The Northern Miner has launched the Goldquest Challenge, a student-focused contest built around monthly online quizzes on gold, mining and the metal’s role in technology, finance and sustainability, with each completed quiz earning an entry into a grand prize draw. From all entries, 20 students will be shortlisted to write a gold-themed essay judged by an expert panel on creativity, insight and originality, with the winner receiving an all‑expenses‑paid trip to the 2026 CIM Convention in Vancouver (3–6 May), including flights, hotel, meals and full conference access. Eligibility is restricted to students in select countries, with details set out in the contest’s Rules & Regulations.

Eurasian Resources Group reports that digital tools and in‑house AI across its mines and plants delivered more than $111 million in economic impact in 2025, as it brands 2026 its “Year of Digitalisation and AI”. The group is expanding site connectivity and core IT infrastructure to support proprietary optimisation models for processing plants and mine operations, rather than relying on off‑the‑shelf platforms. For engineers, this signals growing demand for robust OT networks, data governance, and integration of AI models directly into control systems and dispatch.

Mesabi Metallics has purchased fully electric Epiroc Pit Viper 351 E rotary blasthole rigs via distributor Road Machinery & Supplies Co for its US$2.4 billion taconite iron ore mine and processing complex on Minnesota’s Iron Range. The large-capacity Pit Viper 351 platform, typically used for 270–311 mm production drilling, will be integrated into a greenfield operation designed around high-volume, bench-scale drilling and downstream concentrator throughput. Fully electric drilling reduces diesel use at the pit, simplifies highwall ventilation design and supports future integration with autonomous drilling and fleet electrification strategies.