Micromine, provider of intuitive software solutions to the mining and exploration industry, has signed an Academic Agreement with the internationally renowned Camborne School of Mines (CSM), University of Exeter. Course and program directors at CSM’s Tremough campus will integrate Micromine’s namesake flagship exploration and mine design solution, Micromine, across undergraduate and postgraduate courses to provide a unique technical learning experience during the new academic year.
This is a modular solution which allows for the capture, management and interpretation of critical mining and exploration data. The agreement will see Micromine work with CSM’s staff to deploy its user-friendly Micromine software to its greatest potential in the classroom.
Micromine can be used to complete a range of technical teaching exercises, using ‘real world’ data, that expose students to mineral exploration, 3D geological modelling, geostatistics, resource estimation, pit optimisation, mine design and scheduling. The software can also be used as a tool in research projects, including undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations and PhD research. It is anticipated that students will significantly enhance their career prospects by developing a variety of advanced technical skills that will be highly regarded by future employers.
The partnership also supports the potential for Micromine and CSM to undertake joint research and development programs aimed at pioneering the latest technologies and creating innovative solutions in exploration and mining.
Dr Charlie Moon, CSM’s Programme Director – MSc Mining Geology, comments: “We are excited to start using Micromine in our teaching. We decided to adopt the package in response to student requests for training in an industry standard package for plotting and interpreting exploration and mine data. We know that such training is a key part of the CV for graduates entering the mining industry.”
Tim Tuder, Micromine UK Regional Manager, comments: “We are very pleased to be announcing this new technical and research collaboration. Micromine aims to bolster CSM’s exploration, planning, and mine management educational programmes. We hope the strength and sophistication of Micromine’s technology will become a tremendous asset to both lecturers and students at Camborne School of Mines.”
CSM is the second educational institution within the UK to acquire a Micromine licence and incorporate the award-winning solution within its course offerings. In March 2010, Micromine signed an Academic Licence Agreement with the University of Leicester’s Department of Geology. Other educational partnerships across Europe include the Polytechnic University of Tirana (Albania), University of Filipstad (Sweden), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain), University of Liège (Belgium) and the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). Micromine’s extensive collaboration with universities across the world showcases the mutually beneficial relationship between academia and industry.
The latest version of Micromine, Micromine 2013, includes enhanced features to improve target accuracy and speed, increasing the chance of success. Highlights include a new implicit modelling module and a new stratigraphic modelling module. New enhancements have also been made to its resource estimation, pit optimisation and resource scheduling modules.