KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

David Blowes, Prof.,
University of Waterloo, Canada

David Blowes is a member of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Waterloo, where he has held the Canada Research Chair in Groundwater Remediation since 2001. He also is a member of the Waterloo Institute for Groundwater Research. He has conducted research on the release and transport of dissolved metals from mine wastes, transport of dissolved metals in aquifers and remediation of groundwater contaminated by dissolved metals. His recent research projects focus on in situ remediation of contaminated groundwater using permeable reactive barriers, prediction of the long-term geochemical evolution and environmental impact of waste rock piles and the application of reactive transport models to assess the potential effectiveness of groundwater remediation strategies. He is the recipient of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Synergy award and served as the Geological Society of America Birdsall-Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer in 2006.

John Carranza, Dr.
ITC of the University of Twente, the Netherlands

Emmanuel John M. Carranza (born 08 October 1962) obtained a BSc degree in geology ( Adamson University, Manila, Philippines) in 1983, a MSc degree (with distinction) in mineral exploration (International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), Enschede, Netherlands) in 1994 and a PhD degree in GIS-based mineral potential mapping (Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands) in 2002. He started his professional career in 1983 as a geologist in the Bureau of Mines and Geosciences of the Philippines where he was involved with geological mapping, stratigraphic studies, geological hazard mapping, evaluation of industrial rocks/minerals and geochemical exploration for gold. His work on exploration geochemistry led to recognition of a previously unknown mineralized area in a Quaternary volcanic terrane in Bicol Region of the Philippines. He received the 1998 ITC Research Award for his paper on catchment-basin analysis of stream sediment geochemical anomalies. In 2001-2003, he was a Researcher in the Earth Systems Analysis (ESA) department of ITC where he is involved with (a) research in developing geospatial data infrastructure for mineral resource management, (b) teaching at post-graduate level and (c) supervising MSc and PhD students. Since 2003 to the present, he is Assistant Professor in the ESA department of ITC with more-or-less similar teaching and research tasks as his preceding Researcher appointment. He has supervised and led to graduation 4 PhD students and at least 25 MSc students. He has been an external examiner for 4 PhD candidates. His research interests include GIS-based mineral potential mapping, geological/mineral remote sensing, spatial predictive modeling of geo-objects, and exploration/environmental geochemistry. He has published more than 45 papers in international peer-reviewed geoscience journals and more than 40 papers in international conference proceedings. He has written and published a book on Geochemical Anomaly and Mineral Prospectivity Mapping in GIS.

Reijo Salminen, Prof.
Geological Survey of Finland, Finland

Reijo Salminen is a Research Professor (emeritus) at the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), Espoo. He has worked for GTK since 1972 being in charge of geochemical studies. He conducted the geochemical mapping program of Finland. He has been part time professor and external lecturer in geochemistry at Turku University. His speciality is in geochemical mapping, geochemistry in mineral exploration and environmental geology. He has been a regional co-ordinator for Europe in IUGS/IAGC Working Group on Global Geochemical Baselines. He has conducted large geochemical mapping projects in Europe, Russia and Africa. He is active in promoting geology as an important factor to policy and decision makers.

William W. Shilts, Prof.
Illinois State Geological Survey, USA

Dr. William W. Shilts is Executive Director of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois. The Institute houses five state scientific surveys addressing archeology, biology, geology, water, and technology, and employs over 800 scientists and technical support staff. A native of Hudson, Ohio and graduate of Western Reserve Academy, Dr. Shilts received his undergraduate degree in geology from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, his Master of Science in geology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and his Ph.D. in geology from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. From 1995 to 2008, Dr. Shilts was Chief of the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS). During that time he made detailed, three-dimensional geologic mapping a priority and strengthened efforts to create an energy program, ensuring that Illinois’ abundant coal, oil, and biofuel resources can be utilized in an environmentally benign way. Prior to becoming ISGS Chief, Dr. Shilts worked for 30 years as a research scientist for the Geological Survey of Canada, leading studies in the fields of, exploration and environmental geochemistry, glacial sedimentology and stratigraphy, permafrost and patterned ground, atmospheric contaminants (mercury and acid rain) in lakes, and the impacts of historic and prehistoric earthquakes on lakes. He has supported and advised theses of more than 30 graduate students in the U.S. and Canada, and has been or is presently an adjunct professor at Carleton University (Ottawa), the University of Montreal, the University of Illinois, Illinois State University, and the University of Quebec at Montreal. He has been a member of the US National Committee of the International Geological Union and of the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Shilts has been a proponent for providing clear explanations of earth science to the lay public and for the importance of utilizing earth science as an important component for assuring responsible economic development and environmental security in modern societies.

Michael Wiedenbeck, Dr.
GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Germany

Michael Wiedenbeck currently heads the Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry facility at the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam.  He has a BSc (High honours) degree in Geology from the University of Michigan.  He went on to obtain his Diploma in Crystallography and Isotope Geochemistry from the ETH-Zürich, where his research applied isotopic methods for dating the tectonic evolution of the Southern Alps in northern Italy.  After completing his degree in Switzerland he moved to Australia for obtaining his Doctorate in Isotope Geochemistry from the Australian National University where he learned the art of zircon dating  using the then emerging SIMS technique.  After completing his PhD he held post-doc positions in Nancy ( France), Ahmedabad ( India) and Oak Ridge (USA).  He then went on to hold the position of manager at the University of New Mexico / Sandia National Laboratory SIMS Facility for two years before moving to Germany in 1998.  Michael has been a member of the Governing Council of the International Association of Geoanalysts since 2001 and has been the President of that society since 2006.  In 2002 he hosted the inaugural meeting of the IAG's Materials Certification Committee in Potsdam, which led to the first geochemistry-specific sample certification protocol which is compliant with ISO guidelines.  He has been active in this arena ever since, and has now been involved with the production of seven ISO-compliant certifications of bulk rock and isotope Reference Materials.  Other professional interests include teaching Quality Assurance concepts for geochemical applications and developing new strategies for calibrating microanalytic measurement techniques.  He is currently the chairperson of the Steering Committee of the soil science NanoSIMS Facility in Munich and is also a member of the IAEA's Technical Committee for the use of Reference Materials in light stable isotopes in Vienna.  Michael has contributed to over 80 scientific publications and has been a member of the Editorial Board of Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research since 2004.

Ravi Anand, Adjunct Professor
CSIRO and Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia

Ravi Anand is a Chief Research Scientist at CSIRO and an Adjunct Professor in regolith geology and geochemistry at Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia. In 1984, Ravi did his PhD on weathering processes at the University of Western Australia. He then became a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Western Australia. He joined CSIRO in 1987 as a Research Scientist in the Division of Mineralogy, carrying out research into methods of exploring for concealed mineral deposits in Australia’s deeply weathered terrains. He has been a leader of industry-funded projects in since 1990. These projects have included multidisciplinary, multi-client projects through Australian Mineral Industries Research Association Limited (AMIRA) and projects with individual companies. He contributed to, and led, the teams which worked to understand regolith processes and landscape evolution, and sought to describe systematically what it was that they saw, placing those regolith materials into a consistent, process-related framework. He set up the procedures whereby exploration teams firstly learned the significance of the regolith materials, then learned how to recognize and record these in the field, and finally to understand the geochemical significance of these materials. The outcomes of his research have been major contributors to the discovery of many mineral deposits in deeply weathered terrains. He has successfully included a very active PhD and Honours student program in his research. He also conducted undergraduate, postgraduate and professional development courses in Australia, Africa, South America and Europe.