Having experienced a suc- cessful 2013, the Mining and Explosives Engineer-ing Institute (MEEI) at the South Dakota School of Mines in the US, will be offering a camp in June 2014, which will aim to teach schoolgoers about explosives in the mining industry.
Seventeen high school students from South Dakota and other parts of the US attended the School of Mines in June for a chance to gain hands-on experience in the academic field of mining and explosives engineering.
The institute was developed by former South Dakota School of Mines mining engineering and management (MEM) department head and professor Shashi Kanth to offer students an intro- duction to mining and the opportunities that can come from an MEM degree.
“With the world economy in a state of turbulence, the min- erals industries are thriving with record high prices for precious metals and an ever-increasing demand for basic materials and energy,” says Kanth.
“The students who graduate with a degree in mining engineering have seen near 100% placement, with one of the highest starting salaries for graduating engineers,” he adds.
The five-day curriculum in June included a tour of fast-growing gold producer Goldcorp’s Wharf mine’s facilities, led by recent graduates and Goldcorp employees Fred Shilplin and Jacob Thaler. The campers also toured one of the largest coal producers in the US, Cloud Peak Energy’s Cordero Rojo coal mine, in Gillette, Wyoming.
Donations from blasting companies Century Drilling and Blasting Davey Bickford made it possible for campers to get hands-on experience with a variety of explosives and detonators.