The MININ 2010 Conference was organised by the Mining Engineering
Department of the Universidad de Chile, the Mining Center of the Pontificia
Universidad Católica de Chile and Gecamin.
Mining
Engineering Department, Universidad de Chile
The Mining Engineering Department was founded on 7 December 1853. Since
the graduation of the first four engineers in 1856, the Department has trained
over 1300 professionals for one of the most important Chilean industries.
Leadership of the Universidad de Chile graduates in such projects as block
caving, heap leaching and El Teniente converter, have brought the university a
worldwide recognition. The Department currently has 11 fulltime faculty and conducts
research in such areas as mining technology, mineral resources evaluation,
hydro-electrometallurgy and environment, pyrometallurgy, mineral processing and
mineral economics. The Department offers Master programmes in Mining
Engineering and in Extractive Metallurgy and will start in 2010 a Ph.D. program
in Mining Engineering.
Mining Center, Pontificia
Universidad Católica de Chile
The Mining Engineering Programme was created in 1994 in response to the
growing demand for highly skilled engineers capable of combining conceptual
design and mine and/or processing plant management. Originally acting as a
coordinating body and sharing academic and research resources with the other Departments
and Engineering Schools, now the Center offers full fledged degree programmes
in Mining Engineering, both Civil and Industrial. In addition, the Center
offers a range of postgraduate programmes including the Ph.D. programme in
Mining Engineering and in Mineral Engineering. The main focus of the Center’s
research is mineral economics, with additional strong interests in mine
management and control, mining methods and equipment. The Center has six
full-time faculty supported by several part-time professors and a number of
technical and other staff.
GECAMIN
Gecamin is a private, Chilean company created in 1998 that annually
organises international technical events with the aim of informing
and
inspiring mining industry professionals, fostering the exchange of
information,
and sharing best practices and new technologies applied in mining.
The goal of
each conference is to bring together engineers, scientists,
researchers,
managers and operators to enable a focused discussion on the latest
developments and innovations with the ultimate purpose of
establishing interdisciplinary
networks of research and knowledge exchange.
Through these conferences and training programmes Gecamin seeks to
help
the industry to openly address its most pressing concerns and find
more
sustainable solutions.
Gecamin organises seminars in partnership with institutions of strong
technical excellence in mining such as the Universidad de Chile, the
Pontificia
Universidad Católica de Chile, the Universidad de Concepción, Chile,
the
Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile, The University of
Western
Australia and The University of Queensland, Australia, among others.
In 12 years of operation, more than 12,000 professionals have
attended
our events and have been trained in areas of paramount importance to
the mining
industry. These areas include the following: Geology, Mining Unit
Operations,
Mine Planning, Mineral Processing, Hydrometallurgy, Paste and
Thickened Tailings,
Mine and Plant Maintenance, Automation and Control, Water and Energy
Management
in Mining, Mine Closure, Environmental and Social Impacts Assessment.
Each event organised by Gecamin features a great diversity of
technical
papers presenting case studies, applications as well as theoretical
research
and scientific findings. Every conference is documented by the
proceedings
containing carefully selected peer reviewed papers. Prominent
industry experts
and academics bring their knowledge and experience to our events
ensuring high
standards of the proceedings and the technical programmes.
The next few years are expected to bring a much more positive
economic
outlook, allowing mining companies worldwide to activate or
reconsider
alternatives for greenfield and brownfield projects. Sustainability,
water in
mining and efficient energyuse will remain the key focus areas throughout the major part of the
industry. For this reason, Gecamin believes it is of great importance
to share
experiences and discuss alternatives and opportunities for improving
operational processes and best practices with colleagues from around
the world.
