Two weeks before the competition, the 17 teams received the case study, featuring a complex issue facing the mining industry written by Schulich executive-in-residence Richard Ross, former chairman and CEO of Inmet Mining Corporation, and Carolyn Burns, an MBA student and president of the Schulich Natural Resource Opportunity Club.

The Schulich team of Michelle Hassen, Deanna Wu, Rafal Smerd and Jeff Butchereit beat 16 other teams from leading Canadian and US business schools, including Columbia Business School, Fletcher School from Tufts University and Queen鈥檚 School of Business. The winning team members will share a cash prize of $5,000.

Left:听Winners of the听 Schulich听International Case Competition in Sustainability, from left, Deanna Wu, Michelle Hassen, Rafal Smerd and Jefferey Butchereit

The students had just two weeks to research, write and practise their presentation. In the first round on Saturday, the winning Schulich team faced teams from Dalhousie University, University of Alberta and Carleton University. During the second and final round, the Schulich team beat teams from University of Toronto, Ryerson University and the University of Alberta to take the top prize.

鈥淚n the final, our winning team presented the most viable, well-researched and impactful solution to a real-world problem facing the global mining industry,鈥� said Ross. 鈥淭heir case analysis was right on target and their presentation skills were also excellent.鈥�

The event included networking and social events. Keynote addresses were given by Kinross Gold Corporation CEO Tye Burt and Joanne Alexander, vice-president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Precision Drilling, one of the companies that assisted in the rescue of the 33 trapped Chilean miners.听

Right: Richard Ross听

According to Peter Sinclair, vice-president of corporate social responsibility at Barrick Gold Corporation, 鈥淭his was an excellent event. The case presented students with a complex, real-life situation facing mining companies today. I was greatly impressed by the level of understanding students brought to the case as well as their creative solutions to address these real-world challenges. As these students represent future executives and CEOs of mining companies, our industry is certainly in good hands.鈥�

In addition to Alexander, the other judges for the event included mining industry business leaders, such as Rick McCreary, senior vice-president, corporate development, Barrick Gold Corporation, and Ross Gallinger, executive director, Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada. A full list of the judges can be found at the website.

鈥淭he MBA case competition will be an annual event at Schulich School of Business and we look forward to the continued support of the mining sector. Schulich School of Business is known for being a leader in sustainability issues,鈥� said MBA student Kendal Bradley, president of the Schulich Case Analysis Club, which hosted the event in collaboration with Schulich鈥檚 Natural Resources Opportunities Club and Net Impact Club.

鈥淭his is the only MBA-level student case competition in mining, and I believe discussing the current challenges in sustainability and corporate responsibility faced by the industry will help to ensure an event that is educational, timely and stimulating. The winning team came up with an innovative solution to a vexing industry problem and some of the industry judges indicated they were going to look into adopting some of the practices presented.鈥� said Bradley, a member of the winning team at the 2011 Rotman Net-Impact Case Competition earlier this year.

鈥淭hese events are a great opportunity for business students to connect with students with similar interests and to make valuable industry contacts that they will be able to draw on in the future,鈥�

The core sponsor for the Schulich International Case Competition was Barrick Gold.听Additional sponsors at the gold level included Goldcorp, HudBay Minerals, IAMGOLD, Kinross Gold and New Gold. Silver sponsors included Avalon Rare Metals, Dundee Precious Metals, Inmet Mining and Teck Resources. Bronze sponsors were Banro Corporation, Bedford Resources and the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada.听

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Four 91亚色 professors will address these questions as part of the next 91亚色 Circle presentation on Saturday, Oct. 29. As with previous 91亚色 Circle Lecture & Lunch events, there is plenty being offered for inquiring minds. Organizers have planned a full day of inspiring lectures by some of the University鈥檚 leading thinkers.

"Our new season opens with a torrent of new ideas and useful knowledge," says 91亚色 President Emerita Lorna R. Marsden, coordinator of the 91亚色 Circle."Come to the Lecture & Lunch to hear these 91亚色 professors and find out why students don't want to miss a single class."

For full details, visit the Lecture & Lunch webpage on the 91亚色 Circle website.

The event kicks off with a welcome and听overview of what's new on campus by Gary Brewer, 91亚色's vice-president finance & administration. Brewer will provide an update on the progress of the Toronto-91亚色 Spadina Subway Extension and the 2015 Pan Am Games.

Can you blame the financial crisis on mathematicians?

During the 2008 financial crisis, some commentators blamed the problem on 鈥渢oo many math PhDs鈥�. 91亚色 mathematics Professor Thomas Salisbury (right)听has something to say about that point. Join Salisbury as he unravels the basis for this claim and considers whether it is actually fair or not. He will describe the role of sophisticated modern mathematics in today's financial sector. Salisbury will also comment on his own work involving a new generation of retirement savings products that combine traditional insurance with the tools of mathematical finance.听

A professor and former department chair in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Salisbury teaches financial engineering at 91亚色, is director of analytics for the Quantitative Wealth Management Analytics group (QWeMA), and leads the Finsurance project at MITACS. He chaired the task force that initiated the 2007 revision of the Ontario grade 12 curriculum and subsequently served on the Ontario Minister of Education's curriculum council. Salisbury has also served terms as the deputy director of the Fields Institute and as president of the Canadian Mathematical Society.

Canadian Utopias: A Short History

The utopian history of the United States began with the Puritan settlers in Massachusetts and includes a wide variety of utopian attempts throughout the country鈥檚 history. The histories of Canadian utopias are less studied. In his presentation to 91亚色 Circle members, Professor Colin Coates (right)听will examine the Canadian experience of utopian endeavours, exploring the themes which link these attempts from the 17th-century to the 1980s. This historical review will include a look at a number of utopian settlements in Canada since the 17th-century, including the counter-reformation settlement at Ville-Marie (Montr茅al), the Hutterites and Doukhobors in Western Canada, and a range of socialist and agrarian settlements.

Coates holds the Canada Research Chair in Canadian Cultural Landscapes at Glendon College, where he teaches in the Canadian Studies Program. In July 2011, he became director of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies at 91亚色. He is also president of the newly formed Canadian Studies Network 鈥� R茅seau d鈥櫭﹖udes canadiennes, an association dedicated to the scholarly study of Canada. A specialist in the history of early French Canada and environmental history, he has been conducting research on Canadian utopias since coming to 91亚色 in 2003.

When did walking become such a balancing act?

Over the past century, intense research and debate has attempted to address the question: How do we bipedal animals stand and walk so well? Standing and walking are not nearly as simple as they may appear. Both emerge from a complex organization of neuromuscular commands that originate from the top of the brain to the bottom of the spinal cord. These commands are shaped by our voluntary intentions to move, by involuntary responses that are elicited by events like being bumped, and by sensory information that is constantly flowing in from the eyes, the ears, the skin, the muscles, and the joints.听听

Join 91亚色 health Professor William听Gage (right)听as he explores why older individuals are at greater risk of falling than younger individuals, and what we know about changes in standing and walking that occur with age. He鈥檒l examine how osteoarthritis and joint replacement surgery affect walking and why muscle strength and walking performance never return to 鈥渘ormal鈥� post-surgery. And he will look into new technologies that are changing the way researchers think about standing and walking, and how they are measured.听听

Gage is the associate dean of research and innovation in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Health and a professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science, where he teaches a graduate level course in biomechanics and neuromuscular control of posture and gait. He holds scientific appointments as an associate scientist in the Centre for Stroke Recovery at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, and as scientist at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Gage is particularly interested in how balance and walking are affected by age, by joint disease (arthritis), and by stroke.

Pagans and Parties: The Haunting History of Halloween

History Professor Nick Rogers (right) is well known for his study of British social history, but he has also written a book on Halloween. In this talk he explains why Halloween has been a contentious holiday in the last two centuries and why trick-or-treating is a tame, American version of what Halloween is really about. In the last 50 years in particular, Halloween has been at the centre of debates about the use of urban space, sexual politics, Latino identities, and the rampant commercialism of horror. He concludes with a discussion of Halloween after 9/11, when the issue of terrorism posed problems for a holiday that specialized in scary thrills. Throughout, he will draw on the Canadian experience of the holiday as well as the United States. You do听not have to come in costume!听

Rogers is one of the world鈥檚 leading scholars of the political culture of 18th-century British and Atlantic worlds. He has explored a remarkably diverse range of topics, from reactions to press gangs in British ports to religious conflicts amongst London鈥檚 crowds, from food riots to public reactions to blunders made by admirals, and even the genealogy of Halloween festivities. In 1999, Rogers was awarded the Wallace Ferguson Prize for his book Crowds, Culture and Politics in Georgian Britain, a study of 18th-century Britain that transformed our understanding of early modern Britain. In June 2011, Rogers was named a distinguished research professor for his sustained and outstanding scholarly, professional or artistic achievement largely accomplished at 91亚色.

This free series includes two events annually 鈥撎齣n the spring and fall each year听鈥� and provides opportunities for learning and networking in a relaxed environment.

Lecture & Lunch events are open to members of the 91亚色 Circle and their guests. New this year is a selection of lunches sourced from local farms that are available for purchase at the event, or you can bring your own lunch.

The 91亚色 Circle receives generous support from 91亚色's Alumni Office (program partner) and and (print media sponsors).

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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