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Looking forward
All newsle ers highlight the
successes of the recent past
and there are plenty of good news stories included in this
issue. The newsle er reports on the outcome of efforts of
staff and students, plus the great support we receive from
alumni, industry and others.
We also receive vital support from Government – both Fed‐
eral and State. The Federal Government has proposed sig‐
nificant changes to student fees and research support. This
would increase the cost of degrees in our subject areas, in
par cular engineering and surveying, and poten ally reduce
research support. Should these proposals pass Senate, the
implica ons will become apparent over the next few years.
Next year also sees the “half cohort” of Year 12 students, a
result of a State Government educa on change many years
ago. This may mean that we, like the school sector, have
smaller classes for the years 2015 – 2018 with the resultant
lower revenue.
These changes make the support we receive from industry
and alumni through scholarships and research projects all
the more important. Cur n University has commi ed to
remain a member of Coopera ve Research Centre (CRC) in
Mining for the next seven years from 1st July 2014 (even
a er the long period of Federal Government support has
ended).
A number of major mining and equipment supply compa‐
nies, along with the Universi es of Queensland and Newcas‐
tle, will form the membership and research providers. A key
contribu on is made by our world‐renown rock mechanics
group.
DIRECTOR’S
WELCOME
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN
SCHOOL OF MINES
Newsle er |July 2014 The University has joined the $112 million rebid for Federal
Government support for CRC ORE (Op mising Resource
Extrac on), together with 32 companies, for a further six
years of funding from mid‐2015. We remain key research
providers in CRC CO2, CRC Spa al Informa on and CRC
Deep Explora on Technologies.
We also remain the only University in all of the educa on
programs, mining, metallurgy and geology honours, finan‐
cially supported by the Minerals Council of Australia.
Investment in infrastructure con nues on both campuses
with construc on of new student accommoda on in Kal‐
goorlie finally to commence late this year, laboratory devel‐
opments and somehow addi onal space being found for
the growing numbers of research students. So the future is
at best uncertain, likely to be one of less revenue – so like
the mining industry we will be under cost pressures and
will be looking to improve produc vity, while maintaining
quality. In some ways, it reads like the past 112 years!
Try to stay posi ve!
Steve
CURTIN’S NEW VICE CHANCELLOR VISITS KALGOORLIE
CAMPUS ‐ Article on page 2
Vice‐Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry
JULY 2014 2
VISITORS & EVENTS:
MINE SURVEYING GRADUATE TURNS 100
Paul Royale, the oldest living graduate of the WA School of
Mines turned 100 on 17th January this year!
Paul graduated in 1947 with a mine surveying degree a er
having it interrupted by World War II. The WA School of
Mines wishes Paul well in his 100th year with much health
and happiness long into the future.
Professor Bert Veenendaal, Head of the Spatial Sciences
department, Mr Bill Beament, President of the WASM Grad‐
uates Association and Mr Paul Royale together at the Spa‐
tial Sciences Centenary event held in May 2013.
CURTIN’S NEW VICE CHANCELLOR VISITS KALGOORLIE
CAMPUS
On Friday 28th March, Vice‐Chancellor Professor Deborah
Terry visited the Kalgoorlie Campus.
I was fortunate enough to visit Curtin’s Western Australian
School of Mines in Kalgoorlie recently, where upgrades to the
library and laboratories are already underway and redevelop‐
ment of the Agricola student accommodation is scheduled to
start later this year.
It was my first trip to the WA School of Mines in Kalgoorlie
and I was most impressed with both the enthusiasm and ex‐
pertise of the staff and the passion and commitment of the
students.
The WA School of Mines has been a very strong part of
Curtin’s past and will be an equally important part of our fu‐
ture.
IN THIS ISSUE DIRECTOR’S WELCOME 1
VISITORS & EVENTS:
MINE SURVEYING GRADUATE TURNS 100
CURTIN’S NEW VICE CHANCELLOR VISITS KALGOORLIE CAMPUS
2
UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI STUDY TOUR DELEGATION WELCOMED TO
CURTIN
NEW TOASTMASTERS GROUP ESTABLISHED AT KALGOORLIE CAMPUS
COLLABORATION WITH UNIVERSITY OF INDONESIA PRODUCES FIRST
GRADUATE
3
DEPARTMENT NEWS :
APPLIED GEOLOGY:
AUSTRALIA’S DEADLY ERUPTIONS THE REASON FOR THE FIRST MASS
EXTINCTION
NEW MINERAL PROCESSING LAB COMMISSIONED
7
WASM WOMBATS TRIUMPH AT 2014 INTERNATIONAL INTER‐
COLLEGIATE MINING COMPETITION
9
SPATIAL SCIENCES:
SPATIAL STUDENTS SCOOP UP NATIONAL APSEA AWARDS
RAIL PROJECT FAST TRACKS WASM STUDENT TO TRIP OF LIFETIME
11
STAFF NEWS / AWARDS, GRANTS, HONOURS & SCHOLAR‐
SHIPS:
CONGRATULATIONS ‐ PETE KINNY
30 YEARS OF SERVICE ‐ DEBBIE LALICH
NEW STAFF
WASM PRIZE & AWARD CEREMONY
13
EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS:
FIELD TRIP TO JAGUAR MINE SITE, WA
HARVEY 2D SEISMIC SURVEY UPDATE
MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING: WASM FORGES RELATIONSHIP WITH TROPICANA GOLDMINE
8
WA SCHOOL OF MINES HOSTS ‘FOCUS ON MINING 2014’
“KALGOORLIE CAN YOU DIG IT” EVENT A HIT WITH BENTLEY
STUDENTS
5
WASM SHEDS LIGHT ON NEW LIBRARY AREA 6
STUDENTS ACCEPT SCHOLARSHIPS TO IMPROVE JOB PROSPECTS
FIELD TRIP OR BENTLEY MINING & METALLURGY STUDENTS TO
NEWMONT’S BODDINGTON GOLD MINE
WA SCHOOL OF MINES TEAMS UP WITH CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY FOR WEAR
10
WASM GRADUATES ASSOCIATION NEWS:
GRADUATES GET CASH IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
50 YEAR GRADS ATTEND KALGOORLIE’S GRADUATION CEREMONY ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP BALL 2014 ‐ ”UNDER THE BIG TOP”
12
BHP OFFERS $2.5m SCHOLARSHIPS
SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED THROUGH WA MINING CLUB
NEW AWARD TO BE HANDED OUT AT DIGGERS & DEALERS GALA DINNER
14
TRAVEL ON THE AGENDA FOR WASM SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
ARC LINKAGE PROJECT SUCCESS
15
KENYAN VISIT SEES CONTINUING INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
WITH TAITA TAVETA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE (TTUC)
PERUVIAN VICE MINISTER OF MINES HOSTED IN COLLABORATION
TALKS
SUCCESSFUL ARTICULATION AGREEMENT NEGOTIATED WITH ZIJING
COLLEGE, CHINA
4
LEADERSHIP IN MINING ESSAY COMPETITION 16
JULY 2014 3
UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI STUDY TOUR DELEGATION WEL‐COMED TO CURTIN
In June 2014, the WA School of Mines hosted a study tour
delega on from the University of Malawi visi ng Western
Australia for the first me in order to further develop a cur‐
ricula in mining engineering programmes for Malawi.
As mining is a new area in Malawi, the study tour was
deemed vital for the delegates to learn how other mining
countries have developed their programmes, including spec‐
ifying equipment and best prac ces. This visit would include
tours of laboratories and workshops in order to appreciate
the nature of mining related equipment, assessing technical
specifica ons and visi ng mine sites.
The delega on included Mrs Rose Kalisang’oma ‐ Chief Edu‐
ca on Officer, Ministry of Educa on, Professor Grant Ku‐
lulanga ‐ Principal, The Polytechnic, Dr Theresa Mkandawire
‐ Dean of Faculty & Engineering, The Polytechnic, Mr Samuel
Ng’anjo ‐ Head of Mechanical Engineering, The Polytechnic,
Dr Cosmo Ngongonda ‐ Head of geography and Earth Sci‐
ence, Chancellor College, Dr Zuze Dulanya ‐ Senior Lecturer,
Chancellor College, Mr George Yambeni ‐ Lecturer, Chancel‐
lor College and Mr Nathan Banda ‐ Principal Geologist.
The tour started at the Kalgoorlie Campus of the WA School
of Mines on Monday 9th June, with Professor Steve Hall
mee ng up with the delega on. The following days ac vi‐
es include presenta ons on both metallurgy engineering
and mining engineering, along with a tour of the campus
and its facili es. Lewis Pannell, Senior Technician at the
Kalgoorlie Campus escorted the delegates on a tour of Kal‐
goorlie town which included a visit to the famous Super Pit.
Arriving back in Perth, the delega on were hosted by the
Interna onal Office of the Science and Engineering Faculty
at the Bentley Campus further mee ng with staff from the
WA School of Mines, Marke ng and the School of Civil and
Mechanical Engineering. Dr Nina Hall ‐ Project Develop‐
ment Officer with the WA School of Mines facilitated tours
of the Engineering Pavilion, Engineering Founda on Year,
and the Hub for Immersive Visualisa on and eResearch
(HIVE).
The delega on also met with Mr Mark Whi aker for a tour
of the Geo Mechanics Laboratory and a tour of Civil Struc‐
tures where demonstra ons on CRC Machinery and 3D
printers were conducted. The day ended with Dr Nina Hall
giving a short presenta on on “AusAID Projects conducted at
Cur n University’’.
Thank you to staff who gave me to ensure the delegates
had a successful study tour.
TWO NEW TOASTMASTERS GROUPS ESTABLISHED AT KAL‐
GOORLIE CAMPUS
Kalgoorlie Student Wellbeing Advisor, Connie Klaassen has
been instrumental in ge ng students to a end a Toastmas‐
ters Demonstra on Mee ng held on Thursday evening,
20th March.
Following the demonstra on mee ng, around 20 students
have now signed up forming the new WA School of Mines
Toastmasters Group! These students stand to gain valuable
skills in improving their speaking and communica on skills,
improving presenta ons and further building their confi‐
dence and self esteem overall.
The WASM Toastmasters Club is a less formal affair and is
open to the general community, especially those in mining
whilst the Golden Gourmet Toastmasters Club will con nue
to host monthly dinner mee ngs which con nues the well
established tradi on of combining a meal and speaking in a
formal se ng.
WASM staff and students at the Toastmasters Club
mee ng.
To find out more about Toastmasters, please go to h p://
www.toastmasters.org/ or contact Connie on 9088‐6029.
COLLABORATION WITH UNIVERSITY OF INDONESIA (UI)
PRODUCES FIRST GRADUATE
Utami “Tami” Sastramihardja is the first graduate to
emerge from the 2 + 2 collabora on agreement set up be‐
tween the WA School of Mines and the University of Indo‐
nesia.
Students in the program spend the first two years of the
BEng (Metallurgical Engineering) course at the University of
Indonesia and the final two years are based at the WA
School of Mines.
JULY 2014 4
The students essen ally graduate with two degrees: one
from UI and one from Cur n University, as we recognise
their first two years and they recognise our last two year of
the BEng program.
KENYAN VISIT SEES CONTINUING INTERNATIONAL COLLAB‐
ORATIONS WITH TAITA TAVETA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
(TTUC)
In December 2013, Professor Steve Hall visited Kenya to
con nue the collabora on talks between the WA School of
Mines and Taita Taveta University College (TTUC), cons tu‐
ent college of Jomo Kenya a University of Agriculture and
Technology. The talks hope to further advance capacity
building and curriculum development through leadership.
During the visit, Professor Hall met with Professor Chris ne
Onyango ‐ Deputy Principal, Academic, Research and Out‐
reach of TTUC and Professor Arthur Ndegwa, Chairman of
the Department of Mining & Mineral Processing Engineering
at TTUC.
The visit included a tour of the TTUC facili es and a small
scale gemstones mine visit in the Taita Taveta in Voi, Kenya.
Congratula ons to Tami Sastramihardja, the first collabo‐
ra on graduate from the University of Indonesia.
Professor Steve Hall with Professor Chris ne Onyango and Professor Arthur Ndengwa of Taita Taveta University Col‐lege in Kenya
Prof. Vishnu Pareek ‐ Dept of Chemical Engineering, Prof. Ste‐
ve Hall ‐ Director WA School of Mines, Mr Guillermo Shinno ‐
Vice Minister of Mines, Peru, H.E. Luis Quesada ‐ Peruvian
Ambassador to Australia & NZ and Prof. Andris Stelbovics ‐
Vice Pro Chancellor, Faculty of Science & Engineering.
PERUVIAN VICE MINISTER OF MINES HOSTED IN COLLABO‐
RATION TALKS
On Friday 30th May, Professor Steve Hall, Director ‐ WA
School of Mines, along with Professor Deborah Terry ‐ Vice
Chancellor, Professor Andris Stelbovics ‐ Pro VC, Faculty of
Science & Engineering, Professor Simon Ridings ‐ A/Deputy
VC, Cur n Interna onal and Professor Vishnu Pareek ‐ Head
of Department, School of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering
a ended a collabora on mee ng at Cur n University with
Mr Guillermo Shinno ‐ Vice Minister of Mines, Ministry of
Mines & Energy of Peru and Ambassador of Peru to Australia
and New Zealand, His Excellency, Mr Luis Quesada.
The visit aimed at exploring avenues of collabora on on
research and development opportuni es between Peru and
Australia, and to further developing strategic partnerships in
order to enable students and researchers to gain privileged
access to the wide range of programs and state of the art
research centres available at partner ins tu ons.
The Vice Minister expressed a desire to explore the estab‐
lishment of a co‐funded program for Peruvian graduate stu‐
dents to study and conduct research in Australia. The visit
included a tour of the Chemical Engineering labs.
SUCCESSFUL ARTICULATION AGREEMENT NEGOTIATED WITH
ZIJING MINING COLLEGE, CHINA
The WA School of Mines has successfully nego ated an ar cu‐
la on agreement (Mining Engineering) with Zijing Mining Col‐
lege, China.
The college is part of Fuzhou University with the Mining Col‐
lege fully funded by the Zij ing Mining Company, reputed to be
one of the top ten in the world, and the owner of the Norton
Goldfields Company in Perth and Kalgoorlie as part of their
globalisa on efforts.
The first group of students are expected to be in Kalgoorlie
next semester.
JULY 2014 5
WA SCHOOL OF MINES HOSTS ‘FOCUS ON MINING 2014’
A er nearly 10 years, the highly successful ‘Focus on Min‐
ing’ event has been run again this year.
With an average uptake or 48% of par cipa ng students
enrolling into a WA School of Mines degree the following
year, the five day tour for the senior high school students
intending on studying mining or mining related sciences
commenced at Cur n University in Bentley and progressed
to the Kalgoorlie campus.
This all‐expenses‐paid experience introduced par cipants
to the mining industry and what it has to offer. During the
camp, high school students met with lecturers, university
students and mining leaders with opportuni es of explor‐
ing mining, spa al sciences, geology, geophysics, mining
engineering and metallurgy through hands‐on workshops
and lectures, field trips and a tour of an opera onal mine
site.
In 2013, sites visited included Silver Lake Resources Daisy
Milano Gold Mine and St Ives Lefroy Mill and processing
plant as well as a tour to the famous KCGM Super Pit.
By reducing travel intensity and to incorporate a wider
base of university and industry ac vi es, this increased
me spent on experiences for the students. The ‘Focus on
Mining’ hopes to travel to Western Australia’s South West
region.
“Focus on Mining” students in Kalgoorlie last year.
“KALGOORLIE CAN YOU DIG IT” EVENT A HIT WITH
BENTLEY STUDENTS
The Engineering Pavilion came alive once again this year
when it hosted the 2014 “Kalgoorlie Can You Dig It” event
on Wednesday 20th May.
This year staff of the Kalgoorlie campus came to Perth to
promote all things Kalgoorlie. Informa on stands included
Student Housing, Student Wellbeing, MineARC and the
WASM Graduates Associa on.
The panel discussion hosted by Professor Steve Hall, Director
of the WA School of Mines included Richard Browner ‐ Head of
Discipline for Metallurgical Engineering, Lana Dewar ‐ Manag‐
er, Guild House, Connie Klaassen ‐ Student Wellbeing Officer,
Sarah Haynes ‐ Student Guild Staff, Carl Adams ‐ WASM Grad‐
uate and Director of Momentum Partners, Rosie Allen ‐ WASM
Graduate in Mining Engineering and Graeme Sellars ‐ World
Wide Workforce Pty Ltd.
The WASM Wallabies were on hand to demonstrate gold pan‐
ning to students, who were also able to take part in a hard hat
decora ng compe on. The camels provided many photo‐
graphic opportuni es, as did the WASM Wombat with a free
BBQ concluding the days ac vi es.
Visitors to Bentley Campus, Kent Street High School students
with Professor Steve Hall.
Hands on ac vi es included gold
panning and spray pain ng hard
hats.
JULY 2014 6
WASM SHEDS LIGHT ON NEW LIBRARY AREA ‐ While min‐
ing is the focus of any student at the WA School of Mines,
the school’s refurbished library should make mining for in‐
forma on easier for students.
The new look library, which features about 30 computer
sta ons and several private study areas, was unveiled to the
public on Friday 16th May 2014. The buildings’ design has
also focused on maximising the use of daylight. The new
library also has the poten al to have 24 hour access, de‐
pending on student demand and security requirements.
Describing the new facili es as “absolutely fantas c”, the
comple on of the new library will bring “even more life” to
the Kalgoorlie campus, said Cur n University’s Vice Chancel‐
lor, Deborah Terry. “To relocate the library to the centre of
this wonderful iconic building but to have it equipped with
absolutely everything that is state‐of‐the‐art for a modern
university library is a wonderful achievement. There are
study rooms for students to work in groups, it’s all wireless
enabled so I think it will be an area that will a ract students
when they are studying. It’s a wonderful redevelopment. It’s
been done incredibly well,” she said.
Ar cle courtesy of Andrew Brosnan, 19/05/2015 and ar cle dated
21/05/2014, Kalgoorlie Miner (edited).
Lady Jean Brodie‐Hall, Cur n University’s Vice Chancellor,
Deborah Terry and Wendy Duncan, MLA.
Ms Connie Klaassen, Kal‐goorlie Student Wellbeing Advisor and Professor Jill Downie ‐ DVC Educa on, Cur n University.
The bust of Sir Laurence Brodie‐Hall, now a feature of the
new library
Dr Tim Griffin, Deputy Director General, Approvals and
Compliance ‐ Department of Mines & Petroleum and Pro‐fessor Andris Stelbovics, Pro Vice‐Chancellor ‐ Faculty of
Science & Engineering, Cur n University.
JULY 2014 7
DEPARTMENT NEWS
APPLIED GEOLOGY:
AUSTRALIA’S DEADLY ERUPTIONS THE REASON FOR THE
FIRST MASS EXTINCTION ‐ A Cur n University researcher
has shown that ancient volcanic erup ons in Australia 510
million years ago significantly affected the climate, causing
the first known mass ex nc on in the history of complex
life.
Published in pres gious journal Geology, Associate Profes‐
sor Fred Jourdan from Cur n’s Department of Applied Geol‐
ogy, along with colleagues from several Australian and inter‐
na onal ins tu ons, used radioac ve da ng techniques to
precisely measure the age of the erup ons of the Kalkarindji
volcanic province – where lavas covered an area of more
than 2 million square kilometres in the Northern Territory
and Western Australia.
Dr Jourdan and his team were able to prove the volcanic
province occurred at the same me as the Early–Middle
Cambrian ex nc on from 510‐511 million years ago – the
first ex nc on to wipe out complex mul cellular life. “It has
been well‐documented that this ex nc on, which eradicat‐
ed 50 per cent of species, was related to clima c changes
and deple on of oxygen in the oceans, but the exact mecha‐
nism causing these changes was not known, un l now,” Dr
Jourdan said. “Not only were we able to demonstrate that
the Kalkarindji volcanic province was emplaced at the exact
same me as the Cambrian ex nc on, but were also able to
measure a deple on of sulphur dioxide from the province’s
volcanic rocks – which indicates sulphur was released into
the atmosphere during the erup ons.
“As a modern comparison, when the small volcano Pinatubo
erupted in 1991, the resul ng discharge of sulphur dioxide
decreased the average global temperatures by a few tenths
of a degree for a few years following the erup on.
“If rela vely small erup ons like Pinatubo can affect the
climate just imagine what a volcanic province with an area
equivalent to the size of the state of Western Australia can
do.”
The team then compared the Kalkarindji volcanic province
with other volcanic provinces and showed the most likely
process for all the mass ex nc ons was a rapid oscilla on of
the climate triggered by volcanic erup ons emi ng sulphur
dioxide, along with greenhouse gases methane and carbon
dioxide. “We calculated a near perfect chronological corre‐
la on between large volcanic province erup ons, climate
shi s and mass ex nc ons over the history of life during the
last 550 million years, with only one chance over 20 billion
that this correla on is just a coincidence,” Dr Jourdan said.
Dr Jourdan said the rapid oscilla ons of the climate produced
by volcanic erup ons made it difficult for various species to
adapt, ul mately resul ng in their demise. He also stressed the
importance of this research to be er understand our current
environment. “To comprehend the long‐term clima c and
biological effects of the massive injec ons of gas in the atmos‐
phere by modern society, we need to recognise how climate,
oceans and ecosystems were affected in the past,” he said.
The paper’s abstract, High‐precision da ng of the Kalkarindji
large igneous province, Australia, and synchrony with the Ear‐
ly–Middle Cambrian (Stage 4–5) ex nc on, is available at:
h p://geology.gsapubs.org/content/early/2014/04/22/G3543
4.1.abstract. A full version is available on request.
Courtesy of Megan Meates, Public Rela ons, Cur n University
NEW MINERAL PROCESSING LAB COMMISSIONED
Work was completed in March this year on the installa on of a
selFrag disaggrega on unit in the Geology department.
This represents the first stage of a completely refurbished min‐
eral processing facility to provide high quality samples for fur‐
ther petrological and geochemical analysis. The selFrag
(selec ve fragmenta on unit) provides a unique alterna ve to
conven onal mechanical comminu on of geological materials.
It uses pulsed high voltage discharges passing through samples
immersed in water in a sealed chamber, to disaggregate rocks
without crushing individual grains to dust.
Technician Cathylee O’Toole has been appointed as Manager
of the facility which has already a racted great interest from
researchers in other WA School of Mines departments, exter‐
nal partners such as CSIRO and industry clients due to its wider
applica ons to industrial mineral processing and metallurgy.
The selFrag was acquired via an Australian Research Council
grant applica on led by Head of Department, Professor Pete
Kinny, with financial contribu ons from the Geological Survey
of Western Australia and the
University of Western Austral‐
ia.
Above ‐ A sample ‘Before’ and
Right ‐ A er’ selFrag pro‐
cessing.
JULY 2014 8
EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS:
FIELD TRIP TO JAGUAR MINE SITE, WA
The third year field trip, sponsored by the Independence
Group and facilitated by ex‐Cur n student and Independ‐
ence Group employee, Mike Whi ord visited the Jaguar
mine site, 60 km north of the town of Leonora, Western
Australia.
Being a complicated, logis cal effort each year, this trip
proved no different with most of the equipment being
shipped ahead of me. The gravity meter ‐ kindly donat‐
ed by Atlas Geophysics, had to be driven from Perth to
the site and back. The GPS equipment, rented prior to
leaving, had to fly with the students and Anna Podolska
directly to Leonora. The remaining party members flew
to Kalgoorlie, rented two buses and two 4 wheel drives
and then drove to Leonora to meet up with the students.
Staff members Dr Anton Kepic, Andrew Greenwood,
Dominic Howman and Anna Podolska lead teams of stu‐
dents performing seismic reflec on, magne cs, gravity
and GPS measurements at the remote mine site. Ar cle
courtesy of Dept. of Explora on Geophysics March 2014 Newsle er
HARVEY 2D SEISMIC SURVEY UPDATE
Dr Milovan Urosevic, Dr Anton Kepic, Lee Ignacia, Dr
Roman Pevzner and Andrew Greenwood have all been
involved in the 2D seismic acquisi on along Riverdale
Road, Harvey in Western Australia. It has been complet‐
ed as a part of ANLEC project with new NGL UNIVIB
trucks.
Excellent resolu on and depth penetra on has been
achieved and results show that these broadband, low
footprint mini‐vibes will be excellent for the CO2 monitor‐
ing objec ves Australia wide.
In April 2014 UNIVIBs will be used with the new NGL Sercel hy‐
brid system to acquire high resolu on 3D survey for delinea on
of the major structures in the Harvey area. Ar cle courtesy of Dept. of
Explora on Geophysics March 2014 Newsle er
MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING:
WASM FORGES RELATIONSHIP WITH TROPICANA GOLD MINE
Early on the morning of 13th March 2014, Dr Mohammad
‘Waqar’ Asad and Dr Oktay Erten of the Mining and Metallurgy
Department flew to the Tropicana Gold Mine site.
The aim of this visit ‐ to establish and strengthen the rela onship
between WASM and the mine currently operated by Anglo Gold
Ashan and Independence Group with possible future collabora‐
ons and hands‐on research projects at both undergraduate and
postgraduate levels were discussed.
The trip started with a visit to the open pit mines of Tropicana
and Havana, within the Tropicana mining lease where they ob‐
served the open pit mining opera ons. A processing plant tour
followed in which the metallurgist explained the processing stag‐
es which are necessary for gold extrac on. Both Dr Asad and Dr
Erten gave presenta ons regarding their exper se with the out‐
come of possible collabora ve research projects on which
WASM and Tropicana Gold Mine can work together in the fu‐
ture.
Staff and students at the Independence Group Jaguar Mine Site, 60km north of Leonora, WA.
Dr Oktay Erten & Dr Mohammad Asad present to staff of the
Tropicana Gold Mine Site.
JULY 2014 9
WASM WOMBATS TRIUMPH AT 2014 INTERNA‐
TIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE MINING COMPETI‐
TION: by David Grimsey : Wombat’s Coach (edited)
The WASM Wombats returned from the 36th Interna onal
Intercollegiate Mining Compe on hosted by the Missouri
University of Science and Technology (MS&T) in Rolla over
3rd ‐ 5th April. The compe on a racted a record 43 teams
of six compe ng over all divisions, represen ng 15 universi‐
es from the USA, Canada, Brazil, England and Australia,
including teams from Cur n, UWA and UQ.
The Wombats were well represented, entering teams in
each of the three student divisions (men’s, co‐ed and wom‐
en’s) a er securing significant industry sponsorship. In re‐
sponse, the commitment from each Wombat team member
was to train at least three mes a week, and five to six mes
a week leading up to the compe on. This year, the WASM
teams were first on the field for prac ce day and rewarded
for their early start by being able to prac ce events before
the heavy rains and tornado warnings arrived. The weather
cleared up but not before the dirt pile for the mucking com‐
pe on had turned to mud, leaving the Wombats unable to
use their renown mucking technique and having to resort to
the ‘digging’ technique favoured by the American teams.
The next day saw the co‐ed’s, led by Holly Kiely and the
women’s team, led by Emma Trypuza, compete. Strong
performances in the hand steel and track stand events en‐
sured second places for both, with a close result in the saw,
finishing third. It came down to the survey event to sepa‐
rate the teams, with the women finishing a close 4th overall
in their division. The WASM co‐eds put in a strong perfor‐
mance all day, finishing with first places in swede saw and
track stand, a second placing in hand steel and placing no
lower than fi h in any of the field events to give them a one
point lead over the Camborne School of Mines (CSM) team,
with the survey event s ll to be decided as the last event of
the last day. A er a nail‐bi ng wait, the Wombat surveyors
(Holly Kiely and Nick Wright) were able to defeat CSM to
take the overall win by a narrow two points, at the head of
a field of 18 teams, the largest ever in the history of the
compe on.
The final day of team compe on saw the men, led by Jake
Rovacsek, compete and the team went on to take out a first
in the event. The men’s compe on was par cularly com‐
pe ve and a few disappoin ng results meant the Wom‐
bats ended up taking out third overall, with CSM taking out
second and the impressive home team MS&T taking out
first.
The WASM Wombats represented their university and spon‐
sors admirably.
Holly Kiely, a veteran of three interna onal compe ons and
captain of the co‐ed team was elated to have a win in her
final compe on. “It has been such a great trip and it was a
fantas c feeling to come away with a win a er all the effort
everyone has put in” she said. Sco Berry, a first year mem‐
ber of the Wombats already had his eyes on next year’s
games.
The Wombats now look forward to 2015, when they will be
given the chance to showcase WASM and Kalgoorlie to the
interna onal mining community through hos ng of the com‐
pe on which will be held from 18th – 23rd March and ex‐
pressions of interest to support the Wombats hos ng can be
sent to [email protected].
Full results for the 2014 compe on results can be found at:
h p://mining.mst.edu/ac vi esandseminars/2014results/
Sponsors of the 2014 WASM Wombats:
Silver Sponsors: Barminco, Byrnecut Australia and First
Quantum Nickel
Bronze Sponsors: Anglo Gold Ashan , Australian Contract
Mining (ACM), Cliffs Natural Resources, Emeco, Goldfields,
Ac on Drill and Blast, Mining and Civil Australia (MACA),
Mincor, Mining People Interna onal (MPI), Norton Gold‐
fields, Reed Resources, Swick, Tru Blu, Western Areas and
WesTac
Team members of the 2014 WASM Wombats:
Coach: David Grimsey
Men: Jake Rovacsek (c), Kim Bailey, Daniel Bochenek, Brodie
Edwards, Lee Haynes, Jacob Sammut and Caleb Woodcock
Co‐ed: Holly Kiley (c), Sco Berry, Jak Kuser, Jack Prince,
Kelsey Roberts, Audie Trutwein and Nick Wright
Women: Emma Trypuza (c), Ashlee Edwards, Ashlee McKen‐
na, Rachael Parro e, Brianna Renehan and Stephanie Shelley
STUDENTS ACCEPT SCHOLARSHIPS TO IMPROVE JOB PRO‐
SPECTS
The WA School of Mines formally announced the winners of
three scholarships, valued at $30,000 each at an awards
ceremony held on Friday 11th April 2014.
Toben Clements, Daniella Jaen Sevilla and Andrew Borth‐
wick‐Clarke have all been chosen as recipients of the finan‐
cial grants funded by former WASM students. The scholar‐
ships will help cover the students’ tui on and cost of living
in Kalgoorlie‐Boulder during the final three years of their
degree.
WA School of Mines Director, Professor Stephen Hall, who
came to the Goldfields for the awards ceremony, said it was
important for students to undergo their educa on at one of
WA’s mining hubs. “The WASM Graduates Associa on have
put together a rac ve scholarships to have students study
second‐year here in Kalgoorlie, which is something I pro‐
mote as well,” he said. “Of course, this is where mining is
happening, this is where you get the chance of part‐ me
employment and probably a be er chance of vaca on em‐
ployment”.
Several prizes, awarded by mining companies, consultants
and former students, were given out at the ceremony to
students who have demonstrated academic excellence in
their studies to date. Ar cle courtesy of the Kalgoorlie Miner, An‐
drew Brosnan, picture Paul Braven15/04/2014
FIELD TRIP FOR BENTLEY MINING & METALLURGY STU‐
DENTS TO NEWMONT’S BODDINGTON GOLD MINE
Twenty two Mining and Metallurgy students from the Bent‐
ley campus had the opportunity to visit Newmont’s Bod‐
dington Gold Mine with Dr Carla Boehl and Jay Ridgewell,
Geoscience Outreach Officer.
Two separate tours were organised on different days to the
site which included an opera onal overview and site update,
as well as a tour of the mining, processing and residue dis‐
posal areas. These ac vi es gave the students a unique in‐
sight into the opera ons of a mine site.
WA SCHOOL OF MINES TEAMS UP WITH CENTRAL INSTI‐
TUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (CIT) FOR WEAR MANAGEMENT
SOLUTIONS
A new partnership has been formed between the WA School
of Mines and the Central Ins tute of Technology to provide
mining companies with a ‘one‐stop shop’ for wear manage‐
ment solu ons.
The wear tes ng facility based at CIT’s Northbridge campus
will provide the equipment and raw data to the WA School of
Mines who will, through its exper se in research and devel‐
opment in the mining sector, develop solu ons for mining
companies. The collabora on, led by Associate Professor
Vladimir Golovanevskiy, capitalises on his long involvement
with CIT’s laboratory and his further extensive experience in
wear management.
By iden fying the wear characteris cs of par cular wear
materials, such as those used in excavator shovels and crush‐
ers, a material with greater wear proper es can save consid‐
erable amounts of money for mining companies who will not
have to replace the equipment so o en. When you consider
that every hour of a shut‐down to replace wear liners of a
crusher on a mine site can cost up to $100,000 per hour in
produc on, it is a major savings.
WA School of Mines Director, Steve Hall said the collabora‐
on was natural for the two organisa ons, which shared a
keen interest in developing a be er understanding by indus‐
try of the science involved in wear proper es of materials
and how it can be applied in a prac cal sense.
Above: Newmont’s Boddington Gold Mine and students
enjoying the day’s visit.
Professor Hall joins newly announced WASM Graduates
Association scholarship recipients Toben Clements, Daniella
Sevilla and Andrew Borthwick‐Clarke.
JULY 2014 10
And in the process of providing this service, we can offer
opportuni es for students and researchers to apply their
knowledge and broaden their understanding of this cri cal
opera onal area to provide added value to the mining in‐
dustry.
For the full ar cle, please copy the below link into your
browser:
h p://www.ferret.com.au/ar cles/news/cur n‐uni‐
teams‐up‐with‐central‐ins tute‐of‐technology‐for‐
wear‐management‐solu ons‐n2514899
Ar cle courtesy of Ben Hagemann, Ferret.com.au ‐ division of Cirrus Me‐
dia.
SPATIAL SCIENCES:
SPATIAL STUDENTS SCOOP UP NATIONAL ASIA PACIFIC
SPATIAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS (APSEA)
Cur n’s Department of Spa al Sciences is delighted to an‐
nounce that two of its students were the proud recipients of
pres gious APSEA individual awards:
Jake Buswell, SSSI Student of the Year
(Undergraduate)
Xin Liu, SSSI Student of the Year (Postgraduate)
The APSEA awards were presented at the APSEA dinner on
8 April in the Great Hall of Parliament House, Canberra. This
event was held in conjunc on with the inaugural Locate14
conference. APSEA is the premier spa al event in the na‐
onal calendar and celebrates its 10th year this year as well
as the coming together of both industry and individual na‐
onal awards. Winners from each state are finalists at
APSEA and winning an award at the APSEA is the highest
honour within the spa al industry.
A huge congratula on to both our students!
RAIL PROJECT FAST TRACKS WASM STUDENT TO TRIP OF
LIFETIME ‐ A Spa al Science student’s passion to provide
improved transport solu ons for Perth’s residents has land‐
ed her the trip of a life me to a end the world’s largest
spa al conference in San Diego, California.
Grace Lin won the 2014 Esri Young Scholars Award compe ‐
on for an impressive entry which maps the accessibility of
Perth railway sta ons for older transit passengers. The na‐
on‐wide compe on celebrates excellence in geospa al
study and, more specifically, the crea ve use of Geographic
Informa on System (GIS) technology – or smart mapping –
to solve commercial and community issues.
Ms Lin beat a quality field of entries to book her place at the
Esri User Conference in the US in July, where she will show‐
case her project to 15,000 of the world’s foremost GIS ex‐
perts. Her first‐of‐its‐kind study provides models to help im‐
prove train sta on access for elderly residents and delivers a
framework for future infrastructure placement.
The study is per nent for Perth where railway transport con‐
s tutes a sizeable share of daily travel undertaken by resi‐
dents. “Data from 2011 showed nearly one in 10 people living
in Perth boarded a train every day,” Ms Lin said. "When you
consider that over the next 20 years authori es plan to spend
80 per cent of a $2.9 billion transport infrastructure budget on
a light‐rail network to extend the exis ng heavy‐rail network,
it is cri cal to ensure train sta ons are accessible to the popu‐
la on of Perth and will remain so over the long‐term.
“This is the first study that’s used GIS technology to provide
an insight into issues surrounding accessibility to transport in
Perth.” The study was developed using government infor‐
ma on and data gathered directly from transit users. “By
mapping and analysing the loca on of key infrastructure, such
as ramps and li s, alongside direct road access, park and ride
op ons and the community’s percep ons, we provided a
comprehensive picture of each sta on’s accessibility.”
The judging panel which included senior industry figures from
the Department of Communica ons, SSSI and Western Power
praised the project for its methodology, innova on and real‐
world applica on. In par cular, Ms Lin gained points for the
self‐generated data and the las ng difference the study could
have to Perth’s transport infrastructure. While she undertook
the project to improve services for Perth’s public transit users.
Esri Australia Managing Director Bre Bundock – who also sat
on the judging panel – said the quality of the entries for this
year’s compe on exemplified the growing talent pool of
young Australian geospa al experts. “The demand for geospa‐
al disciplines within Australian universi es is growing – and
thousands of students now regularly draw on spa al thinking
and technologies to solve real‐world issues,” Mr Bundock said.
“Grace’s entry demonstrated the real difference GIS technolo‐
gy can deliver when used crea vely to solve complex commu‐
nity and business problems.”
Grace Lin, winner of the
2014 Esri Young Scholars
Award for her study to
map the accessibility of
Perth railway sta ons for
older transit passengers.
JULY 2014 11
50 YEAR GRADS ATTEND KALGOORLIE’S GRADUATION CER‐
EMONY ‐ Nine WA School of Mines graduates and their
partners a ended the WASM Gradua on Ceremony as spe‐
cial guests to a luncheon held in their honour 50 years a er
gradua ng from the school. The luncheon, hosted by Pro‐
fessor Steve Hall, Director of the WA School of Mines in‐
cluded Cur n’s Vice Chancellor Deborah Terry, DVC ‐ Edu‐
ca on, Professor Jill Downie, Director ‐ External Rela ons,
Ms Jane Coole, Kalgoorlie Campus Coordinator, Ms Debbie
Lalich and Kalgoorlie Campus Senior Technician, Mr Lewis
Pannell.
Ms Debbie Lalich and Mr Lewis Pannell were invited to
a end the luncheon in recogni on of 30 years of service to
the WA School of Mines and Cur n University.
In a thank you note to the school, Geoff Dodge stated that it
was very pleasing to see that the School of Mines con nues
to flourish and grow.
Annual Scholarship Ball 2014 ‐ ‘Under The Big Top’
The event of the year, the scholarship ball is to be held on
Saturday 11th October from 6:00pm onwards in Perth
(venue to be advised).
If your company would like to become a sponsor please talk
to Ann as we have developed a 12 month sponsorship pack‐
age offering discount on
employment placement
fee’s curtsey of our new
partners, Hanrahan Smith.
For ckets, tables and more informa on, please contact Ann Meyer at: [email protected] Tickets are selling fast ‐ so hurry and book your spot!!
WASM GRADUATES ASSOCIATION NEWS:
GRADUATES GET CASH IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
The WA School of Mines Graduates’ Associa on has secured
a lucra ve funding deal with an employment agency to place
mining graduates ‐ some who can demand annual salaries as
high as $200,000 ‐ in jobs.
The arrangement with Perth based human resources firm,
Hanrahan Smith will result in the recruitment agency do‐
na ng a percentage of its placement fees to the Graduates’
Associa on.
Funds will be channelled into suppor ng WA School of Mines
students through scholarship programs as they study at the
Kalgoorlie‐Boulder campus, while maintaining the alumni
organisa on.
Graduates’ Associa on President Bill Beament said the alum‐
ni represent about 30 percent of all mining graduates in the
Australian resources sector. “They are the decision makers,”
said Mr Beament, who graduated as a mining engineer in
1997 and now heads Northern Star Resources. Mr Beament
said the partnership was vital for the not‐for‐profit Gradu‐
ates’ Associa on to become a self sustaining organisa on
that was not always asking for dona ons.
“We have got that network of people there and we are all in
posi ons as decision makers and we all recruit,” he said. “If
you look at the average salary packet size of a graduate, you
are probably looking at $150,000 to $200,000 and if you look
at these placement fees where companies charge 15 per‐
cent, that’s a $30,000 placement. If we could just get a por‐
on of that then it would go a long way to crea ng a sustain‐
able associa on.”
The Employment Placement Partnership was officially
launched on 29th January 2014. Mr Beament called it a win‐
win scenario, adding “if they (Hanrahan Smith) get this right ,
it has the poten al to grow their business exponen ally.”
The WA School of Mines has turned out more that 5000
graduates since 1902, most of them from Kalgoorlie‐
Boulder.”
We feel this partnership provides a sound vehicle for us to
put something back into the industry at a grass roots level in
a sustainable manner.” Hanrahan Smith director and lead
consultant, Paul Hanrahan said.
The partnership represents the latest move by the Gradu‐
ates’ Associa on which has stepped up campaigning in re‐
cent months. Last November a patrons group, including for‐
mer Mines Minister, Norman Moore, was established to give
some muscle and a louder voice to calls for a long‐term vi‐
sion for the school and its Kalgoorlie‐Boulder campus.
Ar cle courtesy of the Kalgoorlie Miner, Jarrod Lucas 08/02/2014 (edited)
JULY 2014 12
50 year Graduates: Jim Donovan, Geoff Dodge, Ray Willis,
Mike So ley, Jim Murphy, Ian le s, Jo Miller, Ali Khan and
Ron McNally.
SPATIAL SCIENCES:
DR ULANBEK TURDUKULOV ‐ LECTURER
Before joining the Spa al Sci‐
ences Department in January
this year, Ulanbek worked at
ITC from 2007 to 2013.
Ulanbek obtained a university
diploma degree (1995) in
geography with specialisa on
in cartography from St‐
Petersburg State university,
Russia.
He also received his MSc degree (2003) in geo‐informa on
science with specialisa on in Water Resource Management
from ITC, Netherlands.
He has a PhD degree from Utrecht University (2007). Prior
to his study at ITC, he worked as a head of cartographic la‐
boratory at Kyrgyz State University, faculty of geography
and ecology (1998 to 2001).
Area of exper se include: Spa o‐Temporal Data Analysis
and Visualiza on, Geo Visual Analy cs, Spa al Web services
and SDI, and Time‐series Image Processing.
AWARDS, GRANTS, HONOURS & SCHOLARSHIPS:
WASM PRIZE & AWARD CEREMONY
On Friday 11th April the Kalgoorlie Campus held it’s prize
and awards ceremony.
Professor Hall stated the a ernoon was a celebra on of
excellence with the awarding of mul ple prizes and scholar‐
ships, thanks to the generosity of our many supporters. The
vital contribu on over the many years to the school is
acknowledged.
Coffey Mining prizes: (highest marks obtained)
Mining Geomechanics 331: Aiden John Green
Socio‐Environmental Aspects of Mining 331: Chad St John
Underground Mining System 332: Mao Hui Huang
Mine Management: He Ren
Mine Planning: Audie Trutwein
Plascorp prize: (top student)
Mine Ven la on 332: Chad Thomas St John and Caleb Paul
Woodcock
WASMGA prize: (top student)
Mine Asset Management and Services 431: Tarin Sharik
Gooneratne and Xiaolu Li
STAFF NEWS:
CONGRATULATIONS:
We are pleased to announce the
promo on of Pete Kinny from Asso‐
ciate Professor to “Professor” as of
December 2013.
Pete has been the Head of the De‐
partment of Applied Geology since
2009. An isotope geochemist and
geochronologist, Pete has a PhD
from ANU (1988).
Congratula ons Pete!
30 YEARS OF SERVICE:
Mrs Debbie Lalich, Kalgoorlie
Campus Coordinator was present‐
ed with a bouquet of flowers at
the WA School of Mines Gradua‐
on Day Celebra ons for 30 years
of service to the campus.
Congratula ons Debbie!
NEW STAFF:
EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS:
LEE IGNACIO ‐ SENIOR TECHNICAL OFFICER
Lee joined the department on 14th October 2013 coming
from Geokine cs Australasia Pty Ltd where he worked as a
GSR Seismic Data Manager.
Lee brings with him a significant experience from the Oil and
Gas Seismic Explora on Industry with a unique combina on
of technical exper se and produc on support. Lee will over‐
see the use and maintenance of the Na onal Geosequestra‐
on Laboratory (NGL) facili es and monitor the inventory of
all Seismic Acquisi on Equipment and VSP Tools.
JULY 2014 13
Postgraduate research scholarships and undergraduate sci‐
ence and engineering scholarships complete the package of
grants available to students between 2014 and 2018.
BHP and Curtin previously established a $5m alliance in
2006 and Curtin’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Education, Profes‐
sor Jill Downie said the latest agreement built upon the suc‐
cess of that agreement. “This new partnership also comple‐
ments the existing BHP Billiton Iron Ore Indigenous scholar‐
ships annually to support Indigenous students studying at
Curtin,” Professor Downie said. “It truly is an enormous
commitment and we are proud to be partnering with a com‐
pany that is passionate about advancing education and re‐
search for Australian resource industries.”
BHP Billiton President, Iron Ore, Jimmy Wilson said BHP Billi‐
ton was committed to supporting the next generation of
skilled Western Australians. “Our investment will help to
advance important research and develop the skills and tal‐
ent that the resources industry depends upon,” he said.
“We are pleased to be offering a number of scholarships for
female engineering students which, along with our Indige‐
nous scholarships, will encourage further diversity in the
sector. “Investing in education is a key pillar of our Commu‐
nity Development Program, and we are proud to be extend‐
ing our long‐standing relationship with Curtin University to
further support education in this State.”
Students interested in applying for these scholarships can
visit http://scholarships.curtin.edu.au/subscribe/.
Ar cle courtesy of the Kalgoorlie Miner, Andrew Brosnan 28/01/2014
SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED THROUGH WA MINING CLUB
In order to combat the high drop‐out rate in mining based
courses, the WA Mining Club Scholarship Program offered
six scholarships valued at $10,000 each to students looking
to enter the mining industry.
President of the WAMC, Neil Watson said that scholarships
were being awarded to the most engaged students on track
to being future leaders within the mining industry. Students
at the WA School of Mines in Kalgoorlie‐Boulder are among
those eligible for the financial assistance.
NEW AWARD TO BE HANDED OUT AT DIGGERS & DEALERS
GALA DINNER ‐ The Ray Finlayson Medal for Leadership and
Academic Excellence Award will be handed out at this year’s
Diggers & Dealers gala dinner.
Rio Tinto prize: (top students)
Hard Rock Mine Design and Feasibility 431: Benjamin Yiu
Surface Mining Systems 432: Benjamin Yiu and Kirstan Lee
Mincor Resources NL prize: (top student)
Resource Es ma on 331: Miguel Luke Bachiller
Downer EDI prize: (top student)
Mining Systems 331: Jiajing Khoo and Chad St John
Dr F Ivor Roberts prize: (highest mark)
Resource and Structural Geology 212: Michael Assmann
Denis Yan prize: (top student in 3rd & 4th year units in Met‐
allurgy)
Metallurgical Thermodynamics 251: Kris an James Muller
Mineral Processing 352: John Zachary Hearne
Cur n Kalgoorlie Student Guild prize: (best yearly weighted
average of any students in any WASM owned undergraduate
course in Mining & Metallurgy)
Metallurgy: Michael Assman
Mining: Kirstan Lee
WA Mining Club prize: (student having highest weighted
average in all units in second year of Mining Engineering)
Adil Poochediyath Ayoub
Sponsors present: Coffey Mining, Plascorp, Dyno Nobel, the
WASM Graduates Associa on and the Cur n Kalgoorlie Stu‐
dent Guild. Sponsors unable to a end: Rio Tinto, Mincor
Resources NL, Downer EDI, NRW Civil & Mining, WA Mining
Club, Snowden Mining Industries Consultants and Haggie
Reid Pty Ltd.
Congratula ons to all the prize winners!
BHP OFFERS $2.5m SCHOLARSHIPS
A number of new scholarships will be offered at the WA
School of Mines as a result of Curtin University entering into
its largest‐ever partnership with a single company.
BHP Billiton will provide $2.5 million to fund 60 undergradu‐
ate and postgraduate scholarships over the next five years,
with a number of those scholarships designated for the WA
School of Mines. Although only a portion of the scholarships
have been allocated for the WA School of Mines, all 60 are
aimed at guiding students towards a career in the resources
industry.
A number of scholarships have also been set aside specifical‐
ly for female engineering students.
JULY 2014 14
Ms Kiely has worked part me at KCGM to get hands‐on
experience in the industry, said she hoped to get her start
working in the Goldfields.
Ar cle courtesy of the Kalgoorlie Miner, Jarrod Lucas 22/05/2014 (edited)
WASM Student Holly Kiely has won the na onal Women in Engineering
scholarship, worth $16,000 over two years.
ARC LINKAGE PROJECT SUCCESS
The Minister for Education, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP
has approved the outcomes of the Australian Research
Council (ARC) Linkage Projects for funding commencing in
2014.
Professor Will Featherstone of the Spatial Sciences depart‐
ment has been successful in the following Curtin Linkage
Project:
Project Title: Geodetic and hydrogeological investigations of
groundwater abstraction from confined aquifers: elastic
response, heights, and sea level change
Curtin Investigators: Professor William Featherstone
Partner Organisation/s: University of Newcastle upon Tyne,
Landgate, WA Department of Water
Awarded Funds: $390,000
ARC Linkage Projects represent
a success rate of 35 per cent for
Curtin, a significant increase
upon previous years. The ARC
Linkage program is particularly
important as it signifies the
breadth and strength of our
research relationships with ex‐
ternal partners across industry,
community and government.
The award, initiated by Leonie Hicks, Ray Finlayson’s daugh‐
ter is sponsored by the Kalgoorlie School of Mines Scholar‐
ship Trust, which was originally established by Ray who was a
high profile mayor of Kalgoorlie between 1976 and 1989, and
was further the inaugural mayor of the amalgamated cities
of Kalgoorlie‐Boulder until 1992. This award will be present‐
ed by Diggers & Dealers Chairman, Mr Barry Eldridge at the
gala dinner, along with other industry awards handed out on
the night.
This award recognises an emerging leader for the resources
sector who is a student of the Kalgoorlie Campus School of
Mines ‐ who not only displays outstanding academic skills
but also demonstrates outstanding community skills, which
indicates that the recipient will be a major asset to any fu‐
ture mining organisa on.
TRAVEL ON THE AGENDA FOR WASM SCHOLARSHIP WIN‐
NER
WA School of Mines stu‐
dent Holly Kiely passed
up the chance to study
medicine and law be‐
cause she wanted to trav‐
el the world as a miner.
The 20‐year‐old’s decision
is already paying divi‐
dends as she is the recipi‐
ent of the Women In En‐
gineering scholarship
worth a combined $16,000 over two years.
Ms Kiely will travel to Canberra next week to receive the BHP
Billiton and Minerals Council of Australia scholarship during a
ceremony at Parliament House.
“It is going to make my last year of study a lot easier, because
I’ve been juggling part time work and school for the past few
years,” she said. As she nears the end of a four‐year mining
engineering degree, Ms Kiely said she was already looking at
job prospects. She is still in the race for a sought‐after gradu‐
ate position with BHP Billiton next year.
Ms Kiely flew to Perth recently as one of the final 250 appli‐
cants for just 15 positions offered by the mining giant. “BHP
Billiton told us they had more than 9000 applications,” she
said.
The Eastern Goldfields College graduate, who completed the
ini al two years of her degree in Perth, is on track for first‐
class honours when she graduates.
Disclaimer and Copyright Informa on
Informa on in this publica on is correct at the me of prin ng, but may change from me to me.
Cur n will not be liable to you or to any other person for any loss or damage (including direct,
consequen al or economic loss or damage) however caused and whether by negligence or otherwise
which may result directly or indirectly from the use of this publica on.
Copyright Cur n University 2013
This publica on is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research,
cri cism or review, as permi ed under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any
process without wri en permission.
Published by the Western Australian School of Mines, Cur n University, with the authorisa on of the
Pro‐Vice Chancellor.
CONTACT Western Australian School of Mines
Tel: +61 8 9266 7151
Email: linda.vanesch@cur n.edu.au
Cur n University of Technology CRICOS Provider Code 00301J
Cur n University is a trademark of Cur n University of Technology. 045624‐12‐11
wasm.cur n.edu.au
JULY 2014 15
For more informa on on the Western Australian School of Mines, go to wasm.cur n.edu.au
LEADERSHIP IN MINING ESSAY COMPETITION
SEIZE YOUR OPPORTUNITY
Take part in the Mannkal Economic Educa on Founda on Award for all WA School of Mines students (enrolled in a grad‐
uate or postgraduate program).
· Join the debate with top decision makers in the Australian mining industry
· Meet mining execu ves and CEOs
· $5,000 – prize money, one winner
· Share your thoughts and visions with the WA mining elite
· Find a mentor.
QUALIFY WITH A GREAT CONTRIBUTION
The submission deadline for the Leadership Essay Compe on is 1 September 2014. You need to upload your submission
in Blackboard to the community site Leadership in Mining or email Carla.Boehl@cur n.edu.au.
Answer the compe on ques on from your own unique perspec ve on the topic to prove yourself as a leader of tomor‐
row. We expect professional and thought‐provoking work. Be unconven onal, bold and construc ve to convince the
Compe on Commi ee. The following criteria must be met:
· Form: Essay, max. 2100 words
· Language: English
· Essay must include your student ID number in the header
· Layout: A4, 1.5 spacing, Arial 10.5
· APA referencing must be used.
IMPRESS THE COMPETITION COMMITTEE
All contribu ons will be evaluated according to specific criteria by the Compe on Commi ee composed of academics,
corporate execu ves, entrepreneurs and poli cians. The authors of the best 5 contribu ons will be invited to a workshop
on leadership with a CEO from a WA mining company and will be offered mentoring opportuni es.
RESEARCH
CEO’s address in annual reports, media clippings, speeches to AusIMM and AICD and other industry and public events. In
addi on, is recommended the reading of the Heroic Misadventures: Four Decades – Full Circle (West Perth, Australia:
Mannwest Group, 2009).
Historic leaders: Sir Arvi Parbo, Charles Copeman, Lang Hancock, Sir Laurence Brodie‐Hall.
Present leaders: Sam Walsh, Andrew Hardin. Andrew Forrest, Mark Cu fani.
QUESTION
Compare the risk‐taking and the key leadership a ributes belonging to historic leaders in the Australian mining indus‐
try with those belonging to modern mining execu ves. How can true leaders create legacy considering the future chal‐
lenges of the Mining Industry?
JULY 2014 16