Collaborative Student Opportunity with BCIT, Lehigh Hanson and SYLVIS

British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) students from the Mineral Exploration and Mining program and the Ecological Restoration program travelled to the Sechelt Mine for a first ever collaboration between Lehigh Hanson Materials Limited and the two departments from the School of Construction and the Environment. The focus of the visit was to visually inspect the mine areas that needed reclamation, and for the integrated student groups to work with the Owner (Lehigh Materials) and Consultant (SYLVIS) on developing a reclamation plan for each area.

SYLVIS helped facilitate the site tour by highlighting the award-winning reclamation that has taken place at the mine, dating back to the late 1990’s. In addition, SYLVIS staff engaged with students in a work exercise answering technical questions and providing guidance on key aspects of reclamation to focus on for their projects. Working in their groups, the students developed and presented their reclamation plans to Lehigh and SYLVIS. The collaborative initiative was an excellent opportunity for students to connect with industry personnel and to develop out-of-the-box, creative solutions for real-world applications.