Topic: How engineering impacted the development of mining in Jamaica?

Exposition

Without engineering the world as we know it would not be as it is today. Good afternoon
everyone my name is Tajmar James. I chose to research engineering’s impact on a sector of
Jamaica’s economy with specific focus on the mining sector. I chose to research this topic
because I would like to know how a field in which I am pursuing a career is improving the
country. Also, I would like to develop a deeper appreciation for its many contributions toward
the development towards the sector. Firstly, let’s start off with what exactly is engineering?
Engineering can be defined as the application of science and mathematics in order to solve a
problem. The mining sector is one of Jamaica’s most successful sectors. Bauxite which is
Jamaica’s prime export has to be mined from the earth. Without engineering to build the tools we
need to accomplish this task, well, we would have to mine with our hands. As far back as the
Stone Age there was a need for tools in order to mine. In fact, early men have been crafting tools
for mining long before modern technology. However, due to rapid advances in technological
innovation we now have the aid of tools and machineries that work in order to make the process
easier. In Jamaica the first mining of bauxite took place in 1942 and then in 1944 after this
mining was more frequent. All of this was possible because of the tools and machineries
engineering had to offer. Therefore, I believe engineering plays a very important role in the
development of mining in the country. Engineering improves mining in many ways such as
creating sophisticated machinery, it improves economical growth and it provides safer practices
on-site.While conducting research on this topic I came across many differing views on the
subject. On the one hand, there are those who believe that engineering does not have a significant
impact on mining in Jamaica. On the other hand, there are others that believe engineering is the
major factor behind the success of mining in the country. (2.5 MINS)

Firstly, the creation of engineering machinery caused the ancient methods of mining to wither
away. They crafted tools out of a variety of rocks such as flint, chert, basalt and sandstone.
Research has shown that the early men were able to mine over large areas even with their
primitive tools. Machines such as tunnel boring systems made it possible for mining to be far
more easier and faster. Imagine a task that usually takes up to about a year now cut down to a
matter of months. This is more convenient for the miners as they are able to quickly finish one
Topic: How engineering impacted the development of mining in Jamaica?

area and move towards the next. Furthermore, the addition of drones to mining helps to improve
the overall efficiency of large mine site and quarry management by providing accurate and
comprehensive data detailing site conditions in a very short time.

Secondly, by improving the mining sector engineering is increasing the economical growth of
the country. According to Glenn Tucker the mining sector is one of Jamaica’s most successful
sectors. In his article he stated that “the bauxite industry is second only to the tourism sector in
contribution of foreign exchange. He also referenced a study carried out that showed that mining
was responsible for one percentage of Jamaica’s growth of 1.8 per cent in the third quarter of
2018. Jamaica is one of the leading exporters of bauxite. Other countries depend on Jamaica’s
export of bauxite in order to produce aluminum. This is the reason why the mining sector is such
a crucial part of the Jamaican economy. Therefore, the machines have promoted growth in the
country’s economy.

Finally, engineering paved the way for safer practices in the working environment. As a result of
the many machines and equipment engineering bestowed upon the field, mining saw a significant
decrease in the number of deaths on site. For instance, they have now developed modern
techniques to promote safety in the mines such as timbering, bracing walls and ceilings within
sub-surface mines. Additionally, it also allowed for improvement in ventilation in the mines
thereby, enabling workers to progress deeper within the mines without the fear of suffocation.
This was achieved by sucking air into a shaft underground by fans on the surface, while
extractors at the top of the mine drag the air back out.

In order to wholly explore the topic of this research two sources were obtained. My primary
source is a mining engineer by the name of Latoya Thomas. My secondary source is an article I
obtained online.

In conducting this research I encountered many challenges. First of all, it was very difficult to
find mining engineers in Jamaica. However, I was able to search the internet and find a mining
engineer to interview. Secondly, when conducting the interview there were many vehicular
interruptions coming from the nearby road. Therefore, there were many pauses while the
interview was taking place. Lastly, it was very difficult finding secondary sources to provide
information on the topic. Some of the sources I did find never contributed any relevant
Topic: How engineering impacted the development of mining in Jamaica?

information on the subject. However, I was able to find two articles and then I continued with the
more reliable one. (1 min, 50seconds)

My primary source is Latoya Thomas. She is a senior mining engineer who has attained a
bachelor in earth science. She also has a master of business administration in general
management. She currently works with the Carib cement cooperation limited group. I believe
information from this source is reliable because she is a mining engineer for over twelve years
now. Hence, she would have been on sites where she would have taken part in mining and would
have witnessed firsthand exactly how engineering has impacted the development in the field of
mining. Ms. Thomas was very useful in providing information because the many years in which
she have worked as a mining engineer she would have provided information that was relevant to
my research. I believe that her years of experience in mining makes her an expert in the field
hence, I believe the information she provides is credible.

My secondary source is an article written by Glenn Tucker. Glenn Tucker has a masters of
business administration and a bachelors of science in sociology. He is also a published author
and regularly writes articles for the Jamaican gleaner. Information from this source is reliable
because as a sociologist he has an extensive knowledge of how the country is improving. Mr.
Tucker article was useful in providing in support of mi research. It was very useful because it
provided information on how mining is affecting the country that I previously had no knowledge
of .Information from this source is credible because Mr. Tucker in his childhood and also while
growing up would have been a witness to how bauxite would be impacting the country.

In summary, engineering played a very important role in the development of the mining sector in
Jamaica. Some of its contributions towards mining made the procedures easier for the mining
engineers to carry out. Researching this topic helped me to get a feel for research as a iterative
process and not just one linear process. After evaluating my sources I can confidently say that
my sources were reliable for the research.