Mineral & Metallurgical Processing Division Awards

Antoine M. Gaudin Award to Zhenghe Xu Zhenghe Xu The Antoine M. Gaudin Award is presented to Zhenghe Xu “for outstanding contributions in applying rigorous science to oil sands extraction systems, leading to significantly improved production and reduced carbon footprint.” Xu graduated with B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in minerals engineering from Central-South Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (Changsha, China) in 1982 and 1985, respectively and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, VA) in 1990. As an associate professor and then professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada) from 1997 to 2017, Xu was Canada Research Chair in Mineral Processing (2006-2017) and NSERC-Industry Research Chair (2002-2017). Xu joined the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen (China) as a Chair Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering and Founding Dean of College of Engineering (2017-2024). Xu was elected to Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2008, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2015 and International Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. His main research area is interfacial sciences as applied to natural resources processing and utilization. He has published more than 530 peer-reviewed scientific journal papers with more than 25,200 citations (Web of Science). Milton E. Wadsworth Award to Michael L. Free Michael L. Free The Milton E. Wadsworth Award is presented to Michael L. Free “for his contributions to the understanding of transport, kinetics, and interfacial phenomena associated with metal electrolysis, corrosion inhibition, and metal extraction.” Free is a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT. He has performed research and taught courses as a faculty member for more than 28 years. His areas of expertise include hydrometallurgy, electrometallurgy, corrosion and materials synthesis. He has been the principal investigator of more than 65 research projects funded by more than 20 companies, the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Naval Research, and the National Science Foundation. Free has authored or co-authored more than 260 publications. He has been a paid consultant for 40 organizations. He received a B.S. degree in metallurgical engineering, an M.S. degree in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Utah. He also worked as a post-doctoral associate at the University of Florida in materials science and engineering and chemical engineering. MPD Outstanding Young Engineer Award to Jordan M. Rutledge Jordan M. Rutledge The Minerals & Metallurgical Division (MPD) Outstanding Young Engineer Award is presented to Jordan M. Rutledge with the citation: “For bringing new mineral processing techniques to the forefront of the industry and serving as a leader in the new mining generation.” Rutledge is the area sales manager for the TOMRA Sorting Mining division in Western Australia. Prior to her move to Australia, she covered the North American region for TOMRA Sorting out of Denver, CO. Rutledge has spent her career thus far in the mining industry focusing on mineral processing, specifically sensor-based sorting and flotation and has worked on projects in North and South America, Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia. Rutledge has B.S. and M.S. degrees in materials and metallurgical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. She has also participated in the Federation of European Mineral Programs in Finland, Hungary and Poland. Arthur F. Taggart Award to Naci Duru and Carl C. Nesbitt Naci Duru The Arthur F. Taggart Award is presented to Naci Duru and Carl C. Nesbitt for their paper titled, “Sulfur speciation analysis in cyanide leach solutions with liquid chromatography” published in the Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration journal. Duru is a registered professional engineer with expertise in extractive hydrometallurgy and mineral processing. He obtained his master’s and doctorate degrees from University of Nevada, Reno. He has hands-on experiences in operations, consulting, and scientific research primarily focused on precious and base metal extraction. Carl Nesbitt Duru has worked at process plants, construction sites and engineering office locations in North America, Europe and Africa. He has extensive experience in brownfield and greenfield EPCM projects and studies. His experience spans laboratory test work, geometallurgy studies, plant process development, optimization, engineering design and construction management through to commissioning. He has published technical papers and given lectures at courses in academia and mining industry. Nesbitt has spent nearly 45 years in the mining and metals industry and has been a professional and registered member of the SME since 1980. He has degrees in chemical and metallurgical engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and University of Michigan. He completed his Ph.D. from UNR in 1990, and immediately started his academic career at Michigan Technological University as a faculty in process metallurgy and materials. In 2010, he returned to UNR to re-establish the B.S. and M.S. programs in metallurgical engineering at the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering. Nesbitt has been involved in research and consulting with several mining interests, including the precious metals, iron and steel, copper, rare earths and lithium. He also has developed processes for water treatment and remediation.

Mineral & Metallurgical Processing Division Awards

Authored by: Staff

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To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

Industrial Minerals & Aggregates Division Awards

Mining & Exploration Division Awards

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