WASM Wombats Shine at the 46th Intercollegiate Mining Games
Earlier this year, the WA School of Mines (WASM) Kalgoorlie Wombats participated in the 46th Intercollegiate Mining Games (IMG) competition hosted by Montana Tech University in Butte, Montana. The competition provides a unique experience for students to connect with academics and high level operational and corporate mining and resource personnel from across the globe.
This prestigious event saw over 300 competitors participate from all over the world, including three Australian teams; the University of Queensland, Curtin’s Wombats and Wallabies (Curtin Bentley’s team). The Wombats sent 23 competitors across four teams, including their first women’s team in 4 years.
With female participation in STEM remaining limited, in the past, the Wombats have struggled to fill a women’s team, often resorting to co-ed teams. This year marked a significant achievement with the formation of a women’s team. The success of the team has sparked interest among new students, and the Wombats are hopeful for another women’s team in the 2024/25 season.
The transition from our Australian summer to North America’s winter was challenging. Although prepared for the cold, the teams could not have prepared for the high altitude (1650m above sea level). Despite these challenges, the Wombats achieved commendable results in the competition. The Women’s team placed 4th, narrowly missing the podium. The Men’s C team finished 14th, Men’s A team finished 5th and the Men’s B team just missed out on a back-to-back win by securing 2nd place.
The WASM Wallabies teams did an incredible job with the Wallabies Women’s team placing 7th, including the first prize in the Survey section while the Men’s team placing 13th. An amazing effort by all of Curtin’s teams.
After the competition, students had the opportunity to tour Montana’s Tech’s student run underground mine. They also visited Rio Tinto’s Kennecott mine (the world’s largest open pit operations) and TradeStar, who specialise in building bomb trucks for open pit mining operations. These inclusions provided the students with a deeper understanding of large-scale mining operations and cutting-edge mining technologies.
Since their establishment in 1999, the WASM Wombats continue to embody the spirit of excellence and tradition, inspiring future generations to achieve greatness in the field of mining. The trip was a once in a lifetime experience that will stay in the memories of all the participants for decades. We are grateful for the support of generous funders helping the teams to participate in the IMG competition.
