CRICOS Provider Code 00301J CU-WASM-0053/BRAND CURE0089
Curtin University is a trademark of Curtin University of Technology
Curtin’sWestern Australian
School of Mines is investing
in the future of mining.
Mr Colin Beckett, Chancellor,
Curtin University and General Manager,
Greater Gorgon Area, Chevron.
Professor Steve Hall, Director, WASM.
At Curtin’s Western Australian School of
Mines (WASM) we have an international
reputation for excellence in mining
education and research, and once again
received the maximum score of ‘well
above world standard’ for Earth Sciences
research in the 2012 Excellence in
Research for Australia rankings.
With Curtin and the State Government’s
investment in our teaching and
accommodation facilities at the
Kalgoorlie campus, WASM graduates will
continue to thrive in the mining industry
of the 21st century.
To find out more about study at WASM,
our key partnerships and
our research, visit us at
wasm.curtin.edu.au
Make tomorrow better
What are the big hidden challenges?
Technical challenges facing the resources industry are many
and well documented: declining quality of current deposits,
reduced rates of discovery of new resources, cost and
productivity pressures, safety and environmental concerns and
shifting social expectations.
Industry and our vibrant research community directly
address many of these issues, but inevitably mining companies
are driven by single development opportunities.
Taking a national view, there are several constraints that
impact our ability to drive the best outcomes.
First is the challenge of knowing what we have and
recognising that it is finite. Our understanding of the
distribution and variability of our resources is limited for many
commodities. One inevitable consequence of this is that newly
discovered deposits are under pressure for rapid development,
because there are limited known alternatives. Declining
discovery rates will make this challenge more acute with
time, and with Australia’s ‘future options’ on the line, we must
enable successful exploration.
BHP Port Hedland
Simon Phelps Photography