Earlier this year, mining and geological engineering students from the University of Arizona placed second at the 2020 SME/NSSGA Student Design Competition. Overseen by Dr. Brad Ross, Professor of Practice, Mining Engineering, Cole Cashin, Tony Holmes, Chad Julius, Gabriella Archunde, and Will Peterson used Hexagon’s MinePlan software to help complete their task of designing a sand and gravel mine.
In an interview with Hexagon’s Jose Sanchez, the students discussed their award-winning design.
The team used a wide range of tools from HxGn MinePlan’s Geology, Engineering and Production suites. The tools helped them design high quality models for their project.
“Something that really stood out to the judges was the quality of our models,” Cashin said. “We received a lot of compliments from those who enjoy the engineering and technical side. A lot of compliments on the 3D models, the block model and pit model as well.”
Erik Anderson, a Senior Quality Assurance Engineer at Hexagon, mentored the team and helped them learn the ins and outs of the software.
“Haulage was another huge tool we used this year, which Erik trained us on,” Cashin said. “We could run haulage to get a whole table of data and plug it in where we need it. When the judges asked where we got the data, we could actually back it up and say our data was based on a simulation program using our model.”
While the students benefited from the hands-on experience with the software, they also learned the teamwork and time management skills it takes to complete an extensive planning project on a deadline.
Learn more about their project by watching their full design presentation.
