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 by the International Society of Explosives Engineers.

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 be submitted to www.isee.org. Abstracts must clearly highlight the key points and significance of the proposed paper.

It’s that time of year to apply for SEE Education Foundation Scholarships. Qualified students will be considered for an award among 26 funds. To be eligible to apply for a scholarship you must be pursuing technical, undergraduate, graduate or doctorate degrees in fields of education related to the commercial explosives industry; and able to demonstrate financial need. Students will be assessed on their financial need, academic and professional achievements and goals related to the industry.

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.

B. Todd Jones, the outgoing head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will be one of pro football’s chief disciplinary officials after leaving his post at the U.S. government.

The National Football League told its teams that the departing Jones would be in charge of making initial disciplinary rulings for the organization, according to a Washington Post report. Another official will oversee the league’s independent investigations in cases of off-field misconduct.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration released preliminary data for calendar year 2014 and updated its Mine Safety and Health at a Glance Web page. The charts include information on inspections; violations; number of mines and miners; and fatality and injury rates for coal, metal and nonmetal, and all mining.

The data show that, while the 2014 overall operator-reported injury rate improved from the prior year to an historic low, the number of mining deaths and fatality rates increased, driven by an increased number of mining deaths in the metal and nonmetal sector. In 2014, there were 44 mining deaths – an increase of two from the previous year. Of those deaths, 16 occurred at coal mines and 28 at metal and nonmetal mines and facilities. Recently, MSHA’s Chargeability Review Committee concluded that two metal and nonmetal mining deaths in 2014 previously not charged to the mining industry are chargeable, and they have been added to the fatality totals.

Halliburton (HAL) employees are the latest to feel the pain. The company said Monday that it has cut 9,000 jobs over the past two quarters as crashing energy prices have forced it to scale back drilling operations.The Houston-based oil field services firm said the job cuts represent more than 10% of its workforce. The company had previously estimated that falling prices would necessitate reducing its global workforce by up to 8%.

Peru has approved Southern Copper's $1.2 billion expansion of its Toquepala open-pit mine in southern Tacna, which would allow the miner double the operation's concentrating capacity, El Economista reports.

The Grupo Mexico-controlled company said the expansion will boost the capacity of the mine's copper concentrator to 120,000 tonnes per day from 60,000. Toquepala is the world’s fifth biggest copper mine. It also produces molybdenum, silver gold and zinc.

Stornoway Diamond Corp said on Wednesday it has entered into a financing agreement with three parties, including a private equity group and the Quebec government, for C$944 million ($864.59 million) to build a mine at Stornoway's Renard diamond project in Quebec.

The agreement lays out a series of proposed financing transactions for the mine, including US$360 million from the Orion Mine Finance Group, a mining-focused private equity business; C$220 million from Ressources Quebec, a subsidiary of the Quebec's investment agency; and C$105 million from the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, a large institutional fund manager in the province.

The Obama administration recently sent an update of the Grow America Act, a six-year, $478 billion highway bill, to Congress. "All over the country, I hear the same account: the need to repair and expand our surface transportation system has never been greater, and yet federal transportation funding has never been in such short supply," says Anthony Foxx, transportation secretary, in a statement. "Our proposal provides a level of funding and also funding certainty that our partners need and deserve. This is an opportunity to break away from 10 years of flat funding, not to mention these past six years in which Congress has funded transportation by passing 32 short-term measures."

The 28th Annual Best in the West Drill and Blast Conference is held April 22-24, 2015, at the Spearfish Holiday Inn Convention Center in Spearfish, South Dakota.The conference is an intensive three day event that brings together mining companies, drilling and blasting suppliers and government agencies. The focus is innovation, safety and government regulation.

The European Federation of Explosives Engineers (EFEE) World Conference has established itself as one of the key international explosives forums. It includes technical presentations, an industry exhibition, educational workshops, welcome drinks reception, gala dinner and a partner program. The event draws attention from explosives users, manufacturers and equipment for drilling operations as well as researchers and professionals involved in the construction and mining industry.

The conference will be from April 26-28, 2015, at the Lyon Convention Centre in Lyon, France. Early bird registration is now open. Visit the EFEE website for more information.

Join more than 200 colleagues to learn, inspire and share knowledge across the mining, quarrying and construction industries—all with a blasting focus. FRAGBLAST 11 encourages participation by all practitioners, academics, researchers, regulators and manufacturers. The symposium will be held from August 24-26 at the Sheraton on the Park hotel in Sydney, Australia.

April 26-28, 2015
Lyon, France

May 4-6, 2015
Reno, Nevada

May 5-7, 2015
Huntsville, Alabama

May 7-8, 2015
Reno, Nevada

May 9-13, 2015
Rue Saint Antoine Ouest, Montréal, Québec, Canada

May 10-13, 2015
Montreal Convention Centre, Montreal, Québec, Canada

May 14, 2015
Springfield Contractors Association

May 20-22, 2015
Queensland, Australia