University of Adelaide students Jesse Jones and Will Thurlow have been awarded Maptek Mining Engineering scholarships for 2014. 
The scholarships will allow them to travel to industry conferences, and buy textbooks and other resources to further develop the broad technical skills that will set them up for their mining careers.
Maptek founder Bob Johnson remembers well the impact of the financial support he received from the Joint Coal Board to undertake his geology studies.
‘That scholarship was critical for me and I was, and still am, greatly appreciative of the confidence people placed in me,’ said Bob. ‘I was able to concentrate on my studies and commit absolutely to the mining industry. By any measure the Board made a good investment.’
Maptek supports universities through scholarships, sponsorship and training to encourage young people into the mining world. Maptek maintains strong associations with mining and survey faculties globally, providing Vulcan licences and tuition, I-Site survey hardware and software, as well as masterclasses on specialised topics like geostatistics.
Jesse and Will were chosen from a group of high calibre final year students doing mining engineering in the School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering.
Maptek also presents an annual prize to an outstanding student in the University of Adelaide School of Computer Science. Jacob Simionato received this award in May.
About Maptek
Maptek™ is a leading provider of innovative software, hardware and services for the mining industry. Founded over 30 years ago, Maptek develops products which are used at more than 1700 sites in 65 countries. Products cover the whole mining cycle from exploration to reclamation. Vulcan™ is one of the longest standing 3D mine planning and modelling packages. I-Site™ is an integrated hardware and software system for 3D laser scanning, surveying and imaging. BlastLogic™ provides intelligent 3D drillhole validation and load design software. Eureka™ features an interactive 3D environment for visualising and interpreting geophysical and seismic data. PerfectDig is an intuitive system to rapidly compare excavations against designs in the field, improving decision making and resource recovery.
About University of Adelaide Mining Engineering
The University of Adelaide participates in Mining Education Australia’s initiative to deliver a common mining curriculum across the final 2 years of the Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) degree. Students benefit from the combined teaching and research expertise of staff from participating universities, and can collaborate on projects with their counterparts from partner universities. There are currently 175 University of Adelaide students enrolled in the 4-year mining engineering program and associated double and combined degree programs.