SME DC Section Honors James Hedrick with 2018 Herbert C. Hoover Award
The Section honored one of its own on May 16, 2018, at the Sections monthly luncheon. This year's honoree was James B. Hedrick, also known as Jim, who serves as President of Hedrick Consultants Inc. Jim also served as the SME DC Section's chairman since 2015. He is an expert in rare-earth elements having studied all aspects for the U.S. Government for many years including serving as rare-earth commodity specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey 1980-2010.
2018 Discover Engineering Family Day
SME DC Section again volunteered with the AIME, NMA and ACF at Discover Engineering Family Day event held on Saturday, Feb. 17 at the National Building Museum. The Section helped staff the minerals and mining booth which focused on the theme of Minerals in the Home. The event informed and educated K-12 students, parents and teachers about the important role minerals play in their lives and showcased mining and mining engineering as exciting career opportunities.
2015 Discover Engineering Family Day
SME DC Section volunteered with the AIME at Discover Engineering Family Day event held on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the National Building Museum. The Section helped staff the minerals and mining booth which focused on the theme of Minerals in the Home. The event informed and educated K-12 students, parents and teachers about the important role minerals play in their lives and showcased mining and mining engineering as exciting career opportunities.
October 25, 2014
Douglas Point Nature Center Preserve/Park Fossil Collecting
On Saturday, October 25, 2014, members of the Washington, DC Section visited the Douglas Point Nature Center Preserve/ Park in Charles County, MD for fossil collecting. re
mining operations in the suburban environment. Both are in close proximity to housing subdivisions, major commuter routes, and, in the case of Bull Run, the Manassas National Battlefield Park.
May 22, 2008
Vulcan Materials Graham Quarry and Luck Stone Quarry Visits
On May 22, 2008, members of the Washington, DC Section visited the Vulcan Materials Graham Quarry in Occoquan, VA, and the Luck Stone Bull Run Quarry in Manassas, VA. Both quarries are major suppliers of aggregates to the Washington Metro Area market. The geology of the two quarries is quite different. Granite is mined at the Graham Quarry. “Blue stone” is the product at the Bull Run Quarry. In the quarry walls at Bull Run, a major intrusion of diabase can be clearly seen pushing through the surrounding hornfels. The quarries are excellent examples of responsible mining operations in the suburban environment. Both are in close proximity to housing subdivisions, major commuter routes, and, in the case of Bull Run, the Manassas National Battlefield Park.
November 2-4, 2006
National Science Teachers Assn. (NSTA), Regional Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center.
Mining Professionals the Washington, DC, SME Section volunteered to staff the SME Minerals Education Coalition Booth to distribute educational materials and over 20,000 rock and mineral specimens to thousands of teachers. The teachers were very appreciative of receiving the materials, and the section values the opportunity to present the mining industry in such a positive light.
A total of seventeen coal, rock, and mineral samples were donated by Fairfax Mining Corp., Luck Stone Corp, Florida Rock Industries/Arundel Corp., Maryland Aggregates Assoc./Lafarge North America, York Building Materials, Phelps Dodge Corp., The Doe Run Co., Hecla Mining Co., Alabama SME Section, Franklin Minerals Corp., Zemex, and Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co.
NSTA Eastern Region Convention 2004
Mining professionals from the SME Washington, D.C. Section and others from the Richmond, Virginia areas staffed the SME Minerals Education Coalition Booth at the eastern regional National Science Teachers Association Convention (NSTA) Convention in Richmond, Virginia last week Over 25 volunteers were on hand from December 2-4 to distribute free mineral kits, educational materials, and industry literature to nearly 1,700 teachers Mineral producers and mining professional recognize this event an excellent forum to present the mining industry in a positive light, and the teachers are extremely appreciative of the valuable teaching materials being offered to them.
A total of thirteen mineral samples were donated by Brett Aggregates, Cleveland Cliffs Inc., The Doe Run Co., Foundation Coal Co., Luck Stone Corp., Newmont Mining Corp., North Carolina State University, Phelps Dodge Corp., R.T. Vanderbilt Co., U.S. Silica and U.S. Steel Corp. Major Booth sponsors were the American Coal Foundation (ACF), Caterpillar Inc., E. Dillon & Co., Freeport McMoRan Inc., Joy Global Mining, Luck Stone Corp., National Mining Association (NMA), National Stone (NSSGA), Sand & Gravel Association, Phelps Dodge Corp., Rockydale Quarries, and the Society for Mining Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) National and Washington, D.C. Chapters.
Additional educational materials were provided by A Capital Resource, Energy Information Administration (EIA), Interstate Mining Compact Commission (IMCC), Minerals Information Institute (MII), Sheppard & Associates, U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Washington, D.C. Chapter of Women in Mining (WIM).
Student Day
This biennial program is sponsored by the Washington, DC Section of SME and brings to Washington junior and senior mining engineering, geology and mineral economic students from colleges and universities in MD, PA, VA and WV. The program introduces students to the major government minerals organizations in the Executive and Legislative branches, the trade associations and interest groups, the roles of these organizations and the current minerals issues, including environmental concerns.
It was a tour of the Glen-Gery Brick’s Capitol Plant in Manassas, VA., on Friday, May 12.
The 2006 annual spring field trip was held at Glen-Gery Brick’s Capitol Plant located in Manassas, VA, about 35 miles west of Washington, DC. Glen-Gery manufactures extruded, machine-molded, and handmade bricks in standard and custom shapes, textured and non-textured. Founded in 1890, the company is the largest molded brick and fifth largest brick manufacture in the United States, with 10 manufacturing plants in the east and Midwest having a capacity to produce 700 million bricks per year. The Capitol Plant has been in operation since 1959, and now produces about 43 million bricks per year with a workforce of 60 (including administrative and sales positions). About 60% to 70% of the bricks manufactured from surface clays and shales at the Capitol Plant are consumed locally; the remainder is mainly shipped to locations further north. Most of the brick is trucked out (90% to 95%), with the remaining amount transported via rail. The brick manufacturing process involves five main stepsraw material preparation, the making process, setting and drying, firing, and packaging. The bricks that were made on the day of the tour were extruded and sand-blasted then coated with nepheline syenite for texture. For more details about the brick manufacturing process, visit Glen-Gery’s website at www.glengerybrick.com.
These are photos from the April 8-9, 2005 SME/WIM tour of U.S. Silica in Berkeley Springs, WV and the Alliance Resource Partner’s Mettiki coal mine in Oakland, Maryland.
Mettiki’s fish hatchery at the mine facility.
Friday April 30, 2004, SME/WIM Tour of Old Hickory Mine - Click to enlarge. Dinwiddie County, Virginia
