Industry News

We welcome contributions of industry news and articles relevant  to near-surface geophysics in the Americas and globally from local and international service provider and consulting firms, researchers and research consortia, government, indeed any member of the global near-surface geophysics community with a good story to tell. This might entail technical and commercial topics, people news, research projects, regulatory changes, standards, workshops and conferences and good photos are always welcome. In fact, any news item that may be of interest and technically informative to both the near-surface geophysics practitioner and end-user communities.

For this edition of the Industry News column, we have:

• Dr Mustafa Saribudak named Associate Professor
  • WSP to acquire Golder
  • SPX completed acquisition of Sensors and Software
  • PDAC awardees announced
  • XII edition of proExplo
  • Reducing the risk of failure for TSFs – SEEQUENT

Please contact me if you have ideas or news / articles to contribute ([email protected]).

Dr Mustafa Saribudak

Dr Mustafa Saribudak, principal of Environmental Geophysics Associates (EGA), has been named an Associate Professor of Turkish University. He holds a Master’s in geology from the University of Istanbul and a PhD in geophysics from the Istanbul Technical University (ITU) in Turkey.

He worked at ITU for a year as assistant professor. He then came to the University of Houston in 1990 as a visiting geoscientist. He founded EGA in 1994 to provide near-surface geophysical services for engineering, environmental, and oil and gas industries, and real estate developers. During the last 26 years he has conducted many geophysical surveys successfully in the U.S., Central and South America, and Canada. He has published numerous papers and short notes  in geophysical and environmental journals. He lives in Austin.

WSP to acquire GOLDER

Golder Associates Corporation’s parent company, Enterra Holdings Ltd. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with a wholly-owned subsidiary of WSP Global Inc., pursuant to  which WSP will acquire Golder by  way  of a plan of arrangement under the Companies Act for aggregate consideration of $1.14 Billion. “Together we will create the leading global environmental consulting firm with approximately 14,000 of our 54,000 professionals dedicated to accelerating the world’s green transition. The combination ideally positions WSP to capitalize on the rapidly growing ESG trends driving demand for environmental services and sustainable infrastructure development”, commented Alexandre L’Heureux, President and Chief Executive Officer of WSP. “WSP looks forward to welcoming Golder’s employees and joining forces with such a well-respected environmental consulting brand. Golder is a global leader in earth sciences and environmental services. This acquisition directly contributes to the realization of the goals we laid out in our 2019-2021 Global Strategic Plan and is expected to contribute to both strategic growth and value creation for many years to come. Furthermore, the strategic relationships with GIC and BCI mark another important milestone for WSP to actively continue our acquisition strategy”, he added.

SPX acquires Sensors and Software

SPX Corporation has completed the  acquisition of Sensors & Software Inc. and will be part of SPX’s Radiodetection business unit. “We are excited about Sensors & Software joining the SPX team” said Gene Lowe, President and CEO of SPX Corporation. “Sensors & Software is a leader in GPR applications, with a strong brand, technology and user base that make it a highly complementary addition to our Radiodetection business’s industry-leading portfolio of cable and pipe locator and other detection and measurement products.”

Annual PDAC Awards

The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) announced that six top international and domestic performers have been selected in recognition of their excellence. Now in  its 43rd year, the annual PDAC Awards showcase exceptional leaders in the mineral exploration and mining industry. Recipients will be celebrated at the Awards Gala during the virtual PDAC 2021 Convention. PDAC 2021 Award Recipients are chosen based on their outstanding accomplishments. Bill Dennis Award: Phillip Walford & Sherry Dunsworth, for the discovery and delineation of Valentine, the largest undeveloped gold resource in Atlantic Canada. Distinguished Service Award: Dennis Jones, for his contribution to sustainability in the mineral exploration sector through strong leadership of PDAC’s e3 and e3 Plus initiatives as well as ongoing CSR efforts. Skookum Jim Award: Nalaine Morin, for combining Indigenous traditional knowledge with Western science to improve the environmental assessment process for mining projects. Sustainability Award: B2Gold, for exemplary resettlement and community development work with the village of Fadougou at the Fekola gold mine in Mali. Thayer Lindsley Award: K92 Mining, for the 2017 discovery  of the Kora North deposit at the Kainantu mine in Papua New Guinea. Viola R. MacMillan Award: Mark O’Dea, for building and financing several international mining companies, taking them from exploration and discovery to development and operations.

ProEXPLO 2021

ProEXPLO 2021 will take place in late March, 2021. This will be the twelfth edition of the International Congress of Prospectors and Explorers, organized by Instituto de Ingenieros de Minas del Peru. The event has become one of the most impactful geological and mining industry meetings in Latin America, and will be held entirely online this year. The program includes three sessions: innovation in exploration, success stories in exploration, and exploration-to-mine optimal transition. More information at https://proexplo.com.pe/