[Rockhounds] Update on Barrick's "Unlock The Value" Competition

[Carol J. Bova]

Kreigh, to get that far in the competition under any circumstances is  
an accomplishment, and to do it with such short notice is amazing.

Congratulations!
Carol


On Jul 30, 2008, at 10:06 PM, Kreigh Tomaszewski wrote:

> Last fall Barrick Mining announced a $10M prize for anyone that  
> could come up with a method of extracting 180M ounces of silver  
> encapsulated in quartz ore from one of their mines. It was announced  
> to this list a few days before the deadline. I registered at http://www.unlockthevalue.com 
>  and read all the details.
>
> I threw on my thinking cap, tossed around some odd ideas, did some  
> research, and came up with something fun over a rare free weekend. I  
> submitted just before the deadline. Then I found out they had moved  
> the deadline out by four months because of the overwhelming response.
>
> My timely submission got a sequence number over 100,000; I stood by  
> my initial submission even though I had months to revise it. I had  
> taken my long shot.
>
> Each participant was required to sign a 38 page legal contract that  
> defined how intellectual property rights would be handled should the  
> submission pass the first round of screening. I was very pleased  
> when Barrick executed my contract and informed me I had one of only  
> 238 proposals that were being advanced to their expert panel for  
> further consideration.
>
> Today Barrick informed me my proposal was not one of the sixteen  
> being advanced to the funded phase two pilot stage. Selection was  
> based on the risk associated with the proposed technology, as well  
> its viability, the strength of the supporting data, and associated  
> health, safety and environmental issues. Per Barrick's notice, the  
> technological fields detailed in the selected proposals include,  
> microwave, laser, electromagnetic, inorganic and organic chemistry,  
> bioleaching, and mechanics.
>
> There is still a (very) remote chance none of the sixteen proposals  
> will work out and my proposal could be re-evaluated, so I can't  
> share my details yet (I have a signed contract; the prize has not  
> been awarded yet). I never seriously expected to win, but I sure had  
> fun trying!
>
> Please take away the lesson that Rockhounding is a gateway to real  
> science, and that amateurs can be taken seriously when they pursue  
> it. If it is not grown, it must be mined. Learning more about what  
> comes out of the earth can take you to interesting places/spaces,  
> and give you a lifetime of joy.
>
> Kreigh
>