The event, being held at the Lakeview Scanticon Resort and Conference Center, is sponsored by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the West Virginia Coal Association (WVCA) and West Virginia University (WVU).

International Longwall News spoke with conference chairman Syd Peng this week about the progress of the plans, which he noted as shaping up well.

“The keynote speaker will be David Dye, the acting assistant secretary for MSHA. If [Bush nominee for MSHA assistant secretary Richard] Stickler is confirmed then, he will be the keynote speaker,” Peng said, adding that NIOSH senior advisor Dr Lew Wade has been confirmed as the keynote presenter for the banquet the evening of August 1.

Peng said there was an expert team that assisted in selecting this year’s technical papers, with NIOSH’s Chris Mark and Steve Tadolini as well as Hani Mitir of McGill University assisting him to choose the 61 papers from the more than 70 submitted for publication. “Out of the 61 papers, 41 will be selected for presentation at the conference [and] the remaining 20 will be poster papers.”

This being the event’s silver anniversary, Peng was particularly anxious to share a special addition to this year’s event: “One of the most important features for this conference is the 14 invited retrospective papers. They will review the progress of 14 subject areas since the conference began in 1981.”

In additional to the technical presentations and banquet, the 25th annual conference will also include the ninth annual golf outing as well as a barbecue picnic on the final day.

Those interested in attending will be eligible for a discounted entry if registration is completed before July 14; additionally, professional development hours (PDH) certification equivalent to 20 hours will be available.

For further information or to register, call (304) 293-7680.