Keith Jones

Mining has always been in my blood. My grandad had his own gold mine in Central Idaho and my dad operates a small industrial minerals mine in Southern Idaho. I pretty much knew I wanted to be around mining at an early age. What kid doesn't enjoy a sandbox? Only mining is not a sandbox, it is the real thing. Big, heavy equipment, drilling, blasting, loading, hauling, dozing and some farming mixed in when its time to do reclamation. It was not until high school when they started doing that barrage of tests with all those funny abbreviations, (PSAT, NMSQT, SAT, ACT, etc.) and using that information to help identify interests, that engineering entered the equation as well. It was then that I realized that I could not only be around the neat things that make mining interesting, but I could also participate in the design and direction of all that activity.

I graduated from Mackay School of Mines in 1985 with a B.S. in Mining Engineering. Mackay provided me with the firm foundation that I needed to pursue a career in mining. Since that time, I have been primarily in Northeast Nevada. I am married and have a son and daughter. We enjoy living in the rural setting and pursue many outdoor activities, such as boating, camping, motorcycling and skiing.

However, to support these activities, I do have to work. I truly enjoy my work as it is quite varied and never boring. On a routine basis I may be working with exploration, mine geology, geostatistics to create a representation of the ore deposit, optimum mine design, scheduling production, selecting equipment, building economic models for the mine and managing people. The engineer's efforts can contribute millions of dollars to the company bottom line. I have also supervised production crews. (In addition to supervision of the crew, I got to operate loaders, hydraulic shovels, haul trucks and dozers.) I still even survey on rare occasions. For me, that is an important aspect of the job; I am not always tied to a desk. There is lots of opportunity to get out in the field and get "dirty". A career in mining engineering can open the doors to world travel, management, consulting and self employment among others. Good luck and I hope you join us!