38th Annual Kentucky Professional Engineers in Mining Seminar

Aug 8, 2025, 8:00 AM – 4:25 PM

Hyatt Regency Hotel (Downtown): - Details

The Kentucky Professional Engineers in Mining (KY-PEM) is a non-profit membership society for registered professional engineers, and other professionals that specialize in the mining, metallurgy, and exploration industries in Kentucky. KY-PEM was organized in 1988 to promote professional development and educational opportunities to Professional Engineers registered in Kentucky, non-licensed engineers and individuals who work in the mining industry, and to encourage aspiring students to consider and to receive education in mining engineering and related fields in Kentucky. To achieve its purpose, KY-PEM sponsors an annual seminar devoted to updating its members and associated individuals on changes in government regulations, technical advancements in mining and resource development, requirements of legal and regulatory compliance, and engineering issues related to mine safety and health, and to provide opportunities for the free discussion of subjects relating to those objectives. During 2020, KY-PEM aligned its members with the goals, purpose, and vision of the Central Appalachian Section of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. (SME). The change in affiliation in 2020 allows KY-PEM to continue to provide professional development and educational opportunities and to support aspiring mining and mineral engineers at the University of Kentucky (UK).

To achieve its purpose, KY-PEM co-sponsors with the Department of Mining Engineering at UK, an annual seminar devoted to updating the membership on changes in government regulations, technical advancements in mining and resource development, requirements of legal and regulatory compliance, and engineering issues related to mine safety and health. Since 1988, KY-PEM and UK have sponsored this seminar every August, and award attendees with credit for eight (8) professional development hours (pdh), which can be applied toward the continuing education requirement of maintaining professional engineering licensure.

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In-Person & Virtual

Friday, August 8, 2025

Hyatt Regency Hotel (Downtown)

Lexington, Kentucky

Sponsored by

KY Professional Engineers in Mining (PEM)

UK Department of Mining Engineering

SME-Central Appalachian Section (SME/CAS)

*8 Professional Development Hours

Registration

Registration for the PEM Seminar scheduled for Friday, August 8 at the Hyatt Regency in Lexington is now open, and the agenda is attached. You can register to attend in-person or by Zoom.

Online registration: https://www.jotform.com/form/251335627831154

Please note: If you need to register multiple people with the same credit card, please fill out individual registration forms for each individual. (Credit cards can only be used by registering online, so DO NOT send us credit card numbers via email or written correspondence.)

If you would rather send a check, the address where your check should be mailed will appear after you click the appropriate button. Please include the names of attendees with your check.

Schedule

8:00 am	Seminar Introduction Carolyn McCannon, P.E., PEM Chair, RESPEC Zach Agioutantis, Chair, UK Department of Mining Engineering
8:15 am	National Leadership of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) and Member Societies Steve Gardner, 2024 AIME President and 2015 SME President Barbette Barlow, AIME Executive Director Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) Ron Ashburn, AIST Executive Director Ron O’Malley, AIME President Elect & AIST Past President 2019-2021 Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Simon Seaton, SPE Executive Director Shauna Noonan, AIME President Elect Designate & 2020 SPE President Terry Palisch, 2024 SPE President The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) Jim Robinson, Executive Director Brad Boyce, AIME Trustee & 2023 TMS President Daniel Miracle, 2025 TMS President Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) Dave Kanagy, Executive Director Bill Hancock, 2025 SME President
10:15 am	Networking Break (15 minutes) Alumni picture-meet in the front of the room
10:30 am	Highwall Mining in Thick Seams - Case Histories - Dave Newman, Appalachian Engineering
10:55 am	Converting UG Mines to Storage – Key Mining and Engineering Considerations – Mark Haddock, RockSmith Geoengineering
11:20 am	Mineral Reserves Reporting, Seriously. - Brian Groff, Groff Engineering & Consulting
11:45 am	AI Applications in CAD Drafting, Tyler Faulkner, Carlson Software
12:10 pm	Networking Lunch (50 minutes)
1:00 pm	Kentucky Regulatory Environmental Roundtable Gordon Slone, Commissioner, Dept. for Natural Resources Jim Cable, Director, Division of Abandoned Mine Lands Sheri Mullins, Director, Division of Mine Reclamation and Enforcement Wes Jones, Director, Division of Mine Permits Morgan Freeman, Executive Director, Office of Reclamation Guaranty Fund Tim Fugate, Director, Division of Mine Safety Dennis Hatfield, Director, Division of Oil and Gas
2:30 pm	State and Federal Legal and Regulatory Update: Industry Perspective, R. Clay Larkin, Dentons
2:55 pm	Networking Break (15 minutes)
3:10 pm	Autonomous Shuttle Car Development, Changes for In-Mine Testing, Steven Schafrik, University of Kentucky
3:35 pm	Estimating Groundwater Inflow for Longwall Operations, Zach Wedding, University of Kentucky
4:00 pm	Mine Planning Considerations for Large Development Projects – Kristin Floyd, Rogers Group Inc.
4:25 pm	Adjournment

PEM Scholarships awarded

Since its inception, the proceeds obtained from the annual seminar are used to support mining engineering student activities at UK. Since 2010, KY-PEM used its funds to establish a ‘Professional Engineers in Mining’ account at the University of Kentucky – College of Engineering for scholarships to be awarded to undergraduate students in the Department of Mining Engineering at the Chair’s discretion.

Year	KY-PEM Scholarship Contributions
2011	$3,000
2012	$9,000
2013	$7,000
2014	$7,000
2015	$7,000
2016	$5,000
2017	$4,000
2018	$4,500
2019	$4,500
2020	$6,300
2021	$7,000
2022	$7,000
2023	$11,000
2024	$9,000
2025	$9,000
2026	$11,000

KY-PEM also sponsors an annual award to a graduating senior who exhibits a ‘Commitment to Professional Practice’. The graduating senior listed in the table below received a $650 check and a framed print from Agricola’s ‘De Re Metallica’ as an award.

	Commitment to Professional Practice Award Recipient
2011	MALLORY ANNE MILLER
2012	AUSTIN BROCK
2013	ADAM G. BRYANT
2014	W. TYLER MEADOWS
2015	ALEX B. JOLLY
2016	MORGAN T. LANE
2017	COLTON GRANT
2018	M. VICTORIA KAREM
2019	LUCAS THAXTON
2020	CAITLIN STRONG
2021	KYLE DESNOYER
2022	CHRIS DAWALT
2023	HANNAH HEADY
2024	AMELIA FAUST
2025	WAYLON MARTIN

Distinguished Alumni

Graduate Programs

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38th Annual Kentucky Professional Engineers in Mining Seminar

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Registration

Schedule

PEM Scholarships awarded

KY-PEM Scholarship Contributions

Commitment to Professional Practice Award Recipient

Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering