U of A leads Arizona's mining roadmap
The School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources is leading the pack in Arizona's mining economy by bolstering workforce and industry pathways.
An Arizona Daily Star article underscores the University of Arizona's continued leadership in the state's mining plans. From a mining coalition to a multi-million-dollar facility, U of A is taking steps to ensure this critical industry remains supported.
“These relationships (with UA) support student learning outcomes, faculty research, and workforce development through industry informed research questions, capstone design projects, and technical collaboration, which are required practices for an engineering program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and fully consistent with the university’s land grant mission to serve the state,” said David W. Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering.
The facility is supported by $3 million in federal funding, following $850,000 from the Arizona State Legislature. The facility will be part of the San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory and will be a modular, pilot-scale mineral processing facility. Students, faculty, and industry partners at the facility will work with traditional and experimental methods for mineral recovery such as separating materials with heat, hydrometallurgy and advanced sorting methods.
“When you talk to people about careers in mining, they don’t even understand sometimes the robotics, electrification and the sustainability aspects and all of these exciting things that, as a young engineer, scientist or businessperson, can come here and really make an impact,” said Hahn.