Awards & Scholarships

M. Fernand Blondel and Samuel G. Lasky are noted for their now-classic contribution defining mineral reserves and mineral resources. Their work led to the publication in Economic Geology. Since World War II, Mr. Lasky was concerned with the process in which the volumes of mined materials could be mined profitably and would change due to the diminution of the cutoff grade. His published studies treated specifically this relationship, sometimes from the viewpoint of the geologist which he was originally and sometimes from that of a resource economist which he later became.

Mr. Blondel, a Frenchman, was interested in the worldwide distribution of mineral resources, whereas Mr. Lasky considered the relationship of grade to tonnage. Blonde!' s earlier studies led to their collaboration.

Both men served the governments of their respective countries. Following several years of employment with mining firms, Mr. Lasky joined the U.S. Geological Survey in 1931 and spent the remainder of his career with, or on detail from, the Interior Department. He was Staff Assistant for Minerals in the Office of the Secretary, Editor of the first two volumes of the Paley Report, and Director of the Office of Coal Research. He was also a well-known geologist, a member of several professional societies, and was a Fellow of The Geological Society of America.

Mr. Blondel was an engineer rather than a geologist and served as an engineer and manager of several foreign mining companies. He eventually became Engineer-in-Chief of Mines for the French Government. As with Mr. Lasky, he served on many government commissions and was a member and officer of numerous professional societies.

Mr. Blondel studied at the Lycee Charlemagne in Paris and graduated from L'Ecole Polytechnique,Engineer of Mines. Mr. Lasky received his B.S. from the Colorado School of Mines and his M.S. from Yale University.

Mr. Lasky died in 1964 at the age of 63 and Mr. Blondel in 1968 at the age of 74.