in focus

Dear MetSoc Member:

As the year rapidly winds down, it is a perfect chance to review all of the exciting events that took place in 2011 and start making plans for the New Year.

This year was our 50th Conference of Metallurgists (COM). The event was a success on many fronts: the quality of the technical papers, the excellent short courses, the social events, the networking opportunities, etc. I am especially pleased with the Commemorative Book that will be distributed to all delegates. This book summarizes 50 years of Canadian history within the areas of metallurgy and materials science. My thanks go out to all the authors who contributed to this great undertaking, to Ronona Saunders for putting this volume together, and especially to my two co-editors Joël Kapusta and Phillip Mackey. We are all proud of the final product and we hope that you enjoy it as well.

One of the things that I like the most about volunteering for MetSoc and CIM is the opportunity to meet with students. This year I attended the CMSC in Kelowna, and next year I plan on attending the CMSC 2012 event at the University of Western Ontario. I also attended the M4S event as part of the CIM’s Annual General Meeting in Montreal. Approximately 7,000 students are brought in to see how mining, metallurgy, materials and minerals impact their daily lives. We are hoping to attract the next generation of students into our industry. MetSoc members were very visible at this event. I also participated in a great student workshop at the Montreal COM. Based on the quality of the students that I met, our industry will be in excellent shape for decades to come.

This year I was asked to take over as CIM’s Vice President of International Relations. This will give me a chance to continue my involvement with MetSoc and to serve CIM in a new capacity. We already have strong relationships with many countries and I expect this trend to continue well into the future.

Next year our COM moves to Niagara Falls. This is the first time that we are holding a COM at this venue. The conference (COM 2012) will be held in conjunction with Pressure Hydrometallurgy. I have no doubt that this will be a well attended event. Niagara Falls is also an excellent locale to bring the entire family.

This is my last opportunity to address you through the mLink newsletter. Greg Richards will be taking over as editor starting in the New Year. It has been my great pleasure working with the MetSoc staff and meeting our membership. I wish you all a very healthy and happy 2012. I hope to see you at one of our upcoming events.

Nathan M. Stubina
Past President and Editor
Barrick Gold Corporation
nstubina@barrick.com