“It is quite clear that my time at UNSW in Mining has been a leading contributor to my current success in the industry, and the development of my leadership skills to that which were recognised for the award”.
The School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering is proud to congratulate Tara Andresson on being awarded the 2022 Sir Frank Espie/Rio Tinto Leadership Award as well as the EEF Premium Scholarship.
In search of future industry leaders amongst the members of the AusIMM Sydney Student Chapter, the Education Endowment fund (EEF) Board of Trustees award scholarships annually to selected students. This is to provide professional development opportunities for students to grow in the mining industry.
Tara Andresson, an undergraduate student in Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mining) and Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) has been awarded an EEF premium scholarship as well as the 2022 Sir Frank Espie/Rio Tinto Leadership Award. Andresson had been shortlisted for the award against other candidates after being granted the EEF scholarship. The award was granted to her after a series of competitive interviews due to her articulateness and clear direction of her proposed career path.
“My passion and technical abilities lie in the development of software that assists with and optimises everyday mining engineering challenges”, Andresson says. “I have experience working for both underground coal and hard-rock operations, where I have grown my skill set and applied university knowledge- particularly in production engineering”.
In addition to these achievements, Andresson is the current Sydney Chapter President for the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) as well as the student representative for Women in Mining (WIMNET). Previously, she was a committee member for the AusIMM Sydney Student Chapter, WIESoc Committee Member and even a Girl’s Guide Leader.
Currently, Andresson is working as a Mining Engineer for Drive Mining assisting with creating and coding spreadsheets that improve mine efficiency and monitoring processes. She has various internships under her belt including: on crew and in office for South32 Illawarra Metallurgical Coal at their Appin Underground Coal mine, a stint as a Drill and Blast Engineer for OZ Minerals at the Carapateena Sub-level Caving Copper Mine.
‘It is quite clear that my time at UNSW in Mining has been a leading contributor to my current success in the industry, and the development of my leadership skills to that which were recognised for the award, so I would like to thank the school in assisting with helping to get my degree on track, inviting me to mining events and supporting me”.
We spoke to Tara Andresson about her achievements, the importance of the mining industry and her plans after graduation. Check out the interview.