DATE: Starts May 25th, 2009

TIME: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

INSTRUCTOR: Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University, Canada

CONTENT & OBJECTIVES:

Spread over a period of four months, this four-week course is designed for busy mining professionals who which to update their skills and knowledge base in modern modelling techniques for orebodies and new risk-based optimization methodologies for strategic mine planning.

Students will have the opportunity to gain practical experience by applying hands-on the concepts and technical methods covered in class. Topics covered include:

• Methods for modelling orebodies
• Optimization techniques
• Advancing from conventional orebody modelling: Case studies and models of geological uncertainty
• Geological uncertainty linked to mine planning
• Moving forward from traditional optimization: Case studies in mine planning with risk management - integration of geological uncertainty
• Geological risk management and demand-driven production scheduling.

Register today! Go to www.mcgill.ca/conted-general/professional/ore.

DATE: September 9-11, 2009

TIME: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

INSTRUCTORS: Jean-Michel Rendu, Consultant, USA

FLYER: Click here to download

CONTENT & OBJECTIVES:

This course will show how direct and indirect costs, opportunity costs imposed by operational constraints, and other factors, such as political risk, legal, environmental, and regulatory requirements, must be taken into account.

The course focuses on:

Mathematical equations are developed and graphical analytical methods are displayed, which can be used to solve most cutoff grade estimation problems. It is shown how minimum cutoff grades are estimated and how they must be modified to take into account constraints imposed by mine or mill capacity, or by limits on sales volumes. Multiple practical examples are given, illustrating the role of cutoff grades in mine planning, in allocating material to different processes, in optimizing mill operating conditions, and in poly-metallic deposits. Examples also show the relationship between cutoff grades and the design of pushbacks in open pit mines, the development of new stopes in underground selective mining, and the optimization of block sizes in caving methods. The relationship between mine selectivity, deposit modeling, ore control and cutoff grade is also discussed. Included in the course of registration is a copy of the instructor’s book "An Introduction to Cutoff Grade Estimation".

It is strongly recommended that participants bring a laptop.

DATE: September 14-18, 2009

TIME: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

INSTRUCTORS: Michel Dagbert, Geostat Systems International, Canada; Jean Michel Rendu, Consultant, USA; and Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University, Canada

FLYER: Click here to download

CONTENT & OBJECTIVES:

From government or a company decision-maker’s perspective, exploration and/or development decision will be made, typically in a fixed timeframe, and uncertainty is to be expected – the real question is how well informed will the decision-maker be before the decision?

Quantitative mineral resources assessments (called QRA) are designed to provide government and industry decision-maker.

You will learn to:

• Demonstrate how standard statistical techniques help solve problems of sample reliability
• Understand when and how geostatistics can improve resource estimates
• Apply geostatistics to predict dilution and adapt reserve estimates to that predicted dilution
• Learn how geostatistics can help you categorize your resources in an objective manner
• Demystify conditional simulation and show how it addresses all the above problems
• Understand principles of NI43-101, SEC Industry Guide 7, and 2007 SME Guide

It is strongly recommended that participants bring a laptop.

DATE: September 28-30, 2009

TIME: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

INSTRUCTORS: Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University, Canada

FLYER: Click here to download

CONTENT & OBJECTIVES:

This three-day course presents a new generation of applied conditional simulation technologies for assessing orebody uncertainty and effects on risk analysis and cash flow considerations. Emphasis is placed on the downstream applications pertinent to the feasibility, design, development and planning stages of mining ventures, as well as in the financial optimization of relevant aspects of operations and production. New public domain software with graphic capabilities is introduced and provided to participants.

Participants will:

• Understand how to quantify and deal with grade/tonnage/metal uncertainty and variability
• Learn about new efficient simulation methods for modelling orebodies and how to use the results
• Understand how to use quantified orebody risk in ore reserve estimation, mine planning and mineral project evaluation
• Work with industry examples at different stages of a mining project
• Participate in hands-on computer workshops using real case studies

It is strongly recommended that participants bring a laptop.

DATE: October 13-16, 2009

TIME: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

INSTRUCTORS: Cindy Campbell, Gemcom Australia Pty, Ltd., Australia; Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University, Canada

FLYER: Click here to download

CONTENT & OBJECTIVES:

This three day course presents a new generation of applied conditional simulation technologies for assessing orebody uncertainty and effects on risk analysis and cash flow considerations. Emphasis is placed on the downstream applications pertinent to the feasibility, design, development, and planning stages of mining ventures, as well as in the financial optimization of relevant aspects of operations and production. New public domain software with graphic capabilities is introduced and provided to participants.

Optional ½ day Whittle refresher skills workshop available.

Participants will:

• Learn how you can have a significant, positive impact on your company’s bottom line by utilizing strategic mine planning methodologies and software
• Improve your understanding of strategic mine planning and life-of-mine optimization concepts
• Learn a structured approach to strategic mine planning, including a decision-making behaviour and strategy mapping model
• See how Lerchs-Grossman, lane cut-offs, and linear programming can fit into a standard model for optimization. Learn how to apply this standard model to the analysis and understanding of any optimization case
• Find out how to correctly model prices and costs, to properly represent reality, and to drive your optimization tools effectively
• Discover the latest developments in life-of-mine optimization, including new models for blending, pit optimization for simulated models, and ore-waste discrimination
• Improve your understanding of the relationship of uncertainty and risk, and learn how to exploit uncertainty in order to maximize profitability
• Get hands-on experience with strategic mine planning software (Whittle)
• Learn the basics of pit optimization (applied to a straightforward base-metals model)

It is strongly recommended that participants bring a laptop.

DATE: November 9-12, 2009

TIME: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

INSTRUCTORS: Michel Bilodeau, McGill University, Canada

FLYER: Click here to download

CONTENT & OBJECTIVES:

This four-day course you will learn the basics of economic/financial evaluation techniques, as well as the practical implementation of these techniques to mineral project assessment.

Participants will:

• Gain a practical understanding of economic/financial evaluation principles
• Develop the skills necessary to apply these principles to support mineral project decisions
• Learn about the real options approach to valuing mining projects

The course focuses on:

• Economic/financial evaluation techniques
• The application of these techniques to the analysis of issues associated with mineral projects.

No previous background in economic/financial analysis is required, but some practical experience in the mineral industry and familiarity with mining terminology is desirable.

A LAPTOP COMPUTER and a scientific/financial pocket CALCULATOR is desirable.

PART 1

DATE: December 14-16, 2009

TIME: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

INSTRUCTOR: Dominique François-Bongarçon, AGORATEK, USA

FLYER: Click here to download

CONTENT & OBJECTIVES:

This course is for professionals involved in making decisions regarding a mining project at the exploration or production phases, whether in the geology, mining, metallurgy or geochemistry fields. You should attend this course if you are a manager of operations or technical services in a mining company, an exploration geologist, a mine geologist, a mining engineer, an ore grade control engineer, a geostatistician, a project manager, a metallurgist, and a laboratory manager or operator.

You will learn:

• Eye-opening facts about the consequences of bad sampling and the difficulties of good sampling
• The unsuspected amplitude of economic ramifications of poor sampling
• To control how samples are taken to achieve the highest degree of representativeness
• To control sample mass requirements, and avoid errors in sampling and sample preparation protocols
• How to eliminate unfavorable factors
• How to identify those unfavorable factors that cannot be eliminated, but should be minimized
• The meaning and significance of the actors used in sample variance numerical control formulas
• Tools available for the best experimental customization of control parameters for your mineralization type
• What can and what cannot be achieved with sampling experiments
• The general philosophy that underlines the practice of 'good sampling' and the modeling of sampling parameters
• How to audit sampling equipment and procedures
• How to tackle seemingly untreatable sampling problems
• The difference between sampling and interpo¬latin

It is strongly recommended that participants bring a laptop.

PART 2 – QA-QC, MINE, AND PROJECT AUDITS

DATE: December 17 - 18, 2009

TIME: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

INSTRUCTOR: Dominique François-Bongarçon, AGORATEK, USA

FLYER: Click here to download

CONTENT & OBJECTIVES:

This course is for all professionals involved in, or contributing to grade-based decisions regarding a mining project at the exploration or production phases, whether in the geology, mining, metallurgy or geochemistry fields, and particularly those persons responsible for the consequences that can derive from the use of assay data.

You will learn:

• Consequences of not conducting a proper and complete, independent (i.e. external) QA-QC program.
• The best, proven techniques to use to analyze the corresponding data
• The errors to avoid
• The benefits of such programs
• The problem of proper use and certification of reference material will be analyzed at depth.

It is strongly recommended that participants bring a laptop.