The Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources in association with the Mining & Geological Engineering Department at the University of Arizona is excited to announce the 2022 Student & Alumni Photo Contest winner. The contest was open to all students and alumni of the Mining & Geological Engineering, Economic Geology, and other mining industry related programs.
We looked for photos that best captured the student and alumni experience. We wanted to see where your degree has taken you, some of the unique and exciting opportunities you’ve been a part of, and the things that make you love this degree and career path!
We looked for the most creative and interesting photos that may include landscapes, sites, group photos, technology, field work, equipment, projects, and of course you!
Congratulations to graduate student Xenia De Gracia (“Bright Nights at the Process Plant”) for winning the third annual Student & Alumni Photo Contest! Xenia’s photo will be framed and displayed in the Mining and Metallurgy building at the University of Arizona!
Thank you!
We want to thank everyone who participated and submitted their photos. We also want to thank students, faculty, alumni, and the community who participated by voting. Be on the lookout for next year's contest.
And the winner is…
Xenia De Gracia is a graduate student (Spring 2022, Hydrology). She says: "I took the picture while I worked there as one of their Environmental Coordinators. It was an incredible experience where I learned a lot about how mineral extraction happens and the actions to make the mine more sustainable, which is what motivated me to pursue my current research in weathering affectations on mine tailings hydrodynamics." Image details: Minera Cobre Panamá Mine Project. First Quantum Minerals. Taken November 2019.
1st place - Xenia DeGracia: Bright Nights at the Process Plant
Zach Saufley is an alumnus (Winter 2011. Mining Engineering) and now works at Komatsu as a Senior Mining Application Engineer. He says: "A quiet copper mine haul road during the dead of winter in northern Sweden. The project was to evaluate the mine's loading unit utilization in order to recommend the best equipment for their application and mine plan." Location: Aitik Mine. Gällivare, Sweden.
2nd place - Zach Saufley: Mining Frost
Xavier Ochoa is an alumni (Spring 1991. BS in Mining Engineering) and is now President & COO of Quintana Minerals. He says: "Mountain top pioneering in Sinaloa, Mexico. This corresponds to the start of ore mining at the Central Pit on the Sagrado Corazon Ridge in the Sierra front range in Sinaloa, Mexico in September 2016. The trucks in the picture are Cat 777Fs. Mining operations there are now finalized. We took the photo with a drone using a GoPro camera."
3rd place - Xavier Ochoa: Sinaloa Mining
"An electric mining shovel loading ultra-class haul trucks at a Canadian coal mine. The project was to analyze and validate the world's largest Electric Mining Shovel - the P&H 4800XPC AC - and its ability to three pass load ultra-class 400-ton Komatsu 980E trucks." Location: Fording River Mine. Elk Valley of British Columbia, Canada.
Finalist - Zach Saufley: Load and Haul
Claire Harders is an alumna (Spring 2021. Retail and Consumer Science Major, Marketing Minor). She was a Marketing Assistant for the Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources. Currently she is a graduate student at Vanderbilt University. She says: "This is a photo that I took inside the San Xavier Mine. I was working for the Lowell Institute as a Marketing Assistant when I toured the mine. My coworker and I were shooting content to help promote the Mining Engineering program at The University of Arizona. I thought this shot was cool because it showed the ladders that it took to get in and out of the mine. Very fun day!"
Finalist - Claire Harders: SX Mine