IOM3 celebrates 150 years
On 25 February, 2019, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Minings (IOM3) celebrated 150 years since the formation of the Iron and Steel Institute in 1869
On 25 February, 2019, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) marked 150 years of service to materials science, engineering and geology, recognising its history as the foremost authority in the worldwide materials and mining community.
The roots of the institute go back to 1869 with the formation of the Iron and Steel Institute. The institute changed its name in 2002 to the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining after several mergers with other professional, specialist bodies.
The Inauguration Day celebrations were held in the IOM3 offices on Euston Road. A day of talks and workshops culminated in the sealing of a time capsule, which practitioners at the more sustainable end of the materials and mining spectrum hope future generations will be able to extract and open the capsule in 2069. The day also provided an opportunity to formally welcome IOM3’s first female President, Professor Serena Best. At the rear of the building, in the window facing onto Warren Street, is a colourful display made up of 150 balloons.
Perhaps the mother-lode of the celebrations was the launch of the digital library portal, the product of a large digitisation project of the Institute’s archives. The searchable portal is a gold mine of open access material, dating back to the 1860s, and contains original commissions by the institute as well as research papers submitted to conferences.
