Modern Mining & Technology Sudbury is a mining experience for students that has changed their understanding of the careers and opportunities in mining and related fields.
I asked Nicole Tardif, chair, to respond to the most asked questions about MMTS.
Nicole is a proud alumna of Laurentian University, having completed her BSc and MSc in geology. She has been working at Laurentian University since 2003, currently as program co-ordinator for the Goodman School of Mines. In her previous role at Laurentian, she taught geology and co-ordinated outreach for the Harquail School of Earth Sciences.
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Nicole is actively involved in promoting exploration, mining, mine reclamation and mining technology within the Greater Sudbury community. She has been involved with MMTS (previously known as Sudbury Mining Week) since 2004. In 2011, she led a team of 30 community professionals to rebrand and refocus the 20-year-old Sudbury Mining Week into an active non-profit corporation that now promotes modern mining, new technologies, and exciting careers. In 2013, she won a 40 under 40 Sudbury community award for her work with MMTS.
What is Modern Mining & Technology Sudbury’s mission?
The goal of MMTS is to excite young people about the future of mining innovation in Greater Sudbury and the opportunity for careers in the sector. This is done to ensure the future sustainability of our community and everyone in it. We are all in this together and all benefit from a strong economy.
It’s about planting the seeds for our sector’s continued future growth. It’s about the future prosperity of our entire region and everyone in it.
Who is on your board?
Over 30 volunteers come together every year from a variety of companies and industries based in the City of Greater Sudbury. Professionals from local science centres, government, mining companies, service and supply companies, schools, and even local businesses that benefit indirectly from having mining in our community have joined the group.
2018 had a significant number of events. Can you briefly describe what they were and why they were chosen?
Every year, in late April and early May, we organize activities for elementary and high school students and the public to promote mining technology and careers in mining.
We partner with the staff at Dynamic Earth located in Sudbury for the school activities, which include:
■ Discover Sudbury: a Sudbury geology bus tour and special Dynamic Earth experience where students and teachers learn how the mining industry has evolved and how the environment has been restored in the city. This tour is also offered to the general public.
■ MineOpportunity challenge: a competitive game for high school students where they explore geology, engineering and mining by answering questions and completing activities that are hands-on and curriculum-based.
■ Elementary teacher workshops and special MMTS Dynamic Earth student experience: Grade 4 to 8 teachers are invited to our teacher workshops to learn strategies for delivering mining related, curriculum-linked activities and use innovative materials in their classrooms, while their students are engaged in programming that includes underground tours and mining activities at Dynamic Earth.
MMTS also promotes modern mining to the local community during its MMTS Week. It provides content to publish an MMTS magazine through Northern Life, a local newspaper, which delivers 60,000 copies to the community. It hosts a Mining Showcase at the local mall, where company sponsors and partners showcase their business and provide some exciting activities and information about careers. The City of Greater Sudbury also partners with MMTS to organize a lunch and speaker for the business community.
What attendance figures can you provide and who were key audiences in 2018?
We normally see between 800-1,000 elementary and high school students during the school activities. There are usually around 100 people at the business lunch, 110 people at the science café, and we stay at the mall for six hours with a pretty constant stream of people visiting the booths. I would say that we probably physically reach out to approximately 1,300 people during the MMTS week. This doesn’t include those who read the magazine or see our postings on social media.
What are your plans for 2019?
MMTS Week will be held from April 12 to18 in 2019. The same yearly events will be organized. We are planning on upgrading the MineOpportunity game and offering a new workshop for teachers. We are always looking for sponsors.
