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Caterpillar chief engineer to discuss safety and productivity changes in mining

Michael Murphy, chief engineer in Caperpillar Inc.’s Surface and Mining Technology division, will give the 2018 G. Albert Shoemaker Lecture in Mineral Engineering on Friday, April 13, 2018.  Credit: Michael MurphyAll Rights Reserved.

Michael Murphy, chief engineer in Caperpillar Inc.’s Surface and Mining Technology division, will give the 2018 G. Albert Shoemaker Lecture in Mineral Engineering on Friday, April 13. Hill will give the lecture "Digital and Automation - The Step Change in Safety and Productivity for Mining” at 4:30 p.m. in President’s Hall at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center on Penn State’s University Park campus. A reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

This lecture will outline the challenges facing the mining industry and how disruptor technologies such as digital and automation will be viewed historically as a significant step change in mining.

Murphy is a dual citizen of Australia and the United States and has more than 39 years of experience with Caterpillar Inc. As chief engineer, he is responsible for the company’s surface and underground mining technology strategy.

Murphy set up the joint Caterpillar and Trimble relationship to develop high precision GPS technology applications for mining and construction. He also has been a key leader in developing Caterpillar’s automation strategy for mining machines including trucks, tractors and underground load-haul-dump (LHD) loaders. Since 2007, he has had various roles in the development of Caterpillar’s second generation of autonomous hauling. Over this period, he has worked from initial concept with global mining companies through to implementation of one of the largest machine automation projects in the world.

For more than 90 years, Caterpillar, Inc., headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives.

The G. Albert Shoemaker Lecture Series in Mineral Engineering was established in 1992 by Mercedes G. Shoemaker to honor the memory of her husband, a Pittsburgh civic and industrial leader who was dedicated to supporting higher education. G. Albert Shoemaker, a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus, had an eminent career in the mineral industries. He was for many years a leader of the coal industry, serving as president of the Pittsburgh Coal Division of Babcock & Wilcox and later as president of Consolidation Coal Co. from 1960 to 1966. Among many civic and philanthropic activities, he served as a member of the University Board of Trustees from 1957 to 1978 and as board president from 1970 to 1972.

Mercedes Shoemaker died in 2017 after a long and happy life. The lecture series will continue in memory and dedication to both G. Albert and Mercedes Shoemaker.

For more information about the Shoemaker Lecture, visit http://www.eme.psu.edu/content/2018-g-albert-shoemaker-lecture-and-eme-awards-banquet online.

Last Updated April 10, 2018

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