Virginia Tech Mining Engineer Named a Distinguished Lecturer

October 8, 2009, Blacksburg, VA

The Society of Mining Engineers (SME) has named Jerry Luttrell, Virginia Tech Professor of Mining and Minerals Engineering, a Henry Krumb Lecturer for 2009-10.

Those selected for this honor each year receive SME funding to provide presentations on specific topics at various SME chapter and section meetings around the country. Luttrell's presentation is entitled "Implications of Constant Incremental Quality on Fine-Coal Dewatering Circuitry". This presentation provides a case study illustrating the potential productivity gains that can be realized by proper understanding of moisture control at a coal preparation plant.

Luttrell, who holds the A.T. Massey Coal Company Professorship at Virginia Tech, joined the faculty in 1986 and was promoted to full professor in 1997. He was named the Massey Professor in 2004.

With his name on 15 patents, he has been awarded more than $14 million in research projects. His research has contributed to the development of innovative technologies for coal preparation and mineral processing.

Luttrell was also a Krumb Lecturer in 2001. He is a previous recipient of the American Institute of Mining Engineers’ Nicholls Award and Alpan Award. The Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America awarded him its Stephen McCann Educational Award.

The College of Engineering at Virginia Tech is internationally recognized for its excellence in 14 engineering disciplines and computer science. The college’s 6,000 undergraduates benefit from an innovative curriculum that provides a “hands-on, minds-on” approach to engineering education, complementing classroom instruction with two unique design-and-build facilities and a strong Cooperative Education Program. With more than 50 research centers and numerous laboratories, the college offers its 2,000 graduate students opportunities in advanced fields of study such as biomedical engineering, state-of-the-art microelectronics, and nanotechnology. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.