2016 SIU SENIOR DESIGN PROJECT
Southern Illinois Stone (SIS) recently provided
data and site access to a group of SIU seniors
for completion of their Capstone Senior Design
Project. Capstone is a senior level designed
course, which allows students to integrate their
engineering knowledge to prepare for entry into
the mining industry.
SIU offers a degree in mining engineering.
The curriculum includes a Senior Design class
that focuses on the design and planning of
an operating mine. The SIU senior class was
broken up into teams. Each team was assigned
a specific mining operation to study. The SIU
team of Sawyer Schrader, Kendall Crayton,
Stewart Sabatino, and Austin Diericx were
assigned to the Delta quarry for their class
project.
Delta Companies provided the senior
students with real world quarry data (adjusted
to protect proprietary data) that included
information on the SIS’s geology, production
rates, available mining equipment, and
theoretical market forecast. The seniors were
challenged to plan and budget five years of
mine operations, while paying special attention
to the market demands provided in the project
scope. They were required to think through
“real world” criteria that effects the bottom
line of the operation, such as the design of
the mine, expense and timing of overburden
removal to exposed rock, and productivity
of manpower and equipment. On multiple
occasions, the SIU seniors visited the SIS
quarry to gather important data for their project.
Before submitting their project for grade, the
SIU seniors presented their 5 year budget and
mine design to Delta Companies executives
for review. Dan Grier, Regional Manager, Mike
Martin, Area Manager and Greg Edwards,
Quarry Manager, provided evaluations and
feedback to the group. At the conclusion of
the Senior Design presentation, the students
shared their plans for the future and thanked
Delta Companies for providing a real world
experience.
SIU seniors collecting pit operations cycle times.
SIU seniors: Stewart Sabatino, Austin Diericx,
Kendall Crayton, and Sawyer Schrader.
Picture from presentation showing ACAD 3D rendering
of mine plan at year four.
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