News

Please note that our offices and labs will be closed from Saturday December 21st 2024 and we are back on Thursday January 2nd 2025.

Dr. Luis Alberto Torres Cruz is joining the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering on 25 July 2024 as the Teck Professor in Tailings Management and Innovation. Dr. Cruz holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia and a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering from Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a senior lecturer at Wits where his teaching contributions include postgraduate courses on tailings management and critical state soil mechanics. The main driver of his research is the prevention of catastrophic failures of tailings dams. This has led him to…

Carmen Jensen Director, Professional Programs, Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering “Shortly after joining UBC mining in summer 2016, I learned that Carmen is one the most approachable, kind and helpful colleagues in our department. I could, and still can, go to her office and ask her for help and advice on departmental and personal matters.” Carmen Jensen’s devotion to supporting students is best portrayed through the two field trips she coordinates for students every year to various mines across the country. She plans the itinerary, books air tickets, hotels, land transport, restaurants and meals, mine visits and more…

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Davide Elmo, Professor, Associate Dean, Students and Professional Development, has been awarded the prestigious Killam Teaching Prize for the 2023/24 academic year. Dr. Elmo is an exemplary role model who has made and will continue to make a significant impact on the culture of teaching and learning at UBC. As one of six Killam institutions, UBC offers yearly awards from the Killam Endowment Fund to faculty and teaching assistants who demonstrate excellence in teaching. The Killam Teaching Prize is awarded annually to faculty nominated by students, colleagues and alumni in recognition of excellence…

Teck Resources Limited and the UBC Faculty of Applied Science are launching the Don Lindsay Teck Award in Mining Engineering. Teck’s $1 million endowment will generate annual, renewable scholarships for students studying within UBC Applied Science at the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering. This provides crucial financial support for those who will help mine the critical metals and minerals we need to transition to a cleaner economy. “The Don Lindsay Teck Award in Mining Engineering will shape the next generation of mining engineers,” said James Olson, Dean of the UBC Faculty of Applied Science. “With Teck’s help, UBC is building the…

Two recent articles in the Economist (Leaders – Let Them Dig; Business – In a Hole) paint contrasting portraits of the mining industry, reflecting two divergent perspectives. Mining companies do lament that their proposed operations cannot enter production because of regulatory barriers. At the same time, these obstacles may offer convenient excuses to explain their reluctance to invest. However, let’s not forget that large mining operations are large financial speculations focused on mineral assets rather than mineral production. The emphasis of major mining firms remains fixed on accessing sizable deposits, even when their grades are notably low. Such large, low-grade…

Five UBC Applied Science researchers have been appointed as new and renewed Canada Research Chairs, among 19 chairs at UBC. Among them is our very own Dr. Ali Ghoreishi Madiseh, an assistant professor in the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at UBC Vancouver. Dr. Ali Ghoreishi Madiseh, was renewed as a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Advanced Mine Energy Systems. His research focuses on developing novel solutions for maximizing energy efficiency and improving system performance, to ultimately help mining and petroleum industries to improve their processes, cut operating costs and reduce their environmental footprint. The Canada Research Chairs Program invests up to…

The team included (rear) Dex Feliciano, Dylan Conway, Howard Cheng, Jackson Thomas, Tom Terblanche, Joseph Woo, Dawson Chung, Endo Cui, (middle) Christine Yu, Ramita Lehman, Jun Yao Wang, (front) Gabriel Demers, Dylan McIntosh, Malcom Salamon, Gage Paskiewich, Dane Campbell.

A group from the University of British Columbia (UBC) was crowned the winning team during the 2024 Goodman Gold Challenge: Critical Minerals Edition in Sudbury on Feb. 2. The team includes combined student team of UBC Mining and UBC Sauder School of Business students; Dex Feliciano, Dane Campbell, Arjun Singh, and Garrett Bowley. Congratulations to the students! The Goodman Gold Challenge (GGC) is the most unique and realistic mining investment competition for undergraduate students in the world. Hosted by Laurentian University’s Goodman School of Mines, the sixth annual event welcomed teams of students from across Canada, the U.S., and the U.K….

The Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at UBC receives a one-time award of nearly $100,000 from the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) in support of undergraduate education. The Institute equally distributed the award in the form of scholarships to all domestic second year students who joined the mining engineering program in September 2023 since the newly admitted students have limited scholarship and co-op opportunities. Information about all scholarships available to undergraduate students in Mining Engineering can be found on the mining engineering website. In the words of MiHR, “In order for Canada’s mining industry to support the…