Prof. Jürgen Kretschmann, President of the Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola (THGA), Bochum/Germany, has taken over the presidency of the Society of Mining Professors (SOMP) (Figure 1). This appointment will see him head the world’s leading professional association of mining sciences for one year.
“It’s a great honour to be appointed president. It gives me the opportunity to draw public attention to the significant accomplishments of the German coal mining industry – in precisely the year in which it’s closing down. I also aim to internationally raise awareness of the issue of post-mining among those working in mining science around the world,” said Kretschmann. “Holding this office as the president of a university of applied sciences clearly shows that there is no difference between traditional universities and universities of applied sciences internationally. The only thing that matters is personal achievement.”
Prof. Kretschmann assumed presidency of the SOMP at this year’s 29th annual meeting in Beijing/China. This means that the THGA will host two important conferences in the city of Bochum: In October this year, academics working in the mining sector will meet there to discuss numerous topics, namely the historical significance of the German coal mining industry and Ruhrkohle AG in terms of global development.
The next annual meeting – addressing the future of mining and the issue of post-mining – will then be held in autumn 2019. German academics and the THGA – with its post-mining research centre – are pioneers in both of these fields. (THGA/Si.)
