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Playing with the Grownup "Sandbox"

Earth Technology

3D-Dig mining simulation software - simplifies complex mining, in cooperation with a global network of associates.

发布日期: 2024年1月16日

Childhood involves moments of play, during the warm summer months most of these experiences involve a park or backyard containing nicely manicured sandboxes or the most coveting random piles of dirt. Dirt piles are the wild west of play spaces, rugged untamed landscapes of various conditions and topographies. These areas often organize into a collective of junior equipment providers, summoning Tonka and Caterpillar diecast toys varying in condition types that would emulate the wholesale equipment auctions of adulthood.?

The gravitas of these experiences is that they are dirt-filled (commonly eaten) gateways into becoming an operator, engineer or geologist. While most children will decide to leave this magical play area and never return in adulthood, some unknowingly cherish this early passion and allow it to develop into a career, a career that involves mining and excavating. This passion is sharpened through countless hours of imagination, curiosity, experimentation and communication with their fellow playmates. With enough guidance and support these skills can plant the seeds of passion and blossom into fulfilling careers later in life.?

Curiosity, experimentation, and communication are foundational skills that translate into the professional environment as well as honor the underlying principles of the scientific method. Fast forward a couple decades and that child who was once eating dirt in the backyard is now helping design, plan, build and operate some of the largest and most fascinating adult versions of the classic pursuit of the taming of dirt piles. Often these tasks involve using two dimensional computer-aided design lines or the dreaded excel pivot table to calculate volumes. When a mining or excavation professional taps into that inner foundation of curiosity, experimentation and communication their potential is limitless.

As I write this I wonder if my two children, Elizabeth and Liam, will use the coveted dirt pile to learn critical skills for their professional future as an engineer, operator or geologist. Or perhaps they will just be in the moment and enjoy themselves using their curiosity, experimentation and communication to build an experience based “terroir” that they will enjoy in their adulthood. One thing that is certain and gives me comfort is the hundreds of professionals unknowingly tapping into these honed childhood skills as they use 3D-Dig to tackle their complex professional dirt piles of mines, highway excavations and borrow pits.