U of A alumni crush competitors at international mining games
Mining students and alumni from five countries keep the old ways alive: laying railroad track, drilling rock in two different ways, sawing timber, land surveying, panning for gold, and racing mine carts.
In the hand steel contest, mining engineering senior Kaitlyn Sutow (right), with the University of Arizona Copper Queens team, chisels a hole into cement during the 48th annual Intercollegiate Mining Games.
The University of Arizona’s San Xavier Mining Laboratory hosted 262 mining students from Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, British Columbia and the United States for the 48th annual Intercollegiate Mining Games on March 25, 26 and 27.
"It's like the Olympics of collegiate mining," said David W. Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering.
University of Arizona mining engineering alumni cut a 6-by-6 inch piece of timber using a Swede saw.
The annual competition started in 1979 as a tribute to 91 miners who died in the Sunshine Mine fire in Kellogg, Idaho. It has grown into a fierce celebration of safety, leadership, communication and community. U of A has competed in the games since its inception.
“You get to meet all the other schools. We’ve got people from the other side of the planet here in the Arizona heat,” said Copper Queens team member Kaitlyn Sutow, a senior in the School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources.
When the dust settled, three of 45 teams claimed overall first place prizes across seven events – mucking, gold panning, Swede sawing, jackleg drilling, track stand, hand steel and surveying. U of A seized the alumni title, the South Dakota School of Mining and Technology teams swept the men's and coed competitions, and in the women's category, the Camborne School of Mines at the University of Exeter triumphed.
Winning teams at the closing ceremony on March 27 collected commemorative plaques and bragging rights.
Real prize is industry connections
While events still spotlight traditional mining skills rarely used today, the real prize is professional growth.
“The games are fun, but what they are learning along the way can be applied to their careers and industry,” said Kray Luxbacher, Gregory H. and Lisa S. Boyce Leadership Chair and executive director of SMEMR. “They are learning leadership, networking and safety.”
As an undergraduate student at Virginia Tech, Luxbacher competed in the 2001 Reno, Nevada, and 2002 Kalgoorlie, Australia, games. She met many students who are her colleagues today.
“I always tell students you'll be surprised how often you see the person sitting next to you for the next 50 years.”
Mining companies all in at San Xavier
Southern Arizona mining companies with an eye toward their next hires rallied to contribute equipment, judging, safety training and other resources.
Scott Shields, general manager of sales for Komatsu North America and a 2011 mining engineering alum, jumped at the chance to back the event. The president of Komatsu competed in these games years ago, too, he said.
The Western Australian School of Mines women’s team hauls a Komatsu ore cart during mucking, a five-person event where competitors fill the 2-ton cart with dirt and race it down a track.
As title sponsor Komatsu renovated San Xavier’s 2-ton ore carts for mucking, the premiere event where five teammates fill a cart with dirt and push it down a railroad track, racing for the best time.
Shields tapped friends at Epiroc, Sundt Construction, Sandvik, and Nevada Gold Mines to sponsor additional games.
“We are still connected, and it is a small community,” he said.
In fact, Komatsu’s proving grounds sit across the road from San Xavier, for which Shields chairs the advisory board, helping shape the school’s curriculum and guide mine expansion. A pilot processing facility will be added to the site’s proving grounds, the first phase of MiningWerx – a multi-site complex that will be a national hub for extractive metallurgy training and research.
“We can bring equipment out to San Xavier, and we can test it,” Shields said. “We can't do that in an operating mine.”
Underground lab jump starts high-tech careers
The U of A alumni team that competed in the first games volunteer as judges. (From left) Mining engineering alumni Joe Fernandez, Andy Gaidielle, systems engineering student Robbie Yordt, and alum Randy Thomas oversee the gold panning event. Other alumni team members not pictured but in attendance are George Crow, Hank Lesinski and RC Whittaker.
Students getting hands-on training with the latest technology in the underground mining laboratory have a head start on their careers.
“Engineers at other schools are going to the classroom and then learning real-world applications afterwards,” said James Werner, director of the San Xavier Mine. “At San Xavier, we give our students those skills before they graduate, so we send the most competent engineers into the field.”
Students also run the mine, gaining leadership skills and jobs before they ever cross the finish line.
“I came to U of A looking at being a mechanical engineer,” said Sutow, student mine manager.
After touring the mine, the soon-to-be underground field engineer for Nevada Gold Mines knew she had found her calling.
“I really enjoyed my time here at U of A, so I’m looking forward to coming back in the future and competing in the games as an alum.”
