UK student design teams take home top honors at mining and metallurgy competition

Recently, the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) Student Design Competition and the Metallic Student Design Competition were held in Phoenix, Arizona.

Student teams competed in the first phase of their competitions in the fall and the winners were invited to compete in the finals in Phoenix. This included the design and metallic teams from the UK Department of Mining Engineering. 

The UK design team took home the top prize, placing first in the SME/NSSGA Student Design Competition for the second year in a row.  

The SME/NSSGA Student Design Competition, which includes a technical design phase and an oral presentation phase, is based on solving an aggregate mining industry design problem.

A panel of judges from the mining and metallurgy industry evaluated each team on their presentation skills, creativity, understanding of processes and thoughtful methodology.

The UK metallic team won third in the Metallic Student Design Competition, continuing to stand out nationally. 

The Metallic Student Design Competition, modeled after the SME Student Design Competition, focused on the evaluation of a mineral deposit (precious/base metal or industrial mineral) and the development of a potential flowsheet and process design.

The first stage of the competitions was on-campus, with a set time limit during the fall semester. A faculty advisor, or team coach, closely monitored each team for rule enforcement and time worked. The purpose of the first stage was to simulate an engineering solution prepared for the chief engineer of a company. Judges from the industry evaluated the written solutions, making up 40% of the final score.

In the second stage, each team received the competition problem at the same time and prepared an oral presentation for the judging panel that described their solution. The second stage is intended to simulate a presentation to company leadership. The score from the second stage reflected 60% of the final score. 

“This marks the third year in a row that one, if not both teams, have placed in the top three,” Zach Agioutantis, Mining Engineering Foundation Professor and the chair of the Department of Mining Engineering, said. “Our students continue to work hard and grow in their education and careers and events like these are a true testament to their determination.” 

Led by Pedram Roghanchi, an associate professor in mining engineering, and Agioutantis, the members of each team are as follows:

UK Student Design Team
•    Baylor Mattingly, a mining engineering junior, from Lancaster, Kentucky; 
•    Issac Madill, a mining engineering junior, from Wilmore, Kentucky;
•    Ben Diddle, a mining engineering senior, from Wilmore, Kentucky;  
•    E. Bryce Goad, a mining engineering senior, from Cincinnati, Ohio;
•    Jake Cole, a mining engineering senior, from Louisville, Kentucky; and
•    Tucker Prieskorn, a mining engineering senior, from Alvaton, Kentucky. 

UK Metallic Student Design Team
•    Caleb Ratliff, a mining engineering senior, from York, South Carolina; 
•    Jon Reynolds, a mining engineering senior, from Lexington, Kentucky; 
•    Nathan Kelley, a mining engineering senior, from Providence, Kentucky;
•    Waylon Martin, a mining engineering junior, from Mount Sterling, Kentucky;
•    Kevin Sanders, a mining engineering junior, from Hebron, Kentucky; and
•    Ruby Jost, a mining engineering junior, from Louisville, Kentucky.