Malcolm Scoble

Biography

While working for the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company (HBM+S) in Canada Malcolm was involved in the formation of the company’s first computer group. He was trained by IBM as a systems analyst, and started to apply himself to developing mainframe computer applications for the mines.

He was Director of the Mining Engineering Program at McGill University in Montreal for 9 years, and holder of the endowed Webster Chair in Mining Engineering from 1990 through 1997. He was associated with the establishment of the Cooperative Program in Mining Engineering (the first Co-op degree at McGill). Over the years at McGill, much of his mining automation research efforts were expended in collaboration with Inco Ltd. and Laurentian University in Sudbury. In 1996, he was appointed Adjunct Professor in the School of Engineering at Laurentian University in Sudbury. He also acted as Director and Secretary-Treasurer of McGill’s Small Mining International (SMI), a non-profit organization serving artisanal mining in developing countries.

His teaching is in mining technology, feasibility studies and surface mining, and he has become involved as the Program Leader of an application to the Federal government for the establishment of a national Network for Sustainable Mining. He is a professional engineer in the province of British Columbia and a chartered engineer in the European Economic Community. He is a firm supporter of our industry associations, particularly the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, as well as the Mining Association of British Columbia.

Awards

• Stefanko Best Paper Award, 1991
• Distinguished Lecturer Award, 1996
• Fellowship Award of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 1994
• Inaugural Gold Medal for distinguished service, 2012

Education

• Nottingham University, 1981, Ph.D., Mining Engineering
• Leicester University, 1970, M.Sc., Mining Geology
• Camborne School of Mines, 1966, ACSM Mining Engineering

Teaching

• Courses taught at Nottingham University, McGill University and UBC have related to: Introduction to Mining Engineering; Rock Fragmentation; Drilling and Blasting; Slope Stability; Surface and Underground Mine Design and Planning; Block Caving.
• MINE 291 Introduction to Mining Engineering
• MINE 506 Underground Mining Methods

Selected Publications

• Ahmed, H., Scoble, M. and W.S. Dunbar, 2016. A comparison between Offset Herringbone and El Teniente underground cave mining extraction layouts using a discrete event simulation technique. Int. Jl. Mining, Reclamation and Environment, Taylor and Francis, 30: 2, pp 71-91.
• Nadolski, S., Klein, B., Elmo, D. and M. Scoble, 2015. Cave-to-Mill: a Mine-Mill approach for block cave mines. Mining Technology, Trans. Inst. Materials, Minerals and Mining, Maney Publ., Vol. 124, 1, pp. 47-55.
• Fraser, J. and M. Scoble, 2015. Social risk as an agent of change: transforming the business proposition of CSR. Bulletin Australian Inst. Mining and Metall., 7p.
• Nadolski, S., Klein, B., Scoble, M. and G. Connaughton, 2013. Energy benefits of implementing drill-to-mill strategies in open-pit copper mines. Proc. Int. Conf. Copper, Santiago, Chile, 2013.
• Sam, A., Kerr, K., Shandro, J., Ostry, A., Scoble, M.2013. The health experience of two communities associated with mining in British Columbia, Proceedings 24th World Mining Congress, Montreal.
• Mottola, L., M. Scoble, and M. Lipsett, 2012. Machine Monitoring and Automation as Enablers of Lean Mining. Can. Inst. Mining and Metall. Bulletin, Vol. 7, 2. (modified version also published in Bulletin Australian Inst. Mining and Metal.)
• Shandro, J., Koehoorn, M., Scoble, M., Ostry, A., Gibson, N., and Veiga, M. 2011. Mental health, cardiovascular disease and declining economies in British Columbia mining communities. Minerals, 1:30-48.
• Odell, C., Scoble, M. and R. Bullard, 2011. Improving Socio-Economic Outcomes at Andean Mines. Int. Jl. Mining, Reclamation and Environment, Taylor and Francis, 25: 2, pp 133-151.
• Shandro, J.A., Veiga, M.M., Shoveller, J., Scoble, M., and Koehoorn, M. 2011. Perspectives on community health issues and the mining boom-bust cycle. Resources Policy.
• Shandro, J, Ostry, A., Scoble, M., and D. Van Zyl, 2011. Reaching Economic and Social Prosperity: A Need to Collaborate with Communities through Commodity Cycles to Post-Closure. In Mine Closure 2011 (editors: A.B. Fourie, M. Tibbett and A. Beersing). 167-176. Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, Australia.
• A. Beersing). 167-176. Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, Australia Shandro, J.A., Scoble, M., Ostry, A., and Koehoorn, M. 2011. Health research studies in British Columbia mining communities. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the Minerals Industry 2011, pp 429-443.
• Klein, B., Bamber, A. and M. Scoble, 2011. Reducing Energy Usage through the Application of Sorting. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Future Mining, Sydney, Australia, Australian Inst. Min. Metall., November 22-23, 2011.
• Shandro, J., Ostry, A., Scoble, M., Van Zyl, D. 2011. Reaching economic and social prosperity: A need to collaborate with communities through commodity cycles to post-closure. Proc. Int Conf. Mine Closure, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, ISBN 978‐0‐9870937, pp. 167-176.
• Mottola, L. and M. Scoble, 2011. Machine Monitoring and Automation as Enablers of Lean Mining. Proc. 2nd International Conference on Future Mining, Sydney, Australia, Australian Inst. Min. Metall., November 22-23.
• Nelsen. J., Scoble, M. and A. Ostry, 2010. Sustainable Socio-Economic Development in Mining Communities: North-Central BC Perspectives. Int. Jl. Mining, Reclamation and Environment, Taylor and Francis, 24:2, pp. 163-179.
• Dessureault, S., Scoble, M. and M. Lipsett, 2009. Achieving the benefits of information technology in surface and underground mining processes. Can. Inst. Mining and Metall. Bulletin, Vol. 4, 2.
• Sweeney, D. and M. Scoble, 2007. A New Approach to Mine Accident Analysis: A Case Study of a Mine Cave-In. Proc. 1st Int. Symposium on Block Caving, South African Inst Min. Metall., Cape Town.
• Odell, C. and M. Scoble, 2005. Integrating Sustainability Issues into Mine Design. Proc. 32nd Conf. Computer Applications in Mining (APCOM), Univ. Arizona, Balkema Publ., pp. 125-131.
• Bamber, A., Klein, B., Morin, M. and M. Scoble, 2004. Narrow Vein Mining – Decreasing Selectivity in Mining through Preconcentration. Proc. 2nd Int Conf on Narrow Vein Mining, NRCan, Val d’Or, CD ROM.
• Dessureault, S., Scoble, M., Dunbar, S. and M. Richards, 1999. A Case Study of Capital Investment Appraisal Methods for Mining Automation. Proc. 5th Int. Symp. Mine Mechanization Automation, Can. Inst. Min. & Metall., Sudbury, june 1999, CD ROM.