CRITICAL Minerals

University of Arizona expertise in mining spans nearly 130 years and represents long-term collaborations with industry, government, and local communities. Committed to national security and environmental responsibility, UArizona leads critical research, innovation, and workforce development in modern mining and mineral processing, use, recovery, and reuse.

"The School of Mining and Mineral Resources serves as the connective tissue between disciplines and resources, facilitating the interdisciplinarity needed to spark innovation and facilitate the integration of technologies to solve significant problems at scale.”
— Dr. Misael Cabrera, Director, School of Mining and Mineral Resources

"The University of Arizona has a uniquely large academic community working in mining. It is unusual for so many in a single institution to be invested in mining research and to have such a legacy of work in the field." 
— Dr. Kray Luxbacher, Department Head of Mining and Geological Engineering

Our nation critically needs the University of Arizona's mining history, connections and expertise to onshore mining workforce development and environmentally responsible innovation at scale. 

The University of Arizona—located in the “Silicon Valley” of mining with numerous mines, processing facilities, and experienced mining professionals—is ideally positioned and firmly committed to training the future mining workforce. University resources include the San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory. Located 23 miles south of Tucson, the Henry G. “Hank” Grundstedt San Xavier Mining Laboratory has one of the nation’s most sophisticated research hoisting systems, two declines for access of rubber-tired vehicles and legacy rail haulage access. The mine features four levels of underground workings to a depth of 250 feet. This unique site has attracted projects critical to national defense.

“Unmet demand is a harbinger of many problems, "says Dr. Misael Cabrera, director of the School of Mining & Mineral Resources. "By onshoring responsible mining, we can bolster sustainable supplies of many critical minerals. Sufficient supplies, in turn, reduce the possibility of shortages leading to trouble." Read Dr. Cabrera's full interview.

 

HISTORY OF MINING EDUCATION AT UARIZONA

 

No other university can match the depth and breadth of mining education at the University of Arizona:

1885: University of Arizona establishes first mining engineering program in the United States

1955: Department of Mining and Geological Engineering inaugurated

2002: Lowell Program established for professional continuing education and MA in Economic Geology

2011: Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources and University of Arizona Superfund Research Center address environmental sustainability of mining and management of legacy mining sites

2020: School of Mining and Mineral Resources inaugurated

UARIZONA CRITICAL MINERALS IN THE NEWS

As the Biden Administration and Congress focus on improving the nation’s domestic critical minerals supply and reducing foreign reliance, Kray Luxbacher (Department Head and Professor of Mining and Geological Engineering) and Lynndy Smith (Co-founder and President of Arizona Defense & Industry Coalition (AZDIC)) co-authored an Arizona Daily Star op-ed outlining how federal support and mining reform can foster a new generation of mining talent and advance greener mining practices, and how Arizona can serve as a mining blueprint for other states.