Expand your leadership skills and elevate your profile within SME.

Heather Lammers

BOD Intern 2021-2023


 

I am a geological and mining engineer with over 12 years of consulting experience in the mining industry, specializing in multi-disciplinary analyses and design. My international project experience includes mine closure and reclamation design; and heap leach, tailing storage, and waste rock facility design. I am also a Ph.D. candidate in the mining engineering department at the Colorado School of Mines, researching tailing dewatering methods, and plan to pursue a career in academia upon completion of my degree. I hope to use my knowledge of multi-disciplinary mining practices and applied work experience to teach students and continue research in the field of mine waste and water management. When I am not thinking all things mining, I enjoy hiking and camping with my partner and dog in beautiful Colorado and catching a Cubs baseball or Blackhawks hockey game!

Vasu Gangrade

BOD Intern 2023-2025


 

Vasu Gangrade is a Mining Engineer at the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) in Pittsburgh, PA. He is currently the Principal Investigator for a project focused on improving ventilation and reducing contaminant exposure in underground stone mines. Before joining NIOSH, he worked as a Ventilation Engineer at the Lively Grove Mine in Southern Illinois. He holds an M.S. in Mining Engineering from the University of Utah and a B.S. in Mining Engineering from the Indian School of Mines and is currently pursuing an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. He is an associate editor for the SME MME Journal and is on the board of the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America. His ongoing and past research impacts multiple commodities including coal, stone, and shale gas well.

Richard Wagner

BOD Intern 2022-2024

Richard Wagner, P.E. is the Director for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Mine Safety (BMS). In this role, he is responsible for ensuring the Bureau’s primary mission of protecting the health and safety of Commonwealth’s miners is carried out. Prior to accepting this position, Wagner was the Manager of Engineering for Corsa Coal Corp., Northern Appalachian Division. There, his responsibilities included mine planning, project feasibility analysis and management, budget development and providing engineering support for the underground operations. Wagner began developing his regulatory and operational experience when he worked as a Mining Engineering Consultant for the BMS and an Operations Trainee for CONSOL Energy’s Enlow Fork Mine. Wagner has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degree in in mining engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and Missouri University of Science & Technology respectively.

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Dr. Nick Gow

BOD Intern 2024-2026

Dr. Gow is a diverse metallurgist with 15 years of experience based in early-stage project metallurgical development and late-stage/brownfield process optimization. His experience comes from numerous years of hands-on metallurgical testing focused on the impacts of geometallurgical considerations, including design and due diligence of metallurgical testing campaigns for processes including comminution, gravity, flotation and leaching of base and precious metals with a focus on bridging the metallurgical needs of a site to relevant and realistic analytical testing. He spent the last several years creating a mineral processing consulting laboratory, ensuring quality work in a timely manner. He routinely conducts analytical and metallurgical audits for operations domestically and internationally.

Nick is an MMSA Qualified Professional for Mineral Processing, Professional Engineer, CN Code Auditor, and Research Associate at the Colorado School of Mines.