Next time you visit the ISEE website, you may notice things look a little different. We recently launched our new online home. Head over to www.isee.org to check it out. Our mobile friendly site has some great new features like an easier to navigate menu, a single sign on, revamped members only hub and a brand new online store.

ISEE members who have an email on file already have a member account created. Your username is your email address and your password is your ISEE member number. Login in a take a look around. The new Blasters’ Toolkit and Explosives Reference Database Online are both housed in the member’s hub. You can check out the latest Journal of Explosives Engineering Online, too.

Missouri University of Science and Technology has been approved by the Coordinating Board of Higher Education to offer the nation’s first Ph.D. in explosives engineering. Missouri S&T was also the first in the nation to offer undergraduate and post-graduate minors in explosives engineering in 2005, a postgraduate certificate in 2006, and a master’s degree in 2010.

The new doctorate will help the university fill critical shortfalls in government and industry. In the mining industry alone, more than 5,000 engineers will retire in the next decade.

The abandoned mine is in the same area where more than 20 illegal miners were recently rescued after being trapped underground for several days. Those miners, who were reportedly trapped by a rival group of illegal miners, were arrested after they emerged from the shaft. They are due to appear in court on charges related to illegal mining.

The demolition of the iconic Port Kembla Copper Stack in New South Wales is complete but some residents are concerned over vibrations felt when the 1000 explosives were detonated. The 200m column which for decades had stared down at residents, spluttered fumes over their roofs, and dominated their skyline, came down just after 11 a.m. Feb. 20.

There has been a blasting mishap at the Australian Hunter Valley mine, with its owner BHP Billiton urging anyone overcome by fumes to see a doctor. It is the third time a blast from BHP's Mount Arthur mine has raised concerns in recent times.

Last year, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) fined the global mining giant $1,500 for breaching its environment protection licence.The EPA found the mine had allowed explosives to remain in the ground for too long before being detonated, resulting in excessive blast fumes.

The demolition of the smokestack at the former Hooven and Allison building in Xenia, Ohio, has been delayed and the city said it will no longer use explosives to bring it down. The area around the site must be power washed to remove asbestos and the recent cold weather has caused that work to be delayed. The stack had been scheduled for demolition on Thursday.

Traffic on Route 119 in East Huntingdon, Pa., Friday afternoon was stopped in both directions when a pickup truck carrying blasting caps caught fire. Normal traffic flow resumed after the fire was quickly extinguished.
East Huntingdon volunteer firefighter Josh Brinker said the fire was contained to the engine compartment. The blasting caps were located in the truck bed, Brinker said.

Crews Friday, Feb. 14 drilled into ledge in the ship channel in Portland Harbor, Maine, and pack the holes with explosives.Around 4 p.m., crews set off the explosives, but the public didn't see or hear much because the blasts will occur 35 feet under water, said Norman Bourque, project manager for Cashman Dredging, the contractor.

The Potomac chapter meeting will be from 6 - 8 p.m. March 13 at the Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, W. Va.

One of the new features of our website is the all new membership hub.

Inside is the Blasters Toolkit, the online hub for formulas, checklists and forms; the ISEE Reference Database Online, a searchable database that has 40 years of research papers and conference proceedings; and other features like the latest digital Journal of Explosives Engineering and information about our partnership with LegalShield.

Join us March 27 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Huntsville, Ala., for the ISEE Southeast Blasting Workshop. It includes 8 professional development hours. Check with your state regulatory authority to see if the workshop hours are covered in your state.

Sponsorship opportunities and exhibit booths are available. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Embassy Suites Huntsville, 800 Monroe St SW. Call 256.539.7373 for special rates of $139 single/double. Participants are responsible for their own lodging and should identify themselves with the Southeast Blasting Workshop when making reservations. Reservations must be made by Feb. 26, 2014.

To register, visit https://www.isee.org/southeast-conference/workshop-register.

The ISEE is sponsoring Class 1 Explosives specific hazmat safety training in Huntsville, Ala., March 28, 2014, at the National Center for Explosives Training and Research (NCETR).

The 4-hour program is designed to satisfy the major requirements of the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 49 CFR Part 172.704.Topics include hazmat preparation, documentation, hazard communication, handling, emergency response, cargo segregation and security awareness.

COHMED award-winning hazmat professional Tom Snyder of Austin Powder Company, and former FEMA specialist and DOT consultant Tom Dunaway will lead specific discussions including the hazmat table, marking, labeling and placarding, and security plan components. Each module will include a test. Attendees will receive a certificate of training, as well as a workbook and a complimentary copy of the 2012 Emergency Response Guide.

This seminar will provide blasters training required by the Missouri and Kansas Fire Marshals' offices. Lunch will be provided. It will be from Feb. 26 to Feb. 28.

This training class for rock blasting and overbreak control will be from March 3 to March 6 at Precision Blasting Services in Montville, Ohio. A course outline and additional information can be sent by email. For more information, call 440.474.6700 or email info@idc-pbs.com.

Going to SME or CONEXPO this year? We are, too. Stop by our booths, and say hello.

SME
Feb. 23 – 26, 2014
Salt Lake City, UT
Booth #2328

CONEXPO
March 4 – 8, 2014
Las Vegas, NV
Booth #20112

From March 12 to March 13 in Roseville, Cali. For more information, call Alpha Explosives 916.645.3377.