It's never too early to plant the mining bug. <\/p>\n
Running around the convention halls this year are groups of nine- and 10-year-old kids, part of a youth outreach program by the good folks behind PDAC.<\/p>\n
Caitlin Beland, the group leader of a bunch of precocious fourth-graders from Louie Honoree Frechette PS in Thornhill, said the kids are very excited to be at the conference.<\/p>\n
"These kids are really actually into it," she said while the kids were looking at an exhibit on diamond drills. <\/p>\n
"The point of this trip is to ask industry professionals questions," she said. <\/p>\n
This is the second year Ms. Beland has worked with children through PDAC, and said there are also older groups of ninth and eleventh graders floating around the halls.<\/p>\n
As for the fourth-graders, each child has a booklet of questions they have to complete, which has been presented as a scavenger hunt, Ms. Beland said.<\/p>\n
Ms. Beland, who is studying geology at the University of Toronto, has also been doing experiments and demonstrations with her young charges.<\/p>\n
For instance, she's taught them the concept of relative thermal conductivity, which relates to how much heat objects such as wood, plastic or diamonds can transfer in a given period of time.<\/p>\n
"We've also done chocolate chip cookie mining, just giving them an idea of how to run a business," she said. <\/p>\n
Shelley Stein, a parent who was tagging along with daughter Jamie, said the trip fits well into the class curriculum. <\/p>\n
"They just covered rocks and minerals in class," she said, waving to her daughter. <\/p>\n
The mining industry has had to grapple with a growing cohort of geologists and specialists retiring in recent years, so perhaps this is a way to get kids hooked early. But Ms. Stein isn't worried there is any conspiracy going on.<\/p>\n
"It's more of a general education kind of thing," she said with a chuckle. <\/p>\n
Here's some examples of questions the kids have to answer. If you know the answers, write them down in the comments: <\/p>\n
— What is an important advantage in using aluminum instead of steel in making drilling rigs?
— What types of careers in geology and mining are there in the Ontario government?
— What is the diameter of a standard VTEM system? <\/p>\n
Eric Lam <\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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