent two teams to the competition and both won first prize,” said Bharti School director Dr. Ramesh Subramanian.

“It’s amazing how far we’ve come. We just had our iron ring ceremony and we had close to 90 students graduating. Less than 10 years ago, we had fewer than 15.”

It seems Sudbury really is the centre of the mining universe – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – May 14, 2015)

May 14, 2015

http://www.northernlife.ca/

Greater Sudbury was represented at an awards gala held by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) in Montreal on May 11.

The annual event celebrates leaders in the Canadian mining industry and their many achievements over past years.

Northern Ontario winners include Christine Bertoli, recipient of the CIM-Bedford Canadian Young Mining Leaders Awards.

Based in Lively, Bertoli is the chief mine engineer of Nickel Rim South Mine for Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (Glencore). The award recognizes workers 39 years of age or under for exceptional achievement, as well as their potential for future leadership in various sectors of mining.

Sue Tessier of Val Caron was recognized with the CIM Community Service Award. Tessier, who enjoyed a 34-year career with Inco/Vale, is now retired and volunteers her time with a number of organizations, including the CIM Sudbury Branch, GO Eng Girl, and the Sudbury Regional Science Fair. This award recognizes unsung heroes for their contributions to the mining industry.

NEWS RELEASE: New Mineral Science Shows Promise for Reducing Environmental Impacts from Mining (United States Geological Survey – May 12, 2015)

May 14, 2015

http://www.usgs.gov/

Mining companies, land managers, and regulators now have a wealth of tools to aid in reducing potential mining impacts even before the mine gets started. USGS and various research partners released a special edition of papers specifically targeted at providing modern environmental effect research for modern mining techniques.

Minerals play an important role in the global economy, and, as rising standards of living have increased demand for those minerals, the number and size of mines have increased, leading to larger potential impacts from mining.

“Approaches to protecting the environment from mining impacts have undergone a revolution over the past several decades,” said USGS mineral and environmental expert Bob Seal. “The sustainability of that revolution relies on an evolving scientific understanding of how mines and their waste products interact with the environment.”

Many research conclusions are contained in the special issue, and some of the primary findings are listed here:

Pre-Mining Tools

Barrick Beyond Borders: There’s a first time for everything [Cyanide free gold]

May 5, 2015

http://barrickbeyondborders.com/

Barrick produced the first of millions of ounces of gold at its Goldstrike mine using patented technology that will save jobs and allow it to continue to contribute funds to the state of Nevada

In late November 2014, the Goldstrike mine poured a small but significant bar of gold. At 107 ounces, the pour amounted to just one-eighth the size of a typical doré gold bar, but it marked the first time the mine had produced gold using its patented thiosulfate processing method. In fact, it marked the first time any company in the western world had successfully produced gold using thiosulfate.

Long viewed as a potential alternative to cyanide, which is typically used to recover gold that is trapped inside ore, thiosulfate is a difficult chemical to master. Barrick spent more than two decades perfecting its thiosulfate processing method and relied on an unmatched level of scientific and technological expertise.

“It’s the culmination of years of hard work and a good example of how our partnership culture is manifesting itself on the ground,” says Goldstrike General Manager Andy Cole. “This was a huge initiative, and it would not have succeeded if it weren’t for the collaboration, trust and accountability that developed between our project team, the construction group and the Goldstrike operations team.”

Walter Curlook was Mining’s Green Pioneer – by Cynthia Macdonald (University of Toronto Magazine – Spring 2015)

April 24, 2015

http://www.magazine.utoronto.ca/

The engineer, inventor, Inco executive and U of T prof is remembered for his boundless passion, spirit and energy

Nickel is a metal that’s both strong and remarkably versatile. These two qualities also describe Walter Curlook: an engineer, executive, community leader and teacher whose extraordinary career was forged not just in and around the nickel mines of his native Sudbury, but in work that took him around the world.

Curlook (BASc 1950, MASc 1951, PhD 1953), who died October 3 at the age of 85, rose meteorically through the ranks at Inco Ltd: from research metallurgist to top executive at a time when the company stood atop the world in nickel production. Curlook himself invented more than a dozen process patents: even at the highest administrative level, he remained an engineer at heart.

“He was an executive, but he also got right down in the labs and contributed directly to technical development,” says Prof. Doug Perovic of materials science and engineering. “He insisted on staying close and keeping his ear to the ground; he just worked so hard.”

He also pioneered environmental responsibility in the mining industry. “Under his leadership, Inco was always progressive in the environmental area,” says colleague Mansoor Barati. A $600 million sulphur dioxide abatement program, completed in 1993, was described as the largest environmental project ever completed by the industry.