UWr and KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. conference
A conference of the University of Wrocław and KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. commemorating the 65th anniversary of the discovery of copper ore deposits in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline is underway in the Leopoldina Auditorium. The event is an opportunity to integrate the Polish geological and mining community.
The conference was opened by the Vice-Rector for Scientific Research, prof. dr hab. Artur Błażejewski, who emphasised the importance of the long-standing cooperation between the University of Wrocław and KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.
The heroine of the conference – as the Dean of the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Environmental Management at the University of Wrocław, prof. Henryk Marszałek, pointed out when welcoming the guests – is copper, which has been mined in Poland since the Middle Ages. Our country has the largest ore deposits of this metal in the world. Thanks to the teamwork of Polish geologists led by Prof. Józef Zwierzycki and Jan Wyżykowski, who 65 years ago contributed to the discovery of copper ore deposits in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline, it was possible to exploit this hidden potential. The historic drilling, which took place in the village of Sieroszowice in 1957, marked the beginning of economic and social change in Lower Silesia.
The conference is an opportunity to pay tribute to the pioneers of Polish geology, as well as to honour the work of contemporary Polish geologists. At the beginning of the sessions, the General Director for Mining of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. Jan Zimroz presented Distinguished Geologists of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. awards to outstanding employees of the concern.
During the following sessions, the achievements of Polish geology were summarised, and the prospects for the development of this field of science and the mining industry were discussed. The University of Wrocław cooperates with KGHM Polska Miedź both in terms of teaching and research. Our university wants its students to follow new trends and to acquire not only theoretical, but also practical knowledge. That is why, as mentioned by Krzysztof Moskwa from the Institute of Geological Sciences, who is responsible at the University for cooperation with the social and economic environment, we have established the Entrepreneurs and Employers Council, which is responsible, among other things, for providing opinions on issues concerning didactics. We cooperate with KGHM with regard to supervision of dissertations, implementation doctorates or teaching. Last year, as described by the Director of the Institute of Geological Sciences, dr Anna Pietranik, UWr launched a subject MBA in geology and environmental protection, in which lectures were co-taught by guest practitioners from the mining and geological industry, including KGHM employees.
As far as research cooperation between UWr and KGHM is concerned, among many projects one can mention the NCBiR project Innovative technologies to limit migration of saline groundwater to surface water in the area of the ‘Żelazny Most’ mining waste neutralisation facility.
Tomorrow, the conference participants will move to Krotoszyce, where, among other things, a field session on post-mining areas will be held.
