More than 1,800 people from around the world met Jan. 27-30, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn., for the 45th Annual Conference on Explosives & Blasting Technique, setting a new attendance record for the ISEE conference on explosives engineering.
The conference included technical and poster sessions, workshops, industry socials and more than 180 exhibits showcasing latest technology. Keynote presenter and futurist David Houle kicked off the event with his discussion on emerging global trends and how they could affect the future of the explosives industry.
The online SEE Education Foundation auction, which wrapped up Tuesday, Jan. 29, raised nearly $8,000. Big-ticket items included one-of-a-kind quilt from Crazy Horse Memorial, a lifetime ISEE membership and an Alaskan dog sledding adventure.
The money raised through the auction will go to the Education Foundation ISEE Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships to college students from across the globe who are pursuing careers in the blasting industry.
Accolades
Ronald Elliott, International Blasting Consultants, won the Distinguished Service Award; Paul Downing, Lancer Insurance Company, and David True, Austin Powder Company, were honored with the Industry Service Award; Mark Dean, Texcel, Melvin Fletcher, Dyno Nobel, Cristian Rodriguez, Split Engineering, were awarded the President's Award; Donald McNeil, PDK Inc., was awarded the Blaster's Leadership Award; Donald Thompson, Thunderbird Mining Systems, was honored with the Driller's Leadership Award; and Gonzalo Marias, Austin Powder Argentina, won the Paper of the Year Award.