Lecturers and staff from all four MEA Universities (UQ, UoA, UNSW, WASM) meet last week (7 – 9 July) at the National Wine Centre Adelaide to review course materials and brainstorm new teaching iniatives for 2011.

Professor Peter Knights new Executive Director of MEA discusses goals for MEA in 2010.

Dr Basil Beamish have been recognised by The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) in the annual awards of Australia’s Mining industry professional society. Professor White was made an Honorary Fellow of The AusIMM for his committed service to the profession and the institute. Dr Beamish was awarded the prestigious Jim Torlach Health and Safety Award for his commitment to mine health and safety throughout his career both in academic research and teaching as well as time spent in industry. The awards will be presented in May at The AusIMM’s Annual Awards dinner to be held this year in Wollongong.

The commendations from the institute read as follows:

Dr Basil Beamish MAusIMM

Basil Beamish has shown inspirational leadership and commitment throughout his professional career including service to the Queensland coal industry as a Mines Rescue Team vice-captain and captain, during which time he led teams which won national mines rescue competitions and a Healy Cup (1983) in the Queensland competition. Basil’s work also resulted in increased awareness of the health and safety risks associated with spontaneous combustion and coal seam gas through regular presentations at AusIMM conferences and industry workshops in Australia and New Zealand.

From his significant contribution to combating the outburst hazard problem in underground operations as a key member of a mining research team at Collinsville Coal Mine in the 1980s to his current role as a Senior Lecturer in Mining Engineering at The University of Queensland, Basil has been a leader in advancing fire and explosion prevention and mining education.

Mining Education Australia (MEA) is celebrating the inaugural graduation of their final year mining engineering students from the University of Queensland.  This is a milestone in mining education, with the groundbreaking national education joint venture providing its first graduates ready to enter into the mining industry educated through MEA.

In recent years there have been many changes to mining education, one of which is the collaboration of four of Australia’s top universities, University of Queensland, University of New South Wales, Curtin University and most recently University of Adelaide to form MEA, a leader in world class mining engineering undergraduate education, which was launched in 2007.  MEA is a critical response to ensure that industry has access to adequate numbers of high quality graduates.

An initiative of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) through their tertiary education council the joint venture provides a common curriculum for third and fourth year mining engineering students and has already been acknowledged as an industry leader by receiving the Best Education & Training Collaboration award at a recent ceremony hosted by the Business/Higher Education Round Table.

MEA Executive Director, Professor Bruce Hebblewhite spoke about the first 45 students to graduate from Mining Education Australia’s program.  “These students are the first to graduate from this world first national undergraduate mining education, and are the first graduates from any undergraduate mining course to have had access to the comprehensive education of innovative delivery and learning methods that MEA delivers”.

“The students graduating from this program are the first to ever enter the workforce with a Mining Education Australia certificate which is industry endorsed.” “This is a true win for industry, education and students”.

A further 90 students from the inaugural MEA program, from both University of New South Wales and Curtin University will graduate in early 2009.

The graduations were held at the St Lucia Campus of the University of Queensland on the 10th December 2008.

Mining Education Australia (MEA) has been congratulated by a leading mining academic  for providing a well balanced mining engineering degree that gives students the attributes needed in future graduates.

Mining Education Australia has worked hard to develop an all-rounded program and according to Professor Malcolm Scoble, they have been very successful.

A diverse range of mining scenarios is covered throughout the program and “all core professional competencies for mining engineers are addressed” said Professor Malcolm Scoble.

The program content has been described as thorough and well organised with the program being centralized around six specialised themes.

Ongoing support from the staff and the balance between lectures, project based learning and self directed learning is very valuable and “considered to be unique in mining education”, said Professor Scoble.

After visiting the member universities, interviewing staff and students it has been said that the MEA program gives students the tools to develop their communication skills and strengthen their research competence.

The balanced program will give graduates the qualities to competently approach the workplace in the future according to Professor Scoble.

Thinking of a Cadetship? You can with MEA’s study options.
MEA is providing more flexibility in education opportunities for people wishing to enter the mining industry and now are able to accommodate cadetships in the mining industry, whilst completing a mining degree over 6 years. Cadetships benefit both students and industry by allowing students to combine study with paid work, gaining valuable on the job experience at a mining company.

Students wishing to take advantage of this new flexible mode of study are encouraged to approach the HR departments of mining companies to enquire into cadetship programs.