The Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering once again made a strong showing at the American Exploration & Mining Association Annual Meeting held in Reno. The meeting, which includes representatives from every part of the mining industry, is held at the Nugget Casino in Sparks. Approximately fourty University students attended the meeting. The location makes it easy for students representing the Mackay School to attend, network and explore what the industry has to offer them.
Three student posters were winners in this year’s student poster competition, all of which came out of the research group of Ehsan Vahidi, the John N. Butler Endowed Professor in Extractive Metallurgy. The posters were:
Saeede Kadivar - First place: “Assessing the environmental footprints of gold production from double refractory ore in the roasting process"
Sima Nikfar & Sheida Nili - Fourth Place: “Assessing the Environmental Footprint of Smartphones Based on Design Evolution and Raw Materials Utilization”
Kamal Mousavi - Fifth Place: “Environmental footprints of lithium production from sedimentary deposits in Nevada”
Mackay School students are no strangers to poster awards, as demonstrated by last year’s successes.
“This conference opens your eyes to see what is out there,” said Diego Padilla, a mining engineering student.
“It’s a way to get my foot in the door,” added Austin Warren, another mining engineering student.
Padilla and Warren are both juniors in the Mackay School. They currently work in the industry at ALS Minerals, a local company providing geochemical analysis, where they are gaining valuable work experience during their undergraduate careers.
Dawn Snell ’22 M.ED. (educational leadership), the Administrative Assistant for the Mackay School and the Ralph J. Roberts Center for Research in Economic Geology (CREG), is a huge supporter of the Mackay School during these annual meetings. She coordinates the Mackay Alumni Reception so that the students can network with those who set the industry path before them.
“Jobs with geosciences are exploding in the mining industry," Snell said. "Our students have the best opportunities to make personal contacts with our industry partners at these conferences. These students with their professors were able to gain additional knowledge in building and maintaining informal relationships that aid in their granting access to industry resources and maximizing mutually beneficial employment opportunities."
