Directed by Professor John Meech, this is a 3.3 million dollar project with over 35 Faculty and research support staff working to either understand or solve environmental problems caused by mining activity.
Developed and headed by Professor Bern Klein with funding provided by a matching grant from NSERC and the George Poling Trust fund, the Centre promotes the development of industrial mineral mines by providing critical services to help create marketable products.
Professor Rimas Pakalnis, who developed and is head of the UBC Mining Geomechanics Group, has reason to be proud of the Group's accomplishments. In the past ten years many empirical mine design curves have been developed by the Group, which are now being used in the mining industry.
An annual conference spearheaded by Professor John Meech, this year the focus will be on nanotechnology applications that have reached the production floor; what the future holds; and the philosophical and moral dilemmas involved in dealing with the new complexities that occur as machines begin to play an increasingly important role in decision-making.
The Mining Life-Cycle Center (MLC) is located at the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at the University of British Columbia and chaired by Dr. Dirk van Zyl. Modern society must address the economic, environmental and social issues associated with mining throughout its entire life cycle, beginning with exploration and ending with mine closure, reclamation and long-term use. The MLC is focused on the key environmental and life-cycle issues facing mining in the US and abroad. Because of the spectrum of issues involved, the MLC emphasizes multidisciplinary approaches
