Department hosts inaugural national mining summit
Dawn Wellman of Rio Tinto speaks during a panel on critical mineral needs in the United States at the U of A's inaugural U.S. Mining Summit, hosted by the Department of Mining and Geological Engineering.
The inaugural U.S. Mining Summit, held at the University of Arizona on April 3 and 4, rallied academic and business leaders around surging minerals demand amid unprecedented domestic obstacles.
Kray Luxbacher, head of the College of Engineering's Department of Mining and Geological Engineering, organized the inaugural summit.
"There has never been a more important time for our leaders to speak with one voice and clearly articulate the priorities in mining education and research," said Luxbacher, the Gregory H. and Lisa S. Boyce Leadership Chair of Mining and Geological Engineering.
Academic leaders at the summit represented 13 of the 14 accredited universities with an ABET-sanctioned mining or mineral engineering program, plus two more institutions aiming to launch mining programs. Their efforts could be strengthened by the enactment of the Mining Schools Act of 2025, which was introduced in March and has garnered strong bipartisan support in the Congress.
"This summit highlights the critical role of research universities in strengthening the mineral supply chains that underpin our national security and economic resilience," said Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, the university's senior vice president for research and innovation.