Alumnus Don Lindsay is ing the torch to the next generation of mining engineering students at Queen’s.
Teck Resources Limited announced on March 13 it’s funding two $1 million endowments for the Don Lindsay Teck Award, creating renewable scholarships for mining engineering students at Queen’s and University of British Columbia (UBC) while recognizing former Teck President Don Lindsay, Sci ’80.
Two to three students in each year in the Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining will be chosen as recipients, covering most of their tuition while having mentorship meetings with Lindsay himself. The size of the award will depend on the endowments’ investment returns.
Canada has seen a decline in the number of mining engineering graduates by 50 per cent since it peaked in 2016. At Queen’s, only 46 of current first-year students chose to specialize in mining for their degree.
For Lindsay, selecting recipients is about the “whole person,” including students’ community involvement at Queen’s. Building relationships is a skill learned through multiple avenues at Queen’s and it’s critical to succeeding in a global industry like mining, Lindsay said.
“That’s what it takes to succeed in this world today, that the highest academic standing isn’t the only criteria that will get you to succeed, it’s a baseline,” Lindsay said in an interview with The Journal.
The namesake of the award, Lindsay served as Teck’s President and CEO for 17 years. He’s excited to meet the recipients at Queen’s, having lunch with them or orchestrating a trip to Teck’s offices in Toronto.
As a Vice-President for the Queen’s Mining Society, Becca Randall, Sci ’25, was one of 20 students who travelled to Toronto for the award announcement at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).
The opportunity to learn from Lindsay is more valuable than the monetary award for students, Randall said, calling Lindsay a “titan” in the industry.
Mining wasn’t on Randall’s radar as a first-year student, but after Assistant Professor Charlotte Gibson gave a guest lecture in one of her classes, she was inspired. Randall holds no regrets.
“I’ve been very fortunate with my experience where I love Queen’s mining as a culture. It’s an incredibly tight knit group of people,” Randall said in an interview with The Journal.
Surrounded by a ive network of faculty and alumni, Randall is excited to enter the industry, claiming it’s welcoming to young professionals. Queen’s equipped Randall with not only the technical skills she needs but the business acumen and a sensibility for sustainability to make an impact in the industry.
On campus, Randall said Teck’s investment has her peers talking about being “the future of mining.”
Queen’s graduates are well represented in the Canadian resource industry, Smith Engineering Dean Kevin Deluzio said in an interview with The Journal.
Smith Engineering is home to the only explosives laboratory in Canada, 50 km north of Kingston. Mining students get practical experience during field trips to sites in northern Ontario and Arizona. Two mining courses at Queen’s use virtual reality labs where students simulate operating a mining site.
The award and evolving mining industry align with the humanistic approach being taken at Smith Engineering. Deluzio said the industry needs talent as it evolves towards sustainability, and industry leaders want students who can understand the local community’s needs.
Deluzio predicts mining engineering is going to be an exciting field as the industry grapples with the energy crisis, climate change, and ing the Canadian economy.
“The resource sector and mining engineering has to be at the forefront of that the greatest change that they can make and making the world a better place, is within this area,” he said.
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