Did you have a recent breakthrough on a project? Submit your findings for a chance to present your work at the world’s largest conference on explosives engineering.
Abstracts for the 42nd Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique, to be held Jan. 31 - Feb. 3, 2016, at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev., are now being accepted.
Papers addressing all explosives and blasting-related topics will be considered. Accepted papers will be scheduled for either one of the technical sessions or the Blasters Forum, a multimedia poster event with one-on-one interaction between the author and the audience.
Abstracts of approximately 200-400 words are due by May 15, 2015, and must clearly highlight the key points and significance of the proposed paper.
The Ohio Drilling & Blasting Conference was held March 26-27, 2015, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. The conference was co-sponsored by the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE), the Ohio Aggregates & Industrial Minerals Association (OAIMA) and Ohio Coal Association. It was endorsed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
More than 150 attendees participated in the event that featured 19 exhibit booths and a full day of presentations from explosives industry experts. This year’s program began with opening remarks from ISEE Executive Director J. Winston Forde; Patrick Jacomet, from OAIMA; and Christian Palich, from the Ohio Coal Association. The program included eight speakers who covered underground blasting, waveforms, public relations, demolition blasting and current compliance issues. Attendees qualified for blasters training recertification hours from several states.
The highlight of the event included presentations of the Blaster of the Year Award and Driller of the Year awards. This year’s blaster recognition was awarded to Glen Swaldo, of Austin Powder Co. The driller awards were presented to Bob Beckley, from Hilltop Energy Inc., and Donald Bittner, from Demtech, LLC. Donald was also accompanied by his wife, Cindy.
The Ohio Drilling and Blasting Conference is a biennial event that serves as a platform for the exchange of the industry’s best practices. This year’s sponsors include the ISEE, Austin Powder, Nobel Insurance and Tread Corporation.
Hot off the presses: The 18th Edition Blasters’ Handbook second printing is available now exclusively at the ISEE bookstore. This second printing improves upon the more than 1,000 pages of explosives knowledge with updated content, equations and formulas.
With the blaster-in-charge as the focus, the 18th Edition Blasters’ Handbook second printing is divided into four parts, emphasizing safety, security and communication throughout the publication.
First printing 18th Edition Blasters’ Handbook owners can download the complete errata for free only at the ISEE online store. It includes all the new content featured in the second printing as a free PDF download.
The ISEE Membership Directory and Desktop Reference is the most comprehensive who’s who publication in the explosives industry. Now you can make your company shine and target explosives industry leaders by advertising in the Membership Directory Yellow Pages.
Ads start at $125. Reserve yours today. Download an order form here. The deadline to reserve your space is Tuesday, March 31. For more information, contact Dede Manross at 801.942.5650 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
More than 1,400 people from around the world met Feb. 1-4, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana, for the 41st Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique, the world’s largest conference on explosives engineering.
And for the third consecutive year, the SEE Education Foundation live auction on Tuesday, Feb. 3 raised more than $17,000. Big-ticket items included a one-of-a-kind, handmade Education Foundation quilt; a lifetime membership to ISEE; and a helicopter ride for two at the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska.
The money raised through the auction will go to the Education Foundation ISEE Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships to college students from across the globe who are pursuing a career in the blasting industry.
Awards Banquet
The annual awards banquet, also on Tuesday, honored people who made outstanding contributions to the explosives engineering industry.
William A. Hustrulid, Ph.D., was honored with the Distinguished Service Award for his more than 35 years of work with the ISEE and in the mining industry. Hustrulid was instrumental in the review of the 17th and 18th editions of the Blaster’s Handbook, and he has been an indispensable resource to the mining industry.
Ron Mask was this year’s Industry Service Award winner, whose personality, background and work ethic helped develop Instantel into a worldwide leader in monitoring instrumentation. He has always been a support of ISEE, local ISEE chapters and industry conferences.
The ISEE President’s Award, which is given to those who have unselfishly given their time and talents to the society, was awarded to Brad Brown, Cloud Peak Energy Resources LLC; Lawrence Mirabelli, Buckley Powder; and Enrique Munaretti, Ph.D., Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.
William Hissem, Sandvik Construction, was awarded the ISEE Driller’s Leadership Award for the extraordinary amount of time and knowledge he has given to help drillers. And James H. Redyke, Dykon Explosive Demolition Corp., was honored with the Blaster’s Leadership Award. Mary Spena-Bosch, ISEE, was also recognized for her 10 years of service with ISEE.
Moving Forward
The next Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique will be from Jan. 31 – Feb. 3, 2016, at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stay tuned for more information.