Annual report 2008

1. Board membership

Professor Robert (Bob) Pine, Chairman
Dr Alan Auld
Mr Julian Bennett
Mr Brendan Breen
Dr David Buchanan
Dr Keith Bowers
Dr Darron Dixon-Hardy
Dr Patrick Foster
Mr Tony Forster
Mr Patrick Gorman
Dr Chris Hinde
Mr Neil Rowley
Mr Steve Reece
Mr Bob Siddall, (Chairman until mid-2008)
Mr Derek M Smith
Dr Rod Stace
Mr Bill Tinsley

Co-ordinator
Anu Bhartiya

Observers
Mr Michael Forrest
Prof John Monhemius
Mr Steve Bedford
Mr Alan Baxter
Ms Chris Blackmore
Mr Charles Rhodes
Mr Barry Ward
Mr Jim McCabe
Mr David Seath

During the year there were resignations from Chris Hinde and David Buchanan and the Board was joined by Julian Bennett.   Other Board membership changes are under discussion.

2. Board meetings
 
Three Board meetings were held during the year, 31 January, 29 May and 30 October 2008.

3.  Opportunities for growth of Division Community or constraints

Membership of the Division is being pursued though IOM3 / David Arthur's initiatives and through the IMMa by e-mail and other means.   MTD has a strong resource through the local societies with mining interests and membership initiatives with students in particular are also being pursued locally (e.g. SW Branch / U. Exeter / Camborne School of Mines;  Midlands Branch, U. Nottingham;  Yorkshire Branch, U. Leeds)

4    Technical programme

The main activity within MTD technical areas for 2008 was through the local societies.  This included several events at each of the eight active former IMM branches.  Some examples are included below:

Small mines in the UK:  Tony Forster (SW Branch)

Operations at Winsford Salt Mine, Cheshire: Steve Reece (SW Branch)

Promoting Safe Performance:  Health and safety seminar (Midlands Institute of Mining Engineers)

Underground disposal of nuclear waste:  (S.Wales Branch)

Mining, modelling and philosophy: 7th Annual Victor Phillips Memorial Lecture - Professor R.J.Pine (SW Branch)

The following IOM3 event was also relevant to MTD members:  

Carbon Transportation and Storage: (included as not covered in previous annual report). This was organised by the Institute (Dawn Bonfield)  and took place in London on December 4th 2007.  There were several MTD members present and it was considered an excellent event.

2009

A major event for 2009 is  MIME 2009 - Safely managing the challenge of change with  a target number of 160 participants. This will be organised by Midlands Institute of Mining Engineers in conjunction with MTD / IMMa.
 
2010

In preparation by MTD is the  Third International  Conference on Deep Shaft Sinking.   This will be a substantial event, probably to be held in London.  It follows on from 2 previous such events held by IMM in London in 1959 and Harrogate in 1989.

5 Foresight / Innovation and Growth

No specific initiatives. 

6 Professional membership developments

The local societies, in particular the Midland Institute of Mining Engineers and the South West Branch (IMM) are pursuing the recruitment of first year students at Leeds University and Camborne School of Mines (Exeter University) and related courses throughout the UK.

The secretaries of the former IMM Branches, Midland Institute of Mining Engineers, The Mining Institute of Scotland, London and Southern Counties Mineral Industries Institute, North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, South Midlands Branch (Mining and Metallurgy), Western Branch (Mining and Metallurgy), South West Branch (Mining and Metallurgy), Wales Branch (Mining and Metallurgy), are observers on the Mining Technology Divisional Board and also meet separately twice per year under the Chairmanship of  the Chairman of the Division.  

The branches all have substantial programmes of technical events.   See http://www.iom3.org/content/local-activities-18

7 Institute federalism

MTD is one of the group of mining-related divisions to now be formally within the IMMa (umbrella).  While the exact lines of communication and division of responsibilities within IMMa/MTD are being refined, the MTD is very happy with the improved coordinated profile that IMMM now presents externally through IMMa. 

8 National and international linkages with other Societies /Institutes
 
Dr Patrick Foster is the Institute's Representative on the World Mining Congress.

Mr Derek Smith is the the IMMM representative on the British Geotechnical Association (hosted by ICE).

9 Government interfaces

Bob Pine has represented IMMM (with mainly MTD interests) at a workshop held by the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA).

10 Publications

Although there have been some excellent papers published in "Mining Technology", a joint publication with AusIMM, it has suffered removal from the JCI / JCR citation index.  In the light of a better flow of papers and timely publications an application has been made by the editor, Professor Peter Dowd, to re-establish the citation.

11 Awards/prizes

The following prizes relevant to MTD interests were awarded for 2008.

Douglas Hay Award
For the best paper published in Transactions A: Mining Technology. Awarded to I S Lowndes, Z Y Yang, S W Kingman, S A Silvester and M A Tucket for their paper ‘A parametric study of a longwall district climate prediction and planning model', Mining Technology (Trans. IMM A), September 2006, Vol 115, No 3, pp 99-121.

Medal for Excellence
For conspicuous contribution, either during the year or cumulatively over a number of years, to the art, science and practise of the mining industry. Awarded to Wardell Armstrong for its service to the mining industry. The international consultancy has worked with UK Government departments as well as the World Bank, and developed a mining policy for artisanal miners alongside the Ethiopian Government.

12 Other matters 
  
MTD board are currently considering alternative arrangements for board meetings including extended electronic communication and meetings at active mining operations (at least two have been identified / volunteered).