SECTION ACTIVITIES
The Washington, DC Section of SME is very committed to the professional development of its members and the future leaders of the mining industry. The members of the Section engage in various activities throughout the year.
SME/WIM Late Spring 2007 Field Trip
( CANCELLED ) There were too few members who signed up to attend.
This year we have arranged with Dominion Terminals and Leibherr Mining Equipment to visit each of their operations in Newport News, Virginia on Monday May 14 – one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
Please let me know by April 23 if you plan to attend. We will need a firm commitment since we are limited to 20 visitors.
Click Here for more informationNovember 2-4, 2006
National Science Teachers Assn. (NSTA), Regional Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center.
Mining Professionals the Washington, DC, SME Section volunteered to staff the SME Minerals Education Coalition Booth to distribute educational materials and over 20,000 rock and mineral specimens to thousands of teachers. The teachers were very appreciative of receiving the materials, and the section values the opportunity to present the mining industry in such a positive light.
A total of seventeen coal, rock, and mineral samples were donated by Fairfax Mining Corp., Luck Stone Corp, Florida Rock Industries/Arundel Corp., Maryland Aggregates Assoc./Lafarge North America, York Building Materials, Phelps Dodge Corp., The Doe Run Co., Hecla Mining Co., Alabama SME Section, Franklin Minerals Corp., Zemex, and Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co.
NSTA Eastern Region Convention 2004
Mining professionals from the SME Washington, D.C. Section and others from the Richmond, Virginia areas staffed the SME Minerals Education Coalition Booth at the eastern regional National Science Teachers Association Convention (NSTA) Convention in Richmond, Virginia last week Over 25 volunteers were on hand from December 2-4 to distribute free mineral kits, educational materials, and industry literature to nearly 1,700 teachers
Mineral producers and mining professional recognize this event an excellent forum to present the mining industry in a positive light, and the teachers are extremely appreciative of the valuable teaching materials being offered to them.
A total of thirteen mineral samples were donated by Brett Aggregates, Cleveland Cliffs Inc., The Doe Run Co., Foundation Coal Co., Luck Stone Corp., Newmont Mining Corp., North Carolina State University, Phelps Dodge Corp., R.T. Vanderbilt Co., U.S. Silica and U.S. Steel Corp.
Major Booth sponsors were the American Coal Foundation (ACF), Caterpillar Inc., E. Dillon & Co., Freeport McMoRan Inc., Joy Global Mining, Luck Stone Corp., National Mining Association (NMA), National Stone (NSSGA), Sand & Gravel Association, Phelps Dodge Corp., Rockydale Quarries, and the Society for Mining Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) National and Washington, D.C. Chapters.
Additional educational materials were provided by A Capital Resource, Energy Information Administration (EIA), Interstate Mining Compact Commission (IMCC), Minerals Information Institute (MII), Sheppard & Associates, U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Washington, D.C. Chapter of Women in Mining (WIM).
Student Day
This biennial program is sponsored by the Washington, DC Section of SME and brings to Washington junior and senior mining engineering, geology and mineral economic students from colleges and universities in MD, PA, VA and WV. The program introduces students to the major government minerals organizations in the Executive and Legislative branches, the trade associations and interest groups, the roles of these organizations and the current minerals issues, including environmental concerns.
It was a tour of the Glen-Gery Brick’s Capitol Plant in Manassas, VA., on Friday, May 12.
The 2006 annual spring field trip was held at Glen-Gery Brick’s Capitol Plant located in Manassas, VA, about 35 miles west of Washington, DC. Glen-Gery manufactures extruded, machine-molded, and handmade bricks in standard and custom shapes, textured and non-textured. Founded in 1890, the company is the largest molded brick and fifth largest brick manufacture in the United States, with 10 manufacturing plants in the east and Midwest having a capacity to produce 700 million bricks per year. The Capitol Plant has been in operation since 1959, and now produces about 43 million bricks per year with a workforce of 60 (including administrative and sales positions). About 60% to 70% of the bricks manufactured from surface clays and shales at the Capitol Plant are consumed locally; the remainder is mainly shipped to locations further north. Most of the brick is trucked out (90% to 95%), with the remaining amount transported via rail. The brick manufacturing process involves five main stepsraw material preparation, the making process, setting and drying, firing, and packaging. The bricks that were made on the day of the tour were extruded and sand-blasted then coated with nepheline syenite for texture. For more details about the brick manufacturing process, visit Glen-Gery’s website at www.glengerybrick.com.
These are photos from the April 8-9, 2005 SME/WIM tour of U.S. Silica in Berkeley Springs, WV and the Alliance Resource Partner’s Mettiki coal mine in Oakland, Maryland.
Mettiki’s fish hatchery at the mine facility.
The photos are of the US Silica mine.
Friday April 30, 2004, SME/WIM Tour of Old Hickory Mine - Click to enlarge.
Dinwiddie County, Virginia
Photos of April 11-12, 2003 mine tour the DC Section took to Kyanite Mining Corporation’s kyanite mine and mill near Dillwyn, Virginia.
Photos of Saturday, April 6, 2002, Choate Mine Tour - Click to enlarge.
The SME DC Section arranged for a private tour of the Choate Mine area near Baltimore, MD in the Soldier's Delight Environmental Area which was the world's primary source of chromite in the early 19th Century. Our tour guide was Johnny Johnsson of Arundel Corporation.
As a means of promoting Earth sciences, members of the Washington, DC Section of SME volunteer as judges at science fairs held throughout the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. Students from both public and private schools participate in six regional fairs beginning in March and running through April each year. Science fairs develop students’ interest in Earth sciences and related academic disciplines. Local professional societies, industry organizations and government agencies provide volunteers to serve as judges and donate prizes.
For more information, please contact Amy Tolcin – 703-648-4940
The Washington, DC Section annually grants the Herbert C. Hoover Award to a member in recognition of his or her professional contributions and active support of the Section. The Hoover Award is traditionally given out at the Section’s May luncheon.
The Washington, DC Section of SME will begin accepting nominations of individuals for the 2007 Herbert C. Hoover Award. We are seeking nominations from our local membership for this year’s Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. (SME) Washington, D.C. Section, Herbert C. Hoover award. The award is generally given to the local member, who has provided outstanding service in recent years. We will accept nominations at the next meeting or nominations can be e-mailed or telephoned to Chairman Roy Tiley at rtiley@bcs-hq.com or ( 410 ) 997 - 7778 ext.220. Please be prepared to make mention of your nominees service to the local SME section.
Closing of nominations will be on Tuesday, April 10.
The member receiving the award must attend the May 8th monthly meeting to accept the honor at our SME Luncheon.
