I have been interested in explosives engineering since I was in single digits. Once you see one blast video compilation with heavy metal music to back it up you can’t really imagine another life-path to go down.I completed my mining engineering degree at WASM, while working as an undergraduate in iron ore blasting. I dived into blast vibration and began experimenting with waveforms, seed holes and eventually investigating blasting delay windows. I had the privilege of presenting some of my methods and ideas at the 2022 Australian National ISEE conference as well as the ISEE 2023 International conference in Texas, becoming the youngest ever ISEE presenter at 22.

 

What led you to pursue a career in explosives engineering?

The endless opportunities for analysis and optimization always appealed to me. That coupled with the great culture and satisfying results of a well planned blast drew me into explosives engineering.

What areas of explosives engineering are you most passionate about?

I love a challenge. Needing to assess all the requirements for a successful blast and coming up with a plan to best fit that. I also really like looking into the mechanics of what is actually happening in a blast, holes interacting, how the ground responds, the output of vibration and how that affects other structures. There's so much more to explosives engineering than just putting dots on the ground. It's a science and an art.

How has being an ISEE member benefited your professional development?

Being able to reach out into the ISEE community for help while writing a research paper was indescribable. The ISEE has such a wealth of knowledge that people are more than happy to share and discuss. You can definitely see how much passion everyone has. And then presenting the finished paper back to the conjugate was very rewarding.

 

What is your favorite ISEE memory?

My favorite ISEE memory would definitely be traveling to Texas for the international conference. Chatting to like minded blasters from all over the world, having a few beers and discussing our passions and the projects we're all looking into was an epic introduction to the international chapter and I'm definitely keen to go back next year!

 

What's one piece of advice you would give to someone entering a career in explosives?

As early as possible it's important to spend time with the guys on the ground. Whether thats the blasters, drillers, manufacturers; they are the ones youre designing for and a lot of the time there can be easy ways to fix problems before they arise that can be easily identified by communicating with the crews. Building a relationship where they feel like they can approach you with suggestions is such as important aspect of my current role. Being able to work as a cohesive team instead of ignoring issues and pointing fingers can make a team so much happier on both sides.