The International Mineral Processing Council (IMPC) has awarded Dr Barry Wills with a Distinguished Service Award for his distinguished and noteworthy contribution to the field of mineral processing.
Wills, an alumnus of Leeds University, has contributed to the mineral processing community in several capacities. His main quest during his long career has been to promote the distribution and dissemination of mineral processing engineering knowledge within the community of mineral processors worldwide.
After gaining industrial experience in Zambia and in UK, Wills spent 22 years teaching mineral processing students at Camborne School of Mines. From his needs as a lecturer grew a seminal and successful book “Mineral Processing Technology” in 1979. Following this he founded the Mineral Engineering journal in 1988, of which Wills continues to serve as Editor-in-chief.
In 1991, Wills created a successful conference series which concentrating on narrow fields of subjects aimed for specialists. The number of topics has substantially grown during the years and now covers a range of disciplines.
In 1999 Wills took his ideas of knowledge distribution to the internet by creating, along with his daughter Amanda, MEI Online, a respected and well-known source of data and information. Within MEI Online Wills himself contributes actively in creating discussion topics and writing an interesting blog.
Wills’ achievements in disseminating mineral processing knowledge and information are extraordinary. With his efforts many results and ideas have been disseminated efficiently.”
“There are literally thousands of people who have contributed to my receipt of this award, and I would like to take this opportunity of thanking them collectively. Firstly I must thank the IMPC, and particularly those who nominated me, for honouring me in this way,” said Wills.
“A special thanks to my family, the MEI team, particularly my wife Barbara, who has supported me in everything that I have done for half a century, and our daughter Amanda, and son Jon”.
“For half my professional life I was a member of staff at Camborne School of Mines (CSM) and I would like to thank all those that I worked with during those 22 years, particularly my mineral processing colleagues Roger Parker, Jim Turner and Vic Phillips, who are sadly no longer with us, and the Principal for most of my time at CSM, Dr Peter Hackett, who gave me almost free-rein to make new contacts by travelling the world, often for extended periods as a visiting lecturer in Malaysia, Australia, South Africa, India and France,” Wills stated
Wills concluded by saying “It has been a long and rewarding journey, but I have not reached my destination yet.”