By Neville Judd
Two mining engineering students at the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) have earned top honours after using Hexagon MinePlan in their graduation research. Their success highlights how access to industry-standard software can help students build practical skills while producing stronger academic work.
Both students, from the School of Resources and Safety Engineering, applied MinePlan training to their graduation projects. Jiangwei Liu received the university’s Outstanding Graduation Thesis Award for the dissertation “Resource Estimation and Mining Design of an Open-Pit Mine Based on MinePlan”. Qin Hao, whose research focused on underground mining, received the School-Level Outstanding Graduation Thesis Award after completing the project using MinePlan.
Jiangwei Liu (pictured) and Qin Hao used MinePlan to earn top honours at the University of Science and Technology Beijing.
The two awards reflect work across both open-pit and underground mining, showing MinePlan’s value in more than one area of mining education and research.
“Through this learning experience, I not only became proficient in using MinePlan but also strengthened my professional knowledge and research skills,” said Liu.
“From data preparation and geological modelling to resource estimation and mine design optimisation, the instructors provided guidance throughout the project and helped me overcome both technical and design challenges.
“I would like to sincerely thank the Hexagon team for their guidance and support, which directly contributed to my thesis being recognised.”
Hexagon MinePlan supports the full mine planning workflow, from geological modelling and resource estimation through to mine design and planning.
Used by both industry professionals and universities, it helps users apply modern digital workflows to real mining challenges.
MinePlan combines 3D visualisation, planning tools, and optimisation capabilities to simplify complex mine design tasks. This makes it a practical platform for teaching, research, and engineering projects while helping users produce more accurate and efficient mine plans.
The students’ achievements also demonstrate the value of combining academic learning with industry software. During their research they used MinePlan for open-pit modelling, resource estimation, mine design, underground layout design, parameter calibration, and scenario simulation.
Working with the same tools used by mining companies allowed the students to connect theory with practice. It also strengthened their technical skills while exposing them to the digital workflows shaping the future of mining.
“It has been an invaluable opportunity,” said Liu.