S M E S c h o la r s h ip s
SME awards scholarships at the
2017 annual conference
ach year, SME and the SME Foundation offer multiple
E scholarships to SME student members who demon­
strate a desire for and the probability of success in a career
in the minerals industry. A list of available scholarships is
provided on the SME website, www.smenet.org/students/
grants-scholarships. Click on the name of the scholarship to
view the full guidelines and application criteria. Questions
regarding SME scholarships may be directed to scholar-
ships@smenet.org or phone 303-948-4231. The deadline to
initiate a scholarship application is Oct. 1,2017.
Environmental Division Scholarships were announced
in the May, p. 77, and July, p. 113,2017 issues of ME.
Coal & Energy Division
The Coal & Energy Division (C&E) awarded nine
scholarships in 2017. Many of the scholarship recipients re­
ceived their scholarship certificate at the division luncheon
during the 2017 SME Annual Conference & Expo in Den­
ver, CO.
In addition, the division presented 10 John Sidney Mar­
shall Memorial scholarships. The Marshall scholarships,
formerly presented by AIME, are now administered by the
C&E Division.
Coal & Energy Division Scholars
SAMUEL BAKER is a senior at The Pennsylvania
State University majoring in mining engineering with an
emphasis on coal mining and processing. He has been a
member of the SME Student Chapter for four years, has
served as the chapter president and organized the chap­
C&E Division scholarship recipients at the Denver, CO conference were (l-r) Brooklynn Yonts, Austin Swiney, Daniel McManus, Austin Davis,
Heather Trexler, C&E Division program chair; Andrew Gabrysiak, Sam Baker and Benjamin Butcher.
www.miningengineeringmagazine.com
ter’s trip to the 2016 SME Annual Conference. He has also
served as captain of the university mine rescue team. Baker
has worked as an intern with Peabody Energy and Lafarge
North America.
BENJAMIN BUTCHER is a senior at the Southern Il­
linois University Carbondale majoring in mining engineer­
ing with an emphasis on coal mining and coal processing.
He is a member of the Saluki Miners, the SME Student
Chapter, and has served as chapter secretary and as the
chapter’s special representative to new students. He is also
a member of the school's mine rescue team and plays club
rugby. Butcher has worked as a summer intern for Lehigh
Hanson in Southern Indiana, for Alliance Coal in Sebree,
KY and for Arch Coal at its Viper Mine.
SAURABH CHATURVEDI is a senior studying mining
engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian
School of Mines (ISM)) with an emphasis on coal mining
and processing. He has served as secretary and president of
the ISM Student Chapter and participated in the inaugural
Move Mining competition with members of the chapter.
He was also involved in the Student Membership Fall Chal­
lenge, the chapter won second place and in the national min­
ing tech fest, Khanan’16. He has worked in the summer at
the West Bokaro surface coal mines for Tata Steel.
AUSTIN DAVIS is a senior majoring in mining engi­
neering, with an emphasis on coal mining and minerals pro­
cessing, at Montana Tech of the University of Montana. He
played on the varsity basketball team and works at the local
radio station. He was vice president of the Montana Tech
Mining e n g in e e r in g ■ august 2017 65
S M E S c h o la r s h ip s
mining team and is a member of the SME student chapter.
Davis worked for Cloud Peak Energy’s Antelope and Spring
Creek coal mines and at FMC’s underground trona mine.
ANDREW GABRYSIAK is a senior at the New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology. Ele is majoring in mining
engineering with an interest in coal mining and coal process­
ing. He has worked as a summer intern at BHP Billiton’s
Navajo Mine and at Peabody Energy's El Segundo Mine,
and works part time for the New Mexico Bureau of Geology
and Mineral Resources. He has served as the president of the
SME Student Chapter for three years and organized three
trips to an SME annual conference and to MINExpo. He has
also served as president of the ISEE Student Chapter and is
a member of Tau Beta Pi.
DANIEL McMANUS is a senior in the Mining and Min­
eral Resources Engineering Department at Southern Illinois
University Carbondale. His areas of interest are in coal and
coal processing, and tunneling and underground construc­
tion. He has served as secretary and as vice president of
the SME Student Chapter, as a volunteer at the BSA merit
badge camp and as a STEM science fair judge. McManus
has worked for Peabody Energy and Prairie State Generat­
ing as a summer intern.
AUSTIN SWINEY is a senior at the University of Ken­
tucky (UK) in the Department of Mining Engineering with
a study emphasis on coal and coal processing. He is a mem­
ber of and participates in the activities of the SME Student
Chapter, the ISEE student chapter and the UK mucking
team. He has spent four summer internships with Alliance
Coal in Western Kentucky.
DENNY TIAN is a senior in the Keevil Institute of Min­
ing Engineering at the University of British Columbia. His
areas of interest are in coal, coal processing and environ­
ment. He is active with the Canadian Institute of Mining
and with Engineers Without Borders. Tian has interned with
Teck Resources working in mine operations, maintenance
and dispatch. He is also a volunteer tutor for inner-city high
school students.
BROOKLYNN YONTS is a senior at the University of
Kentucky in the Department of Mining Engineering with
a study emphasis in coal, coal processing and aggregates.
She is a member of the Norwood Student Chapter at UK
and served as vice president, supported the chapter’s Min­
ing in Society merit badge camporee by teaching classes
and worked on two elementary school career fairs. She is
captain of the UK mine rescue team and a member of the
university’s chapter of Women in Mining. She has worked as
a summer intern for Alliance Coal, Madisonville KY and for
Martin Marietta in Colorado.
John Sidney Marshall Scholars
KUNAL BOHRA is a senior studying mining engi­
neering, with an emphasis on coal, coal processing and the
66 august2017 M in in g engineering
Three Marshall scholars received certificates at the 2017 SME Con­
ference. They are (l-r) Branden Fraser; Heather Trexler, C&E Division
program chair; Pritnam Sinha and Kristopher Schaff.
environment, at the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian
School of Mines). He was the technical head of the SME Stu­
dent Chapter and creative head of the annual mining festival.
Khanan'16, which was organized by the SME chapter. He is
also a member of the university’s mining engineering society.
He worked for Tata Steel as a summer intern in an under­
ground and openpit coal mine.
BATJARGAL ALTANGEREL
is a senior in the Mining and Mineral
Resources Engineering Department at
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
studying coal mine operations and coal
processing. He is a member of the Saluki
Miners, the SME Student Chapter and is
in the school’s Leadership Development
Program. As a summer intern, Altangerel
worked as an underground coal miner,
field geologist and rock crusher.
ROBERT HUGHES CONGLETON is a senior major­
ing in mining engineering at the Universi­
ty of Kentucky with an emphasis on coal
mining, coal processing and aggregates.
He is the Engineering Student Council
representative from the SME Student
Chapter and a member of the school’s
mine rescue team. He has worked as
a summer operations associate intern
for Peabody Energy’s Francisco under­
ground coal mine.
SHUBHAM CHOUDHARY is a senior in the De­
partment of Mining Engineering at the Indian Institute of
Technology (Indian School of Mines) with an interest in coal
mining and coal processing. He has served as vice president,
treasurer and graphic designer for the SME Student Chapter.
He played a key role in preparing the annual student report
that won the SME Outstanding Student Chapter contest. He
was also involved in creating an alumni newsletter, the chap­
ter website and the 2016 mining festival, Khanan. Choudhary
www.miningengineeringmagazine.com

worked as a summer intern for Tata Steel at its West Bo-
karo coal mine.
BRANDEN FRASER is a junior at Montana Tech of
the University of Montana majoring in mining engineering
with an emphasis on coal and coal processing. He is a mem­
ber of the SME Student Chapter and has traveled with the
chapter to SME annual conferences. He is also a member of
Engineers Without Borders and helped build a vital road in
El Salvador. He has extensive work experience with JDS En­
ergy and Mining as a summer engineering assistant.
ABHIJEET KUMAR is a senior in the Mining Engi­
neering Department at the Indian Institute of Technology
(Indian School of Mines) in Dhanbad. India. A member of
the SME student chapter, he is studying coal and coal pro­
cessing and is involved in multiple projects related to the
optimization and safety of bench blasts and has published
research papers on these topics. He is also working on a
new alternative technique to simulation (computational flu­
id dynamics) for the estimation of methane concentration
in a mine. He is also involved in robotics in mining. Kumar
has worked as a summer intern at Jindal Power’s openpit
and underground mines.
JOHNATHAN OLDHAM is a junior at the University
of Kentucky studying mining engineering with an emphasis
on coal and coal processing. He has worked for Armstrong
Coal for three summer internships, as well as during other
school holidays, in underground production and in process­
ing. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honorary
society and a member of the SME Student Chapter.
PIYUSH PRATIK is a senior studying mining engineer­
ing at the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of
Mines) with an emphasis on coal and coal processing. He has
served as secretary and vice president of the SME Student
Chapter and was instrumental in organizing an MEC mineral
outreach program. He has worked as an intern at the Gevra
open cast mine, the largest in India.
RAJEEY RANJAN is a senior at the Indian Institute
of Technology (Indian School of Mines) majoring in mining
engineering with an emphasis on coal and coal processing.
He is a member of the SME Student Chapter, has served
as its treasurer and worked on the annual student chapter
report. Ranjan worked on a project on improving shovel
dumper productivity as a summer intern at the Gevra open
cast coal mine.
KRISTOPHER SCHAFF is a junior studying in the
Mining Engineering Department at Montana Tech of the
University of Montana. His study focus is on coal, coal
processing and mine operations. In addition to working as
a ranch hand in the summer, Schaff worked as a mining en­
gineering intern at Signal Peak Energy’s underground Bull
Mountain Mine #1. He is also treasurer of the SME Student
Chapter at Montana Tech and is active in intramural sports.
www.miningengineeringmagazine.com
S M E S c h o la r s h ip s
PRITNAM SINHA is a senior at the Indian Institute
of Technology (Indian School of Mines) studying coal min­
ing, coal processing and environmental engineering. He
has served as secretary and president of the SME Student
Chapter. He initiated an alumni newsletter, increased the
chapter’s presence on social media and coordinated the
Golden Jubilee Basant mining engineering alumni reunion.
Sinha worked for Tata Steel as a summer intern at its West
Bokaro coal mine and quarry.
Industrial Minerals & Aggregates
Division
Hie Industrial Minerals & Aggregates Division
(IM&AD) annually awards the Gerald V. Henderson
scholarship to promising college students who are pursuing
degrees in geology, mining engineering or mineral econom­
ics with special interest in an industrial minerals and aggre-
gates-oriented program.
CAROLINE DZIAK is a senior at the Missouri Uni-
versity of Science & Technology (MS&T) majoring in
mining engineering with an emphasis
in aggregates. She also has a B.S. in geol­
ogy from MS&T. She is a member of the
SME Student Chapter and has worked
on the student fundraisers to attend the
SME conferences in Phoenix, AZ and
Denver, CO. She also attends the St.
Louis Local Section meetings and as­
sisted with the section’s golf tournament.
She is a member of the MS&T mine res­
DZIAK
cue team, the C.L. Dake Geological So­
ciety, the Mars Rover Design Team, the Women in Mining
Student Chapter and the ISEE and NSSGA student chap­
ters. She has worked as a summer intern for Vibra-Tech
and during the school year for Cargill on a co-op program
in Cleveland, OH. She is also the recipient of the 2017 JH
Fletcher Scholarship, see p. 70.
Mineral & Metallurgical
Processing Division
The Mineral & Metallurgical Processing Division
(MPD) awarded five scholarships for the 2017-2018 school
year — four division scholarships, plus the Richard Klimpel
Memorial scholarship. Winners received a scholarship cer­
tificate at the MPD luncheon during the 2017 SME Annual
Conference & Expo.
ADEWALE ADENIJI is a graduate student pursuing
a master’s degree in mineral processing at West Virginia
University. He is a member of the SME Student Chapter at
WVU as well as the SPE chapter, which he joined while ob­
taining a master’s degree in petroleum engineering at King
Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia.
Mining e n g in e e r in g ■ august 2017 67
S M E S c h o la r s h ip s
During the school year, he works as a research assistant in
the Mining Engineering Department studying the optimum
grinding conditions required to maximize the recovery of
rare earth elements from coal samples. He is also a member
of Sigma Phi Delta.
ALYSSA GEBHART is a junior majoring in extractive
metallurgy at the South Dakota School
of Mines and Technology. She is a mem­
ber of the SME Student Chapter and is
vice president of the university’s mining
and mucking team and has participated
in the intercollegiate mining games. She
is a member of the student chapter of
Women in Science and Engineering, and
she is also working with classmates to
establish a student chapter of the Ameri­
GEBHART can Foundry Society.
KAIWU HUANG is a graduate student pursuing a
Ph.D. in mining and minerals engineering at Virginia Poly­
technic Institute and State University. He has worked as
a summer intern at the Xinyu coal preparation plant of
Shanxi Coke Coal Group and as a research assistant in the
Center for Advanced Separation Technologies. He presents
technical papers each year at the SME Annual Conference
& Expo. His 2017 conference paper was titled “A Micro­
scopic Flow Model for Ultrafine Particle Filtration.”
VAIBHAV SRIVASTAVA is a graduate student at the
University of Alaska Fairbanks working toward a Ph.D. in
mineral processing. His research is on dynamic modeling
and simulation of the grinding circuit of an Alaskan gold
mine. He is a teaching assistant in the Department of Min­
ing and Geological Engineering and a member of the SME
Student Chapter. He has participated in APCOM 2015 and
(l-r) Xinbo Yang, Kaiwu Huang, Vaibhav Srivastava, Louis Ackah and Adewale Adeniji received scholarship certificates at the MPD luncheon
during the 2017 SME Annual Conference &
68 august 2017 ■ M in in g e n g i n e e r i n g
presented a technical paper at the 2017 SME Conference &
Expo in Denver, CO. He is active in a peer mentoring pro­
gram at the university and intramural sports. He has also
worked as a process shift engineer at the ore dressing plant
at the Rampura Agucha Mine of Hindustan Zinc Vedanta
Resources.
XINBO YANG is a graduate student at the University
of Kentucky pursuing a Ph.D. in mineral processing. He is a
member of the SME Student Chapter and the university’s
swimming club. He has worked as a summer intern for
Prairie State Generating's power plant with a self-supplying
coal mine. He worked to establish an online quality moni­
toring system of the product stream from the mine to the
power plant.
Richard Klimpel Scholarship
LOUIS ACKAH is a graduate student studying for a
Ph.D. in mineral/coal processing at the Southern Illinois
University Carbondale. He is a member of the Saluki Min­
ers, the SME Student Chapter, and a member of the mine
rescue team. He was also co-chair of the C&E research
and development technical session at the 2017 SME An­
nual Conference & Expo. Ackah has served as a science
fair judge, a STEM mentor and a soccer coach. He has a
bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and has worked as an
assistant structural engineer in Ghana, including designing
a tailings pond for a gold mining company.
Mining & Exploration Division
The Mining & Exploration (M&E) Division awarded
four division scholarships for the 2017-2018 school year.
This includes the Eugene P. Pfleider Memorial scholarship
that is awarded on an annual basis to students pursuing ca­
reers in mining engineering.
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In addition, three other scholarships were presented
that are administered by the division.
The Steven C. Potter scholarship is awarded annually
to a graduate student who is an SME student member and
whose thesis is directed toward furthering the understand­
ing of ore deposit systems.
The Henry DeWitt Smith graduate scholarship is given
to a graduate student studying in the mining, metallurgical,
materials or petroleum department of a leading university
or college in the United States and Canada.
The Stewart Wallace scholarship is awarded annually
to a master’s degree candidate in geology or geological
science who is planning to pursue a career in the field of
exploration geology.
Mining & Exploration Division scholarships
CAITLIN DARNALL is a senior majoring in mining
engineering and petroleum engineering at the Missouri
University of Science & Technology. She is a member of the
SME Student Chapter and the SPE Student Chapter, since
she is pursuing a double major. She is also vice president of
the Women in Mining student chapter, a member of ISEE,
and a member of the university mucking team. She spent a
summer as an intern with Newmont Mining and was able to
work underground. Darnall is also the recipient of the 2017
McIntosh Scholarship, see p. 70.
JOE MERSINGER is a senior at the Missouri Univer­
sity of Science & Technology majoring in mining engineer­
ing. He has served the SME Student Chapter as treasurer
and has played football for the university since his fresh­
man year. He is also a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, ISEE,
NSSGA and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Mers-
inger has worked as an intern for Foresight Energy, APAC-
Kansas Aggregates Division and for Summit Materials with
the company’s exploration geologist.
The M&E Division presented scholarship certificates to (l-r) Solomon Owusu, John Asafo-Akowuah, Caitlin Darnall, Breanna Sanders, Bobbi
Strange and Joe Mersinger at the division luncheon. Sam Shoemaker (far left) is M&E Division Scholarship Committee chair.
M IN IN G &
P L Q FA T IO
iD Iv f D N (
www.miningengineeringmagazine.com
S M E S c h o la r s h ip s
BREANNA SANDERS is a junior studying mining
engineering at the University of Utah. She is the freshman/
sophomore student representative for the mining depart­
ment, a member of the SME Student Chapter and the sec­
retary of the W1M student chapter. As a summer intern with
Rio Tinto Kennecott, she worked with the blasting team, par­
ticipated in a truck scale weigh study, and investigated a mine
wide anti-collision system and its associated costs.
Eugene P. Pfleider Scholarship
BOBBI STRANGE is a junior at the South Dakota
School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) pursuing under­
graduate degrees in both mining engineering and geological
engineering. During the school year, she has worked as a res­
ident assistant and for the president and provost of SDSMT.
In the summer, she has worked for Barrick Gold and as a
researcher at the University of Minnesota-Morris. She is a
member of the SME Student Chapter, Sigma Gamma Epsi­
lon, the Society of Women Engineers and is treasurer of the
Geological Association.
Henry DeWitt Smith Scholarship (M&E/AIME)
SOLOMON OWUSU is a graduate student at the Colo­
rado School of Mines working toward a Ph.D. in mining engi­
neering with an emphasis on geostatistics and economics. He
has an M.S. from New Mexico Tech and a B.S. from Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science & Technology in Ghana. He
has worked as a summer intern for Newmont Mining as a
resource modeler, for Veris Gold Corp. at the Jerritt Canyon
Mine as a mine geologist and for JDS Energy & Mining as a
field engineer. He is a member of SME and AIPG.
Steven C. Potter Scholarship
JEFFREY HRNCIR is a graduate student pursuing a
master’s degree in economic geology at the University of
New Mexico-Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences. He
M in in g eng in ee rin g ■ august 2017 69
S M E S c h o la r s h ip s

has been a judge at regional science fairs, led field trips for
local schools, wrote a child’s book on geology and aided in
creating an effective science curriculum. He has worked for
his family’s mineral exploration company as a field geologist
looking for precious metals in Colorado and South Dakota.
His master’s thesis is on gold metallogeny in the Black Hills,
and he plans to continue his studies and obtain a Ph.D.
Stewart Wallace Memorial Scholarship
JOHN ASAFO-AKOWUAH is a graduate student
pursuing a master’s degree in economic geology at the New
Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. He is a mem­
ber of the SME Student Chapter, AIPG and SEG. As an
exploration geologist, he played an instrumental role in the
discovery and growth of the Tonkolili Mine (iron) in Sierra
Leone and the Tambao Mine (manganese) in Burkina Faso.
Dakota School of Mines & Technology majoring in mining
engineering. She has served as the treasurer of the SME
Student Chapter, as a WiSE mentor for freshman students,
as captain of the Hardrocker cheer team and as chair of the
Homecoming Committee. She is also a member of ISEE
and the mine rescue team. She has worked for Freeport-
McMoRan as a summer intern and is currently studying
abroad.
J.H. Fletcher & Co. Scholarship
CAROLINE DZIAK is a senior at the Missouri Uni­
versity of Science & Technology (MS&T) majoring in min­
ing engineering with an emphasis in aggregates. She already
has a B.S. in geology from MS&T. She also received the
IM&AD Gerald V. Henderson scholarship. See page 67 for
her photo and biography.

McIntosh Engineering Scholarships

SME Foundation ZOE SCOPA is a junior in the Department of Mining
Each year, the SME Foundation (SMEF) administers and Minerals Engineer­
the following scholarships: ing at Virginia Tech. She
is a member of the SME
• Mining & Metallurgical Society of America and Student Chapter and
SMEF Presidential. Alpha Omega Epsilon
• J.H. Fletcher & Co. engineering society. She
• McIntosh Engineering. is also minoring in music
• Ernest K. Lehmann Memorial. and plays with the New
• Syd S. and Felicia F. Peng Ground Control in Min­ River Valley Symphony
ing. Orchestra and the Vir­
ginia Tech Symphonic
This year, 11 students received these scholarships, some Wind Ensemble. Scopa
during the SME Annual Conference & Expo in Denver, worked as a co-op pro­
CO. See page 59 for detailed information on all SME Foun­ duction management
dation scholarships. engineer for Cargill
Zoe Scopa (I) received a scholarship Deicing Iechnoloy at its
MMSA/SMEF Presidential Scholarships certificate from Dennis Bryan (r) presi- underground Cayuga
LINE-AUDREY NKULE SONKENG is a junior from dent of SMEF, salt mine.
Cameroon majoring
in mining engineer­ CAITIN DARNALL is a senior majoring in mining
ing at West Virginia engineering and petroleum engineering at the Missouri
University. She has University of Science & Technology. She also received a
previously tutored Mining & Exploration Division scholarship. See page 69 for
in math at Howard her photo and biography.
Community College.
She is a member of Ernest K. Lehmann Memorial Scholarship
the SME Student MELANIE ZONDAG is a junior majoring in geologi­
Chapter at WVU, a cal engineering at Michigan Techno­
member of Phi Theta logical University with an emphasis
Kappa honor society in hydrology. She is a member of the
and is an undergradu- SME Student Chapter, the SPE Student
Line-Audrey Nkule Sonkeng (I) received ate research assistant Chapter and the Society of Women En­
her scholarship certificate from Dennis during the school gineers.
Bryan (r) president of SMEF. year. Her goal is Zondag has worked as a summer in­
eventually to work at the Freeport-McMoRan Tenke Mine tern with Wrightman and Associates as
in the DRC Congo. an engineering inspector on road recon­
struction and as a laboratory technician
RAHEL DEAN-PELIKAN is a junior at the South ZONDAG at TriMatrix Labs.

70 august 2017 Mining e n g in e e r in g www.miningengineeringmagazine.com

 S M E S c h o la r s h ip s

AGRAWAL GARG NEWMAN TURI

Syd S. and Felicia F. Peng Ground Control in Mining Scholarships

SIDHARTH AGRAWAL is a graduate student studying
for a master’s degree in ground control/geotechnical engi­
neering at Penn State. He is treasurer of the Graduate and
Professional Student Association, the SME Student Chapter
and, as an undergraduate, he was treasurer for the SME
chapter at the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka.
He is also a member of the SPE Student Chapter. Agrawal
served as the project safety manager at the Nandira under­
ground coal mine for Coal India Ltd.
PRASOON GARG is a graduate student at West Vir­
ginia University studying mining engineering with an em­
phasis on ground control/geotechnical engineering. He is a
member of the WVU SME Student Chapter, the Indian Stu­
dent Association and also attends meetings of the PCMIA.
He has worked as a research intern for Central Institute of
Mining & Fuel Research in Dhanbad, India and as a sum­
mer intern at the Godhur Kusunda Mine for Bharat Coking
Coal.
CHRISTOPHER NEWMAN is a graduate student
pursuing a Ph.D. in mining engineering with an emphasis on
ground control/geotechnical engineering at the University
of Kentucky. He has been active on the mine rescue team
and with the SME student chapters at UK and at WVU,
where he earned his master’s degree. He has worked as a
ground control engineer for Patriot Coal.
GEMECHU B. TURI is a graduate student studying for
a master’s degree in mining engineering at the South Da­
kota School of Mines and Technology. His study emphasis
is on ground control and geotechnical engineering. He par-
ticpated in a STEM program sponsored by the U.S. govern­
ment that allowed him to be a teaching assistant at SDSMT.
He is a member of the SME Student Chapter, the National
Society of Black Engineers and plays club soccer. He has
worked as a senior geotechnical engineer in Ethiopia at
OWWDSE, a construction consultancy.
YUTING XUE is a graduate student at West Virginia
University pursuing a Ph.D. in mining engineering with an
emphasis on ground control/geotechnical engineering. He
has earned a M.S. in geotechnical engineering from the
Chinese Academy of Sciences and a B.S. in civil engineering
from the China University of Mining and Technology. He
has worked as a research assistant at WVU and at the Chi­
nese Academy of Sciences. He has presented papers at SME
annual conferences in 2016 and 2017. ■

An American Dream
2017, by Syd Peng, available from SME, 12999 E. Adam Aircraft Cir., Englewood,
CO 80112, USA, www.smenet.org/store, email books@smenet.org, phone 303-948-
4237,800-763-3132 x237,216 pp., hard cover, $35 member, $35 student member, $55
list. All proceeds, less administrative fees, go to the Syd S. and Felicia F. Peng Ground
Control in Mining Scholarship and Award endowment fund.
his is the story of a remarkable life — a life of hard work and tenacity and how that
T life benefitted an industry and inspired many. Born in 1939 in Taiwan, Syd Peng
began life in a ramshackle house with a leaky roof, carrying water for his family from
a nearby well. But he worked and studied hard, in Taiwan and then in America, and
thanks to his intelligence and strong work ethic, he built a life as an engineer, research­
er, teacher, author and founder of the acclaimed International Conference on Ground
Control in Mining. After military service with the Chinese Army, Peng got his first
real job — in a coal mine. There he was exposed to the extremely unsafe mining prac­
tices of the time. “I began to fear for my life whenever I entered the mines,” he writes.
Thus, he found his lifelong passion to make coal mining safer for those who go
underground. He became an international expert in ground control for mining, long-
wall mining and mine subsidence, helping to create safer conditions for miners and
higher productivity for the industry. ■
www.miningengineeringmagazine.com M in in g engineering august2017 71
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