The event will once again be held at the Hilton Garn Inn Southpointe in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, and registration coordinator Mary DelRosso told International Longwall News that many are now receiving their registration information packets in the mail.

Current events played a large part in the itinerary planning for the joint meeting’s theme – Thursday will focus on prevention of mine emergencies while Friday’s speakers will discuss the topic of mine emergency response.

While the 2005 conference’s attendance approached 200, DelRosso said the organisations are anxious to see the numbers grow this year. “With networking and word-of-mouth, this annual meeting seems to grow with each passing year.”

Those attending are not just Pennsylvania professionals, she added, as Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland are consistently represented. “I’ve even had some inquiries from Canadian companies wishing to register [this year].”

Keynote addresses during the two-day gathering will be offered by WVU Extension and Outreach Program director (and former West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training director) James Dean, as well as NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) Pittsburgh Research Laboratory director Guner Gurtunca and Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter.

A sample of other presentations being offered include:

Prevention of Mine Emergencies – Dr Dan Alexander (WVU) and John Gallick (Foundation Coal);

Mine Fire Preparedness – William Tolliver (Consol Energy);

SCSR New Technology – Sam Shearer (CSE);

Mine Emergency Command Center Software – Jeffrey Kravitz (MSHA); and

Mine Fire Modeling – Dr Andrzej Wala (University of Kentucky).

SME/PCMIA professional and student awards will also be presented throughout the event, including the Donald S Kingery Memorial Award, the John T Boyd Memorial Young Engineer Award and member recognitions for 25 and 50 years of service.

Additionally, the groups will offer for the second time a career fair panel that includes eight industry forces: Foundation Coal, PinnOak Resources, Consol Energy, MEPCO, Drummond, International Coal Group, Luck Stone Corporation and Kiewit.

“The joint entire committee, comprised of actively employed and retired professionals, works hard throughout the year to put together this educational and informative event,” DelRosso said.

For further information, visit http://www.smepittsburgh.org/calendar.htm or contact Mary DelRosso at (412) 835-7387 or mary412d@aol.com