Marshall University in West Virginia said last week that its Center for Geotechnical and Applied Sciences is establishing the academy as a comprehensive tool complete with a web-based simulated environment that includes an underground room and pillar operation.
CEGAS will be overseeing the academy, including director Tony Szwilski and Jack Smith, who will bring expertise in virtual technology.
“As we have witnessed from mining tragedies such as the Upper Big Branch mine disaster, all participating entities in an emergency response at a mine — including the mining company, and federal and state officials — must collaborate, coordinate and perform extremely well to best serve potentially trapped or isolated miners and their families,” Szwilski said.
“Our Virtual Mine Safety Training Academy will be a vital resource. Access to effective and quality mine emergency response training is critical.”
Students of the academy will be able to access its resources from anywhere and in a virtual, campus-like environment.
“The initial emphasis will be on mine emergency response and preparedness,” officials said.
The academy will also use a Unity game engine to create unique a multi-trainee and interaction site that will feature mine emergency response exercises such as communications and decision-making.
The work being done with the newest grant continues work that CEGAS has already carried out over the past five years to build interactive programs as well as to provide a semi-immersive environment through Marshall’s Engineering Visualization Lab.
Marshall University was one of several universities with industry-related major programs to receive Brookwood-Sago grants this year.
It received $117,000 under the 2011 program administered by the US Mine Safety and Health Administration and named in remembrance of the 12 men who died in an explosion at the Sago Mine in 2006 and the 13 men who died in two explosions at the Jim Walter Resources No. 5 Mine in 2001.
The program was established through a provision in the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act). The Brookwood-Sago has awarded eight awards nationally since the program’s inception, totaling $1 million in federal funding.
