Chemical Engineer (Metallurgist)

Cameron Dyer, 26
Chemical Engineer since 2007
Assistant Lab Manager @ Kappes, Cassidy & Associates (specializing in Metallurgical Process Technology)

What did you get your degree in?
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at University of Nevada, Reno

Why chemical engineering?
I find the practical applications of chemistry interesting and challenging.

What are your job responsibilities?
Managing projects in the lab, writing lab reports, and developing new projects and procedures. I have to collect all the data and make sure it is correct.

What kind of tests do you run in the lab?
We run several tests on ore deposits to find gold or silver. One of the most important tests, the fire assay test, is where we blend ore with lead oxide and it pulls gold and silver out of the ore so we can determine how valuable the ore is. Another example of an important test is the column leach test, where we compile very small to huge columns of ore and run cyanide through them to leach out the gold, another way to determine the value of the ore being tested.

What’s the best part of your job?
I enjoy working with the people in the lab. This job also has a lot of potential directions it can take me.

What your advice to up and coming chemical engineers?
Get work experience in a lab and know your way around.  Also good to know the industry you want  work in.

What’s the best part about working in the mining industry?
Mining helps enrich developing countries in ways that are not normally available by bringing infrastructure to rural places and helping developing countries to prosper.

[KCA works with mines in Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, and Chile.]

Read more at The More You Dig