Illinois Genetic Algorithms Laboratory

The Toronto Globe and Mail reports that researchers at Laurentian University are using genetic algorithms to schedule mining of ore deposits. The article is remarkably bereft of details even by MSM standards. It is unclear from the article what the GA is actually going to do. No mention is made of who the reseachers are or what department, college, or lab they come from. Nonetheless, a Google search on the search terms, “genetic algorithms,” “mining,” and “Laurentian University” quickly leads to the following link. The Laurentian University Mining Automation Laboratory (LUMAL) under the direction of Nick Vayenas is applying simulation, robotics, and genetic algorithms to various mining problems. We can pray for crisper reporting from the the Globe and Mail, but in the meanwhile, odds are that this is the GA mining work that was so cryptically cited.