CEMI Seminar Brings Theory and Practice to Life
Last Wednesday the Lassonde Institute at the University of Toronto hosted a novel seminar series. The Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI), NSERC, and the Lassonde Institute partnered to bring six leading industry and academic voices to the downtown campus in one day-long presentation. The seminars focused on recent developments in structural engineering and geology in deep mines. Experts from places as diverse as Wales, South Africa, and Austrailia, as well as several Canadian voices commented on mining industry and issues.
The panel drew a crowd of over 80 students, professionals, and faculty members, including Professor Murray Grabinsky from the Department of Civil Engineering. Grabinsky praised the opportunity to take part in the event, calling it “an excellent opportunity to bring together practitioners and academics from varied backgrounds. The sharing of a broad range of perspectives on the problem of mine seismicity was most valuable.”
Grace Liang, a graduate student studying Engineering Geoscience at the University of Toronto, took the opportunity to learn from numerous people whom she said students wouldn’t ordinarily have the opportunity to meet. “Seeing the real-life applications of issues taught in class really underscored the importance of a solid geological education at the undergraduate level,” she reflected. “Hosting events of this calibre sets U of T’s place as one of the leading schools for work of this nature.”
The day began with a discussion of the fault-related ground control issues at Xstrata Nickel’s Craig Mine, hosted by Brad Simser, Ground Control Engineer with the company. Phil Dight, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering with the Austrailian Centre for Geomechanics, provided more detail on the use of tectogenesis to problems in mining, while Richard Lyle, Professor of Structural Geology at Cardiff University rounded out the morning with a presentation on paleostress analysis and fault-slip tendency.
In the afternoon, Ulrich Riller, Professor of Geography and Earth Sciences at McMaster University, Rob Bewick, Rock Mechanics Engineer at Golder Associates, and Gerrie van Aswegen, Mining Seismologist with ISS International, went into detail on a variety of fault-related topics, from the structural characteristics of fault-slip events to the nature and analysis of shear and man-made faults.
This panel was one in a series of forthcoming CEMI /Lassonde Institute events. Those interested are asked to check the Lassonde Institute website for further information at www.civ.utoronto.ca or contact Colin Anderson, Communications and Student Programs Coordinator, at (416)978-0945 or colin@civ.utoronto.ca.
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