Opening the door to mining at the 2026 Summer Engineering Academy
The Women in Engineering camp visits the San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory, the School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources’ premier hands-on training facility and tech proving ground in Sahuarita. Students discover mining has a 100% job placement rate and careers span chemical processing, autonomous vehicles, mine design and safety.
The College of Engineering introduced 132 middle schoolers and 271 ninth- to 12th- graders to fast-growing fields like mining engineering at the 2026 Arizona Summer Engineering Academy.
Salpointe Catholic High School sophomore James Armstrong wanted to study aerospace engineering, but after a field trip to the ASARCO Mission Mine Complex, he started considering a career in mining.
“Mining engineering has a 100% job placement rate, and that’s a six-figure job,” he said. “You get to use machinery like you would if you were an aerospace engineer.”
SEA, now in its 21st year, connects high school students with industry professionals through hands-on activities and tours.
Armstrong attended the Semiconductor Design, Fabrication and Application camp, one of four day camps offered alongside three weeklong residential camps. Other camp focus areas included energy and water; sustainable materials; and light, optics and electronics.