Mineral Exploration is the official publication of the Association of Mineral Exploration British Columbia.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/468124
18 S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 Special Tribute to John Thompson John Thompson is awarded a Special Tribute for his contributions to the Vancouver mineral exploration and min- ing community. Thompson has been an energetic supporter of the exploration and mining community since arriving in Vancouver in 1991. His many contribu- tions have included advancing economic geology research, mentoring students who are now active in the industry, sup- porting volunteer professional activities at local, provincial, national and interna- tional levels, and playing pivotal roles in the creation of Geoscience BC and the Canada Mining Innovation Council. This all started when he left Kennecott– Rio Tinto to become the director of the Mineral Deposit Research Unit (MDRU) at the University of British Columbia. Thompson not only enhanced UBC's stature as a global force in economic geology research; he ensured that MDRU supported the local geological commu- nity through talks, short courses and presentations. Thompson also super- vised and mentored a number of students who have gone on to be leaders in their own rights. In early 1998, he joined Teck Resources Limited as chief geoscientist, then became vice-president, technology and develop- ment, in 2005. While at Teck, Thompson remained committed to the sharing of geological ideas. As a result of his leader- ship, Teck has sponsored geological con- ferences and short courses, and continues to provide significant support to MDRU, while encouraging volunteer activities, technical presentations and the publish- ing of papers by Teck geologists. In 2012, Thompson joined Vancouver- based PetraScience Consultants Inc., a firm that provides exploration and tech- nology services to the mining industry. He also became the Wold Family Professor in Environmental Balance for Human Sustainability at Cornell University. Thompson has been an active speaker and volunteer for numerous local and international exploration and research conferences and meetings. He has chaired meetings, participated on organizing committees and developed short courses, while still finding time to contribute tech- nical presentations and edit numerous publications, including Economic Geology's One Hundredth Anniversary Volume. Of particular note, Thompson was technical chair of the AME BC/Society of Economic Geologists Pathways to Discovery conference in 1998 and the Society of Economic Geologists' 2013 conference in Whistler. Both of these meetings successfully married the sci- ence of geology and mineral deposit studies with the art of mineral explora- tion. For the Whistler conference, he also co-edited the companion volume, Tectonics, Metallogeny and Discovery: The North American Cordillera and Similar Accretionary Settings. On another front, Thompson strongly believes in public geoscience and science Photograph : Cour te sy of John Thompson John Thompson With over 30 years in the drilling business there is no job too big or too small. Drills - HeliPortable - Skid Mounted - underground -Man Portable - track Mounted - deeP Hole Other equipment - dozerS - SkidderS - excavatorS - Water truckS - SeMi/loWbed Find out what else we have to oFFer. we guarantee you will be satisFied. atlas drilling ltd. 746 carrier Street, kaMlooPS, bc v2H 1g2 PHone: 250.318.6339 Fax: 250.828.2627 atlasdrilling@shaw.ca offices in canada and in new zealand drilling ltd. ContraCt diamond drilling