Nearly 1,500 Attend the 43rd Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique

Nearly 1,500 people from around the world met Jan. 29 - Feb. 1, 2017, in Orlando, Fla., for the 43rd Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique.

The event, sponsored by the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE), is the world’s largest conference on explosives engineering. It features five days of workshops, technical sessions and entertainment.

This year’s conference featured a silent auction that raised more than $9,800 for the SEE Education Foundation. Big-ticket items included a one-of-a-kind, handmade quilt; a lifetime membership to ISEE; and a Palm Island Resort getaway vacation.

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.

The Ohio Drilling and Blasting Conference kicks off from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, 2017, with a welcome reception and exhibits. On Thursday, learn about various topics such as underground blasting, waveforms, public relations, demolition blasting, current compliance issues and more.

Although retraining credit hours have been accepted in the past by a number of states, due to recent changes in regulations, you need to be careful and check with your state regulators to be sure you receive the proper retraining credit hours from this conference.

Have you recently worked on a project that focuses on fragmentation by blasting? This is your chance to get your research published.

Submit your paper, including tables, graphics and images to the editors-in-chief at the link below. Be sure to state the name of the paper and the purpose of publication in the journal when submitting. The publisher or the editors-in-chief can supply relevant instructions for preparing your manuscript if you have any questions. They can be reached via email at blastfragsubscriptions@isee.org.

Edited and reviewed by expert researchers, industry professionals and academics, Blasting and Fragmentation presents contemporary analysis of engineering practices as related to explosives application to rock. It is published twice a year.

Published on an annual basis, this report is the earliest U.S. government publication to furnish estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials.

President Trump signed his first piece of legislation on Tuesday, a measure that could presage the most aggressive assault on government regulations since President Reagan.

The bill cancels out a Securities and Exchange Commission regulation that would have required oil and gas and mining companies to disclose in detail the payments they make to foreign governments in a bid to boost transparency in resource-rich countries.

Shares of mining companies rose Monday as China-traded iron ore futures soared. The SPDR S&P Metals and Mining ETF (XME) rose nearly 1.5 percent to its highest since 2014 with Cliff Natural Resources leading gainers with a 6.9 percent rise.

Brazil's Bovespa index rose almost 1.3 percent with shares of miner Vale jumping 9.2 percent. U.S.-listed shares rose 8.4 percent.

Dyno Nobel, a global leader in commercial explosives, traces its roots back to Alfred Nobel and his pivotal invention of dynamite. This year marks 150 years of progress due to the power of dynamite.

Before dynamite, the ability to break rock was limited to black powder explosives, which weren’t very strong and required a lot of material. This material was also dangerous to transport. The invention of nitroglycerin in 1846 allowed for stronger and larger explosions, however it was extremely unstable and less safe than black powder. Safety was the original reason Alfred Nobel set forth to create dynamite.

Did you know the ISEE has an online career center that offers discounts to members looking to post jobs? Whether you’re a student looking for an internship or a business looking for a seasoned professional in the explosives industry, the ISEE job board, located at the ISEE website, is a great way to get noticed.

And one of the best parts is that it’s free for job seekers. Upload your resume today to get the attention of job posters or browse the job board for the latest openings. Visit the career center now.

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