2011

McGill Mining and Materials Engineering Adjunct Professor Raad Jassim was selected, out of 300 professors, as this year’s recipient of the Award for Distinguished Teaching in Finance from the School of Continuing Studies, Department of Career and Professional Development. Professor Jassim has taught and coordinated the Engineering Economy Course (MIME 310) for the last 10 years in the Mining program. He also teaches the elective course, Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management (CFIN 410) for mining students, and participates in the evaluation of work-term reports, and offers career guidance for students.

The School of Continuing Studies presents the Award for Distinguished Teaching to recognize teachers who embody the highest attributes of the teaching profession. It is a way to honour those committed to quality teaching, and who have the ability to motivate students. Students are asked to identify candidates for the award and put forward nominations.

Youth Meets Experience at Student-Industry Roundtable
Students and industry experts had a rare opportunity to share experiences during yesterday’s roundtable discussions, part of the growing CIM Student Program. They covered a lot of ground, with groups of students rotating through seven key topics. The CIM Reporter Update followed one group of young people at the event. 

CIM Conference Exhibition Student Program Organizing Committee:

L to R: Dr. Jan Nessett, Teresa Barrett, Genevieve Snider, Mohammad El-Mustapha, Nawfal El Mkadmi, Angelina Mehta, Maureen McGuiness

On May 10th, Roussos Dimitrakopoulos commented in the New York Times, page B3, on the PLAN NORD, the 80 billion dollar investment in developing mineral resources in Quebec’s north announced by the Quebec Government on May 9th, 2011. Roussos also appeared in an interview on CTV news May 11th regarding Plan Nord.

Mining Engineering Students Shine

By Stephen Coates, President, Co-op Mining Engineering Undergraduate Society, McGill University

McGill’s Mining Engineering Games team made the program proud in February, placing third at the Games and garnering recognition for their spirit and leadership.

New Mining Certification Program - Australia 2011

McGill’s new Certification Program in “Ore Reserve Risk and Mine Planning Optimization”: CENG 222, 16 Continuing Education Units, will be offered August 2011 in Perth, WA. This certification program transfers new methods, technologies and approaches COSMO Lab research produces to mining engineering professionals.

Offered in 2010 in Montreal, the course was attended by 15 participants (3 remote) from Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Angola, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and USA.

Professor Roussos Dimitrakopoulos was appointed to the Editorial board of the IMM Transactions – Mining Technology (Manley). He also received the 2010 Mann Redmayne Medal, Best paper award, Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, UK, for: “Stochastic mine design optimization based on simulated annealing: Pit limits, production schedules, multiple orebody scenarios and sensitivity analysis” Albor, F. and Dimitrakopoulos, R. (2009) l, IMM Transactions, Mining Technology, 118 (2): 80-91. To top that off, he was also elected Fellow of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM). His latest book Advances in Orebody Modelling and Strategic Mine Planning I, Spectrum Series Volume 17, The AusIMM, Melbourne, 345p was published in July 2010.

Congratulations to Materials Engineering student Daniel Bairos who recently won The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society Best Paper Contest.

Congratulations to Bamidele Akinrinlola who received the Best Student Poster Award at the 2010 Canadian Materials Science Conference June 2010 which was held at the University of Waterloo. Direct Fabrication of Nanostructured Components Using Al-Mg Chips. Produced By Machining Processes B. Akinrinlola, R. Gauvin and M. Brochu.

As 33 miners in Chile were raised from the depths of a mine that had trapped them for 10 weeks, miners in China and Ecuador have since descended to their deaths. The chances of surviving an accident and being rescued often depend on the extent to which safety standards have been enforced and how prepared mine workers are to respond in an emergency, said Ferri Hassani, a professor of mining engineering at Montreal’s McGill University. 

According to Leanne Hall, Vice President of Human Resources at Noront Resources, the mining industry needs young workers from all backgrounds to replace its ageing workforce. With a 40% retirement rate and new deposits being discovered regularly, thousands of additional workers will be needed each year by mining employers to meet anticipated Canadian production targets to the year 2016.

Mining careers have a lot to offer today's youth. With over 120 types of occupations, including surveyors, haul-truck drivers, geologists and engineers, to name a few, the mining industry is experiencing a rapid growth and prosperity. "That's the great thing about mining. There are a wide variety of jobs available and you don't necessarily have to work at a mine. There are so many interesting opportunities," says Stephanie Jaworski, a mining engineering graduate from McGill University.

BBQ Corn Roast Welcome Event

The Department of Mining and Materials Engineering hosted a BBQ Corn Roast on August 30th at the Wong Genome Terrace. The event kicked-off the fall semester and was attended by over 200 students, faculty, and staff within the department.

Lifetime Visiting Professorship Awarded

Professor Hani Mitri was recently awarded a lifetime visiting professorship at China University of Mining Technology in Beijing. Professor Mitri was on a trip to China visiting several mining schools in Beijing and Henan Province. It is his second visiting professorship in China, following Henan Polytechnic University in 2006. Jiang Yaodong (right), Vice President of CUMT (China University of Mining and Technology - Beijing) hands Professor Mitri a letter of visiting professorship appointment.

Students from the Mining and Materials Engineering departments represented McGill June 11, 12, and 13th at the Old Port of Montreal for the fourth edition of the Eureka! Festival. Eureka! is a free science fair, offering more than 100 science-related activities to the public.

Mining Undergraduates Win Silver Medal

Mining Undergraduates (U4) Brett Woolward and Jeffrey DiFabrizio won the silver medal for their poster on “Dispatch Optimization at the Essakane Mine”. The competition was held in May 2010 in Vancouver during the Canadian Institute for Mining (CIM) Conference.