October summary: IMPC, a memorial lecture and some sad news

I was in Maryland, USA in the first week of the month for the International Mineral Processing Congress, and it was great to catch up with so many familiar faces, and meet new ones. I was particularly pleased to be able to present the 2019 MEI Young Person's Award to Nikhil Dhawan, which was not possible four years ago due to the Covid pandemic. It was also good to see a number of Camborne School of Mines alumni at the event, and my old friend Dave Osborne, who was my colleague when I started at CSM 50 years ago.

MEI Young Person's Award winner Nikhil Dhawan

A CSM reunion: KP van der Wielen (2013), Ted Bearman (1987), Claire Bearman (1990),
Daniela Munoz (2009), Dave Meadows (1985) and mineral processing lecturers
Dave Osborne (1970-75) and me (1974-1996).

For most of my time at CSM I served under the School's most influential Principal, Dr. Peter Hackett, who died last month, and I returned from USA in time for his funeral in Camborne, followed by a Wake in Hayle at the same venue in which we celebrated his 90th birthday last November.

Peter Hackett had a great influence on my career and I had hoped that he would be able attend my Victor Phillips Memorial Lecture at the University of Exeter's Penryn campus last week. Dr. Victor Phillips, a hydrometallurgist, was one of my closest colleagues at CSM so it was a great privilege for me to present this lecture on my 55 years in mineral processing, celebrated this month. It was good to see so many CSM students among the 90 who attended and thanks to the Cornish Institute of Engineers for organising this (reactions on LinkedIn).

Those of you involved with industrial minerals would have known Ismene Clarke, who sadly died suddenly this month. Nine years ago Mike O’Driscoll, former Editor, then Global Head of Research, at Industrial Minerals magazine, launched IMFORMED with Ismene, former Head of Sales at Industrial Minerals magazine. Very much like MEI, IMFORMED also organises international conferences and I often caught up with Mike and Ismene at SME Annual Conferences.

Mike and Ismene at the 2012 SME Annual Meeting in Seattle

It is rare that the aurora borealis is seen as far south as Cornwall. It was observed in May and this month it was back in town again due to another intense Coronal Mass Ejection. I have photographed the West Wheal Owles pumping engine house at Botallack many times and, suitably dressed up, it played a major part in the BBC's Poldark series as the fictional Wheal Leisure. But this photograph by Aaron Jenkin must surely be the most spectacular ever taken of this ancient engine house, which ceased operation in January 1893 when flood water broke through the underground workings killing one boy and 19 men. 

And finally, today is the 'official' deadline for submission of abstracts to Comminution '25.  We will be drafting the provisional programme in mid-November, so it is not too late to submit an abstract. If you would like to exhibit, please let us know as soon as possible, as only three of the 30 booths remain available.