CIM

Mining Engineering Outstanding Achievement Award

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Mining Engineering Outstanding Achievement Award

For outstanding achievement or contribution in the field of Mining Engineering

Origins & Conditions

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This award was established to recognize outstanding achievement or contribution in the field of Mining Engineering. The Award, once known as the Underground Mining Society Award for Mining Engineering Achievement, now the Mining Engineering Outstanding Achievement Award, is sponsored by the Underground Mining Society.

The Mining Engineering Outstanding Achievement Award criteria and other information:

  1. Eligibility is open to mining engineers either as individuals or in a group, who are actively practicing in the discipline. Mining Engineering is to be broadly interpreted and will include both underground and surface mining environments. The Award will be granted to those engineers who have earned the recognition and respect of their peers for outstanding achievement in this area.
  2. The nominations must be accompanied by a brief statement indicating the reasons for the nomination.
  3. Adjudication of the award shall be made by an Adjudication Committee of six (6) members comprised as follows:

    a. Underground Mining Society (UMS) Chairperson & Vice Chairperson (and/or designates)

    b. Surface Mining Society (SMS) Chairperson & Vice Chairperson (and/or designates)

    c. Maintenance, Engineering & Reliability Society (MERS) Chairperson & Vice Chairperson (and/or designates)

  4. The Adjudication Committee will refer the nominations to CIM Council not later than the last Council meeting held prior to the next Annual General Meeting of the Institute.
  5. No member of the Adjudication Committee shall be a party to the nomination of any candidate.
  6. The Award(s) will be presented at the local Branch level, by a Member of the Underground Mining Society Executive or in their absence, by the local Branch Chairman. In addition, the Award(s) will be verbally recognized by the CIM President at the CIM Awards Gala.

Recipients

There is only one recipient of this award every year. This award is for both individual or team nominations.

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Winners

2023

Jim Gusek

Jim Gusek of Linkan Engineering has 49 years of wide-ranging experience in mining-related projects, with a focus on environmental issues. Since graduating from the Colorado School of Mines with a B.Sc. in mining engineering, he has completed dozens of mined land remediation projects, many of which included the design of constructed wetlands for treating mining influenced water.  Since 1988, Gusek has advanced the understanding of how passive treatment systems work. In the process, he became an internationally recognized authority and is considered a pioneer in this sustainable technology.  Sharing knowledge is a professional credo; over his career, he presented or published dozens of technical papers and taught short courses at mining conferences. He is especially proud of his two versions of the “Periodic Table of Passive Treatment” in 2009 and 2013. In the past 12 years, he has focused his engineering efforts on advancing proven 40-year-old bactericide technologies that prevent acid rock drainage (ARD).   

2021

Dr. Faramaz Hassani

Dr. Faramarz Hassani obtained his B. Eng. (1975) and PhD (1981) in mining engineering from Nottingham University, England. He has been at McGill University since 1983 and has spent many years in a leadership role. Dr. Hassani is presently the Webster Chair professor of mining engineering. His focus is in rock mechanics, mine and energy as well as mine backfill.

He was the co-founder and the chairman of the Canadian Mining Innovation Council (CMIC) and has been an advisor to a number of governments on their mining issues and consultant to many major mining companies around the globe. He is also the recipient of many patents and awards.

Dr. Hassani maintains strong interdisciplinary research and has supervised over 170 PhD and M. Eng. students and research scientists. He has contributed to over 350 scientific articles, books and reports.

He has been an active member of CIM for 34 years and is involved in many CIM national meetings as well as chairing many international conferences such as Mine Backfill in 1989 and 2007, the World Mining Congress 2013, as well as the International Society of Rock Mechanics Congress in 2015.