Prospects for Co-operation between the Faculty of Mining and Geology of VSB - Technical University of Ostrava and the North Bohemian Mines, Joint – Stock Company, from the Standpoint of Demands of the 21st century

 

PALAS, Miroslav1, ZAMARSKY, Vitezslav2 & ZACEK, Karel3

1 Tr.17.listopadu 15, 708 33Ostrava, Czech Republic, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, miroslav.palas@vsb.cz
2 Tr.17.listopadu 15, 708 33 Ostrava, Czech Republic, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, vitezslav.zamarsky@vsb.cz
3 Bozeny Nemcove 5359, 430 01 Chomutov, Severoceske doly a.s., Czech Republic, zacek@mail.sdas.cz

 

Abstract : The Faculty of Mining and Geology (henceforth referred to as HGF) of VSB-Technical University of Ostrava is the only university workplace in the Czech Republic that, in addition to education, also concentrates upon specialized problems of geological exploration, exploitation and processing of mineral raw materials.

The North Bohemian Mines, joint-stock company, can be numbered among the most significant Czech producers of brown coal with a relatively long mining prospect. In the contribution, possibilities are evaluated concerning co-operation of both the institutions in the complex solving of concrete mining, geological and ecological problems connected with the exploitation of brown coal, and simultaneously those of the preparation of HGF graduates being able to meet the demanding requirements of the 21st century.

Keywords: university, mining company, next co-operation

 

The Czech Republic, as an industrially advanced country, has a rather extensive processing industry that is, in a certain degree, depending upon mineral resources. The degree of this dependence cannot be determined precisely at present. If in 1988 mineral raw materials influenced about 87% of the overall industrial production of former Czechoslovakia (and also the single Czech Republic), then nowadays this degree of influence is unambiguously lower. It can be estimated at more than 50%. Some branches, especially those of electrical engineering, depend upon the mineral raw materials wholly.

Before 1990 the valid economic policy had a marked impact on the sphere of mineral raw materials in the following three basic directions:

  1. In connection with emphasis put on the development of primarily very energy- and also material-consuming industries, a fundamental increase in the production of mineral raw materials occurred, in general, after 1948. This increase manifested itself most markedly in fuels and energy raw materials.
  2. The exploitation of the majority of mineral raw materials was markedly subsidized by the state.
  3. As a result of this subsidy, almost all ore deposits were mined, a considerable part of deposits of hard coal as well as a lesser part of deposits of industrial minerals in comparison with the deposits mined under the conditions of market economy with substantially worse geological-economic parameters.
  4. Not very demanding economic conditions did not lead, in the most of cases, to any technical innovation in mining, processing and, after all, treatment techniques, which had a negative effect on the rate of valorization of mineral raw materials, and thus indirectly upon the quantity of wastes with a relevant load upon the environment.

Under these conditions, Czechoslovakia (and especially the Czech Republic) was at the top of the potential world ladder largely from the standpoint of value of production of mineral raw materials and the intensity of exploitation per 1 km2 of territory or per inhabitant. For example, as far as the productions of brown coal and magnesite are concerned, the former Czechoslovak Republic was in the forth place in the world. As to kaolin and hard coal, it occupied the 5th and the 11th position, respectively. It was in the 6th position in the world (even without including the production of uranium ores) as for the intensity of mining per 1 km2 expressed by the value of production in USD when taking into account the countries of territory more than 100 000 km2.

What was a result of this economic policy was, with reference to reserves, quality and economic effectivity, a disproportionately high home production of mineral raw materials with a marked negative impact upon the environment of the Czech Republic in general, and in the centres of this production in particular. It was the North Moravian and the North Bohemian agglomeration that could be ranked among the most affected centres as a typical example of extreme amounts of produced wastes and the worsened quality of the atmosphere, waters, etc.

In the field of the complex of mineral raw materials, the Czech Republic's transition to the market model has shown itself especially in the following:

A country such as the Czech Republic with its permanently high dependence upon mineral raw materials generally and upon fuels and energy minerals especially must put a question to itself how to secure them in the future in the whole world context. In this connection, we want to stress the point that even at the turn of the 21st century, an issue appears all over the world, from the long-term point of view, that is being settled by economists, geologists and mining experts. The issue deals with the quantities, quality and the period of securing of mineral raw materials for the human society.

The most important factors that will influence the next world demand for particular mineral raw materials are probably as follows:

  1. the growth of population,
  2. a common increase in the technical level and the standard of living and an increased consumption of mineral raw materials per inhabitant connected with it in some cases,
  3. costs of obtaining them,
  4. more and more accepted requirements for environmental protection at least in advanced industrial countries,
  5. the recycling of mineral raw materials that utilizes wastes as secondary raw materials and the development of waste-less technologies,
  6. the utilization of new mineral raw materials often leading to a substantially reduced consumption of other mineral raw materials.

Their interacting is frequently antagonistic and, for individual mineral raw materials or groups of mineral raw materials, different. Understanding this interacting, and especially as correct as possible evaluation of trends in their development can lead us to the following:

  1. a realer estimate of the future importance of mineral raw materials for the world and domestic economies,
  2. the formulation of a rational mineral and an energy policy in the environment that is more and more aware of the justification of requirements of sustainable development of the world as a whole and individual countries as its parts,
  3. the clearer formulation of tasks of the HGF of VSB-Technical University of Ostrava as the only university workplace of the Czech Republic that in addition to teaching, is concerned with specialized problems of geological exploration, exploitation and processing of mineral raw materials,
  4. the search for such partners in the field of industries who will participate in both co-operation in solving the concrete mining, geological and ecological problems connected with the exploitation of the relevant mineral raw material and the preparation of HGF graduates being able to meet demanding requirements of the 21st century.

Comprehending this situation reflects both in the formulation of study programmes of the fields of mining and geological engineering in all forms of study - i.e. bachelor, master and doctoral, and also in changes in the direction of research as well as in the search for such partners in the industrial sphere who would participate in the complex teaching of HGF students at the VSB-Technical University of Ostrava and who would acquire results of solving their concrete mining, geological and ecological problems connected with their mining activity. It has shown that one of the most significant partners of the HGF is in this case the North Bohemian Mines, joint-stock company, that besides proposals for research and technical co-operation, formulates its own concrete requirements for qualifications of the HGF graduate starting to work with this company. Up to now, the wholly unambiguous definition has been formed for the professions of a mine surveyor, a mine geologist and a mining engineer. On the one hand these requirements differ for individual categories, on the other hand they have primarily the following requirements common to all graduates:

- ability to communicate in the team,
- ability to formulate a problem,
- ability to work independently in the defined sphere of problems.

We want to underline that when elaborating the statute of engineering qualifications for next millenium we also reflect, in addition to above mentioned requirements representing a so-called "Czech path", the basic global trends and problems of the existing human population which cover, in our opinion, seeking answers to the following problems:

  1. It is necessary to see the human future in the effect of development of education and research. This will induce changes in the field of development of culture and the style of living not only among people but also towards the mother planet. New paths and means for securing these activities must be looked for.
  2. With reference to the information explosion in all fields of human activity, a new statute of engineer qualifications for the third millenium is to be worked out. This statute should contain the following items:
  3. Globalization of the problem of engineering education brings about the necessity of the following:
  4. The necessity appears for introducing contractual relations of a strategic partnership between educational institutions and industries utilizing bilateral advantages, above all in the fields of financing, freedom of publications, protection of mental property, and others. In this sense we want to appreciate the effort of the management of the North Bohemian Mines, joint-stock company on the one hand and the management of the VSB - Technical University of Ostrava on the other hand to develop intensively this strategic partnership.
  5. Four main problems of the present human population for the 21st century are stated as follows:
    The question for the future says: how to tackle and utilize these problems?
  6. Existing civilization is a place of paradoxes. One of them is the fact that the scissors between the prevailing community of the poor and the minority of the rich part further. The world of business has not overcome barriers between these two subjects. This also means that, e.g. new scientific and technological discoveries cannot be applied to the environment, which they have been intended for.

Our considerations and reforms of the educational process then reflect both global problems and specifically Czech features. What can be ranked among them (especially with regard to the political-economic development in the last tens of years) is the existence of long-term co-operation of companies with our technical university. With reference to the above presented changes, in order to meet not only the requirements of the present but also the demands of next millenium, new contractual relations with companies and organizations are then formulated. Therefore, co-operation with partners from industrial companies is concentrated upon the following activities:

  1. Participation in the creation of study programmes, in which emphasis is put primarily on strengthening the communicative component, foundations of legislation, and the formation of student's adaptability to the changing environment,
  2. Securing of practical training and short trips for students,
  3. The provision and common utilization of modern laboratory and information instrumental techniques,
  4. The inclusion of teachers and students into the solving of tasks of applied research according to the needs of the partner from industry (financial and professional contributions),
  5. Common participation of university teachers and the partner from industry in commissions for the defence of diploma and doctoral dissertation theses,
  6. Common publications and participation in scientific conferences, seminars and workshops at the sponsorship of companies,
  7. The offer of themes for diploma theses on the side of companies, the offer of scholarships and other social advantages for students - future employees of the company,
  8. The improvement in bibliographic funds of libraries of companies by new publications of researchers from the university,
  9. Organization of retraining courses for workers of the company,
  10. Participation in joint grant research projects of home and foreign agencies,
  11. Common procedures when propagating the mining and geological fields and results of research activity,
  12. On the one hand, the rapid development of communication technologies as well as sophistic instrumental techniques offers students new possibilities of understanding natural objects at present. On the other hand, the training of students' visual "clinical diagnostics" is, however, suppressed to a certain extent. The utilization of the F.PoSepny Geological Museum that is a part of the Institute of Geological Engineering and that contains tens of thousands of specimens of minerals, rocks, fossils and mineral raw materials not only from the territory of the Czech Republic but also from the world - as a specialized study centre- helps students of our university, students from secondary schools and also professionals from industrial companies solve this modern paradigm.

In the case of VSB-Technical University of Ostrava acting in the centre of one industrial agglomeration and co-operating with mining and processing companies of other industrial agglomerations of the Czech Republic, what is meant is not innovations in co-operation with companies. It is its content that is new. However, the fact generally known in the world is valid here too: however good the project, intention and agreement may be they can be implemented only if adequate conditions exist for them. The further political-economic development of the country in the context of present and future world problems is ranked among the most important of them.