AusIMM - Award to Civil Engineering Students
Monday, November 8, 2010
The 2010 International Collegiate Mining Games and New Leaders Conference were held in Kalgoorlie in April. The Mining Games were started to recognize the miners lost in the Sunshine Mine tragedy in the USA, 1972.
The conference had speakers presenting about new technology and advancements in the industry, graduates relating their personal experiences and involved a tour of the KCGM superpit mine. It is run by the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (The AusIMM). The Mining Games started after the conference and involved various competitions. As well as the competitions, the Mining Games have events organized by the local committees such as black tie balls, student functions and team traditions, industry networking and mine tours.
This was the first time that Melbourne has been able to send a team, and the students participating were part of the AusIMM Melbourne Student Chapter Committee, and from Monash and Swinburne Universities.
The different competitions involved building rail track, air leg drilling, swede saw, gold panning, surveying, hand steeling and mucking, utilizing traditional mining equipment such as rail carts, old optical theodolites and air leg drills. The Melbourne team came third in the survey and air leg drilling competitions. The survey competition, which involved 45 minutes to find the coordinates of a point B through a bush setting, relative to a point A, by placing an intermediate point and using an old optical theodolite. As this was the first time Melbourne has competed, and against international teams, this was a really impressive result.
Next year the Australian Mining Games will be held in Newcastle. It will run as a Mine Rescue Competition and Melbourne will once again be sending a team.
The AusIMM makes all this possible and are always looking for ways to involve students in the mining industry.
Student memberships are available for $11, and interested students can become involved with the student chapter to help organize events such as the annual Student Meet Industry night and New Leader's Conference and Mining Games delegates.
Information about the Mining Games and student membership is available from www.ausimm.com.au/Education/.
Pictured here, Prof. John Wilson congratulating team member Nicole Ilic on her success at the ICM games.