The 31st annual event will take place July 31 through August 2 in Morgantown and includes more than 40 papers on topics such as ground control, roof bolting, mine design, and modeling.

Organizers confirmed nearly 300 researchers, scientists, engineers and others from the industry are expected. According to registration data those individuals will be convening at the Lakeview from 20 US states and 13 countries.

Some of the specific papers to be presented include:

• Requirements and Performance of Pumpable Cribs in Longwall Tailgate Entries and Bleeders – Peter Zhang, Mike Milam, Mike Mishra, William Hudak Jr, Robert Kimutis, Alpha Natural Resources
• Mitigation of a Massive Sandstone Channel's Impact on a 1500ft Wide Longwall Face – Daniel Su, Gregory Hasenfus, Luke Stull, Jun Lu, Mark Van Dyke, Stephen Morgan, Paul Kelley, Donald Teeter, Consol Energy
• The Load Transfer Properties of Post-Groutable Cable Bolts Used in the Australian Coal Industry – Rob Thomas, Strata Engineering (Australia)
• The Development and Application of Polyurethane Injectable Cable Bolts – Dakota Faulkner, Jennmar Corporation
• Effects of Transverse Isotropy on Vertical Stresses When Multi-Seam Mining under Supercritical Longwall Panels – Anastasia Suchowerska, John Carter, Richard Merifield, University of Newcastle, Australia

“Since its inception in 1981, the conference has been the premier gathering for this important topic, and virtually all technical developments and scientific advancements within the field have been published and presented here over the last 30 years,” the group said.

The conference will also feature a golf outing and field trip.

For more information, visit the conference web site at http://icgcm.conferenceacademy.com/Home.aspx?Subdomain=icgcm.