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February 23, 2009

By: Colin Anderson, Communications and Student Programs Coordinator

As the rock dust settles over U of T’s St. George campus this week, so too does the sound of heavy equipment fade slowly back into the regular hum of the city streets. With it goes the hammer of drills, the thoughtful debate of design engineers and the barking orders of mine rescue teams.

The 19th Annual Canadian Mining Games may be over, but the memories will live on for the over 120 students, dozens of industry representatives, sponsors, faculty, staff and outside volunteers who took part in the event, which was hosted by the University of Toronto.

“It was a huge success,” says Hilda Jerina, the Student Services Team member in the Department of Civil Engineering who provided administration’s support for the four day event. “Especially since it was purely student driven.”

The Mining Games have been student run since their establishment in 1991, and this year was no exception. Ryan Clarke, third year student in the Lassonde Mineral Engineering Program, was lead organizer and developer of this year’s events. He headed up a committee of other Mineral Engineering undergraduates includingCameron Tymstra, Andrew Kearns, Daniel Alksnis, Bahador Alast, Grace Liang and Rachel Ghent.

Together, they developed sponsorship arrangements with 24 major companies in the Mineral Engineering industry, including BHP Billiton, the “Diamond Sponsor” of the event and one of the world’s largest iron miners. They also developed 21 events, each designed to test and showcase a different skill vital to a career in mineral engineering.

At times, competing students were asked to design mines, develop techniques for solving real world mineral processing challenges, assemble and safely operate drills and other machinery, and even simulate an underground mine rescue scenario.

At others, a lighter side prevailed as participants were sent on a GPS powered scavenger hunt and matched up for bouts of “gladiator jousting.”

The organizers were also responsible for coordinating a career fair with over a dozen companies in attendance as well as numerous banquets at Hart House, the CN Tower, the Arcadian Court and the Fairmont Royal York.

Such events provided unmatched opportunity for students to network and make lifelong connections to an industry that, though vital to the success of nearly every world economy, is still subject to the ebb and flow of the marketplace. Executives were quick to offer hope to engineers with fears of scarce job prospects. “Mining is a cyclical industry, and there are many reasons to forecast a healthy recovery. At the end of the day, we still rely on our resources sector for the fundamentals of life.”

The next Annual Canadian Mining Games will take place at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. If the enthusiasm of this year’s participants is any indication, its 20th year promises to be a runaway success.

Media Contact

Fahad Pinto
Communications & Media Relations Strategist
416.978.4498