More than 1,600 people from around the world met Jan. 31 - Feb. 3, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nev., for the 42nd Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique.
The event, sponsored by the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE), is the world’s largest conference on explosives engineering. It features five days of workshops, technical sessions and entertainment.
This year’s conference featured a silent auction that raised more than $9,500 for the SEE Education Foundation. Big-ticket items included four park-hopper passes to Walt Disney World; a one-of-a-kind, handmade quilt; a lifetime membership to ISEE; and a commemorative granite block from Crazy Horse Memorial.
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 a career in the blasting industry.
Awards Banquet
The annual awards banquet, on Tuesday, honored people who made outstanding contributions to the explosives engineering industry.
Cameron McKenzie, Ph.D., Blastechnology, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award. McKenzie has been very involved with ISEE, volunteering countless hours of serving on the ISEE Board of Directors, and authoring and presenting papers at the annual conference. He has contributed to ISEE’s 18th Edition of the Blasters Handbook. He is a founding member of FRAGBLAST and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy. He has a very rare and unique ability to communicate his thoughts and recommendations from the highest level of engineering personnel to the newest blaster on the bench.
Dale Ramsey, Senex Explosives, Inc., was this year’s Industry Service Award winner. Ramsey, who has more than 40 years of explosives industry experience under his belt, has played an instrumental role in the founding of several ISEE chapters; has served on the ISEE Board of Directors and the planning committee for the Pennsylvania Drilling and Blasting Conference at Penn State University; and has been a mentor to countless students who are pursuing careers in the explosives industry.
The ISEE President’s Award, which is given to those who have unselfishly given their time and talents to the society, was awarded to Douglas Hoy, Sayre Associates; and Thomas Jenkins, Stemlock Inc.
Patrick Ryan and Christopher Ryan, both of Ryan Construction Inc., were awarded the ISEE Driller’s Leadership Award. And William Zimmerman, Luck Stone Corp., was honored with the Blaster’s Leadership Award.
ISEE Clays Shoot Committee members John Rathbun, Paul Keeling, John Sonday and Bobby Van Rensburg were awarded with the Industry Service Award. The group has raised more than $135,000 for the ISEE Children’s Fund.
Co-authors Dr. Catherine Aimone-Martin and Brent Meins were awarded the Paper of the Year Award for their paper titled “Strain-Based Instrumentation for Marine Terminal Rock Blasting.”
Paper of the Year honorable mention was given to R. Balachander; H. S. Venkatesh; and G. Gopinath for their paper titled “Tunnel Excavation on the Abutment of an Existing Dam.”
Passing of the Gavel
After honoring the award winners, Jack Eloranta was passed the ISEE Gavel, officially taking the reins of new ISEE Board of Directors President. Eloranta is the principle of Eloranta & Associates Inc., a consulting firm established in 1999. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree, a Bachelor of Arts degree and a master’s degree in mining from the University of Wisconsin.
His blasting experience includes optimized blasting operations using conventional, semiautogenous and fully autogenous mills; expert witness and university research.
Moving Forward
The next Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique will be Jan. 29 – Feb. 1, 2017, at the Caribe Royale Orlando Hotel in Orlando, Fla.
To view the pictures from the 2016 conference, visit our Facebook page.
The ISEE is committed to keeping standards current with the best available technology and procedures. Therefore, existing standards are periodically reviewed and modified. The current standard under review is the “Performance Standards for Blasting Seismographs — 2011 Edition,” which can be downloaded below for editing.
The ISEE Standards Committee reviews and revises standards every five years. Written comments that are received by the deadline will be addressed by the Standards Committee in writing prior to modification of the standard. You may comment on the existing standard by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or in writing to:
Executive Director, ISEE
30325 Bainbridge Road
Cleveland, OH 44139 USA
Proposed modifications to the standard will be accepted until Feb. 29, 2016. Please include the following information with your proposal:
1. Name, company/organization, address and telephone number.
2. Proposal recommendation; new text, revised text, and/or deleted text.
3. Proposal, include proposed new or revised wording or identification of wording to be deleted.
4. State the problem and substantiate the proposal (State the problem that will be resolved by your recommendations; give the specific reasons for your proposal including topics of testing, research papers, etc.)
5. Provide reference material
Download the Standards Draft (PDF)
Celebrate the start of the fall season with ISEE. Head over to the ISEE online bookstore today and save 15% on books, DVDs, apparel and artwork. Be sure to use coupon code isee15 at checkout to redeem your discount. SEE Education Foundation items are not included. Standard shipping rates do apply.The offer ends Friday, November 6. Start shopping today.
The ISEE Board of Directors Election is now underway. Eligible voters, all members in good standing with the exception of student members, can cast votes until Dec. 1, 2015.
Eligible voters with an email on file should have received an email with step-by-step instructions for casting a vote online. Members who don’t have an email address on file will soon be receiving print ballots in the mail.
This year, we will be raffling off the new 18th Edition Blasters’ E-Handbook to five randomly drawn voters who submit a ballot by the voting deadline. The lucky winners will be among the first people to have this yet-to-be-released e-book that will be compatible with most mobile devices and desktop computers. We will also offer voters a 10% off coupon to the ISEE Bookstore for a future purchase.
To be eligible for both, include your member ID number in the “Please enter any additional comments below” section of the survey that you’ll be asked to complete immediately after submitting your ballot. Please note: This is the only way we will be able to verify you submitted a ballot. All ballots will remain confidential. Your member ID number will only be used to contact you for the 10% off coupon and to enter you into the e-book drawing.
Aside from the post-election survey, this electronic election packet includes a ballot sheet and bios of each candidate. Please read each bio carefully, and place your vote for the candidates you feel will make the biggest positive impact on ISEE and the explosives industry while following our mission of advancing the science and art of explosives engineering.
Elected officers and directors for 2016 will take office at the 42nd Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique to be held Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Your opinion matters. Take part in this year’s election.
Board of Directors
The ISEE Nominating Committee is seeking nominations of candidates for the ISEE Board of Directors fall 2015 election. Candidates must be qualified as members of the society who have demonstrated leadership and active participation in the society and in the explosives industry.
Candidates who are elected to the board will take office February at the end of the Annual Membership Meeting that will be held at the 2016 Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique.
Click here to nominate a candidate.
Awards
Nominate a coworker or colleague who has made an exceptional contribution to the fields of explosives or drilling for one of the International Society of Explosives Engineers most prestigious awards. There are three awards the ISEE is accepting nominations for:
- Blaster’s Leadership Award: Presented to those who exemplify the blaster in the field and have given generously of time and talents in helping fellow blasters.
- Driller’s Leadership Award: The award recognizes a drill operator, manager or drill expert who has given an extraordinary amount of time and knowledge to help fellow drillers and blasters with application, engineering or field work.
- Distinguished Service Award: An award of merit given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of explosives engineering.
Click here to nominate a candidate online or to download a nomination form.
ISEE Website Login
You will be prompted to log into the ISEE website to access both forms. Use your email address you have on file with ISEE as your username and your member ID for your password. You do not need to make an account. All ISEE members have accounts automatically created for them.
If you have any questions, please call 440.349.4400 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..