Ohio association wins Prazen award
November 30, 2011 By: Darren Constantino, North Coast Media
Left to right are Robert Freas, vice chair of National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum; Jamie Sturgeon, chair of the OAIMA Public Relations Committee; Keith Best, member of the OAIMA Public Relations Committee; and Tim Augustine, vice chair of the OAIMA Public Relations Committee.
The National Mining Hall of Fame awarded the 2011 Prazen Living Legend of Mining Award to the Ohio Aggregates & Industrial Minerals Association (OAIMA), which undertakes a wide variety of programs and projects designed to educate the public about the minerals industry.
An example of OAIMA's commitment to educating the public about the importance of the minerals industry is its Project STONE (Science Teaching for Ohio's New Economy) program, developed in partnership with Wright State University. Project STONE is an earth and space science inquiry-based professional development program for Ohio earth science teachers that is based on real-world situations. During this two-week program, teachers learn of the critical role that mining plays in the civic, cultural, environmental and economic life of our communities.
OAIMA has also created a Scholarship Program, which to date has awarded more than $20,000 to students taking courses relating to exploration, excavation, engineering, acquisition, production or other areas of the industrial minerals industry.
In related news, the OAIMA held its annual meeting in late November in Columbus, Ohio. Patrick Jacomet, executive director of the association, presided over the event, which was highlighted by a visit from Ohio Governor John Kasich. Kasich spoke on a number of topics, including the potential for jobs from drilling for natural gas in the state.
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