Mining Faculty across the Globe; A Glimpse into Tomorrow’s Opportunities

"The mines of the future present a host of challenges, which may appear exciting or daunting, depending on one’s perspective. Whether some sectors of the public recognize it or not, the demand for raw resources is not going away any time soon. In fact, it is rising, as the global population grows, urbanizes and attempts to steadily increase quality of life. Yet, at the same time that much of the highly developed world is calling for greener goods, reduced consumption and cleaner production, in other areas there are cries for clean water and sanitation, consistent energy supply, access to health care and education, personal security and support for basic human rights. The balancing act for sustainable development of our global society is, indeed, precarious and the mining community is a key player. Fortunately, many industry members have accepted this role and the responsibility to provide leadership and a solid foundation for progress. Looking ahead, we need new generations of leaders, including many mine engineers who are ready to tackle all sorts of complex problems.There are tremendous needs just for technological innovations. Increasingly tough deposits will require that the industry continues to expand scale toward “mega pits” and “super caves;” fully develop unconventional recovery techniques like in situ leaching and gasification or deep-sea extraction and seriously consider off-earth endeavors. Such work will take entirely autonomous equipment, novel separations, processing and recycling methods, and systems that can withstand extreme physical conditions, just to name a few. It will also take a level of systems integration never-before seen in the mining industry, complete with big data issues, sophisticated predecitve analytics and modeling efforts and cyber-security challenges.Moreover, increasingly complex environmental problems will require creative solutions. Addressing issues like pollution control across multiple media, emerging contaminants, optimal management of wastes, selective mining and shared use of resources between mine operations and surrounding communities and ecosystems are among the top priorities. Really, a complete paradigm shift must occur, such that the focus is on overall improvement of environmental conditions, rather than minimization of impacts. A similar shift will be required in the social realm. How can miners be safer and healthier on-site and off? How can the industry contribute to communities such that they are better off, now and longterm, for having a mine next door? How can artisanal mining practices be transformed to also contribute to sustainable development? How can the industry’s work be a factor in increasing economic and political stability? How can the public understanding of raw resources and the need for mining enterprises be improved?Given the coming challenges, there is no doubt that the mine engineers of the future will need highly diverse skillsets — meshing traditional and contemporary competencies to a degree not previously considered in mining, or most others fields. To be sure, the scope and scale of mining projects make them wholly different than most other engineering work, aside from perhaps the largest civil and urban development projects. While on-the-job experience will continue to be essential, formal education programs (i.e., at post-secondary institutions) must lay critical groundwork."