IAMGOLD funds research chair in open pit mining
Laurentian University’s stature as a mining powerhouse got another boost in January with both IAMGOLD and Franco-Nevada investing in the school’s ambitious research and academic mission.
At a press conference January 14, IAMGOLD Corporation president and CEO Stephen Letwin announced a $1.25 million investment to establish Canada’s first research chair in open pit mining. Two days later, it was all smiles again as Laurentian president Dominic Giroux introduced the founding executive director of its new Goodman School of Mines and Franco-Nevada president and CEO David Harquail announced a $500,000 gift to fund the position.
The new executive director of the Goodman School of Mines, Dr. Bruce Jago, a geologist and mining executive, has held senior roles with Wallbridge Mining, Inco Limited, Temex Resources and Harry Winston Inc. Most recently, he served as president and CEO of junior miner Miocene Minerals Ltd. of Vancouver, a Wallbridge spinoff with several copper-gold-molybdenum properties in southwestern British Colombia.
Jago will take the lead in expanding interdisciplinary course offerings in occupational health and safety, aboriginal relations, mining management and finance to supplement the school’s already well-established mining engineering and earth science programs. He is also tasked with the development of executive programs and short programs to serve the continuing education needs of the mining sector.
“The world’s mineral resources must be developed efficiently, sustainably and equitably, so that all stakeholders receive maximum benefit,” said Jago. “There is no better place in the world for this multi-disciplinary approach to mining education, and I am thrilled with the opportunity to lead this exciting venture.”
IAMGOLD, a mid-tier miner, produces approximately one million ounces of gold annually from five mines in Suriname, Mali and Burkina Faso. The company recently acquired Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc. and its Côte Gold project, 180 kilometres north of Sudbury. The property has just short of seven million ounces of indicated and inferred gold and will be developed as an open pit.
“The future of the mining industry depends on our ability to step up the pace of innovation and this has to start with educational programs and research opportunities specializing in advanced mining techniques,” said IAMGOLD’s Letwin. “Creating Canada’s first research chair in the highly specialized field of open pit mining positions Laurentian University as a leader in mining research.
“We are honoured to support this unique and valuable program and, given Laurentian’s reputation, we expect it to attract the best and the brightest. With the development of our Côté Gold project in Northern Ontario as an open-pit mine, it’s gratifying to know that we will be both helping to address the serious shortage of skilled mining professionals in this country and creating job opportunities for our future mining engineers.”
A search for the research chair in open pit mining is under way with the successful candidate expected to be announced by July.
The ideal candidate, according to Laurentian University, will bring both academic experience and expertise in open pit design and slope stability, resource estimation, optimization of drilling and blasting, and practical application of grade simulation.
