If you follow my editor columns regularly, you know that there are two topics that I consider closest to my core as an editor: miner safety and mine rescue, and also research on ways to make the future of mining safer for all.
My pride was, of course, on display for both at the recent West Virginia Coal Show – not just for the show itself, which is in its third year and a great source of positivity for all of us at Semco Publishing – but also for the collegiate mine rescue demonstration held by the West Virginia University team. They did a stellar job with the scenario they were given to solve (thanks, Josh Brady and team), and we are anxious to hopefully have them back again in 2027.
It was as I was perusing the photos from the demonstration when it occurred to me that so many of these students are just years, and in some cases months, from being the leaders of our mining operations as we move forward. While I won’t get onto my soapbox about the skills gap, lacking funding for mining research and where tomorrow’s academia experts will come from, it is so great to see the work these same folks are doing on both a domestic and global scale.
In late March, for example, Virginia Tech’s Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering announced it had launched a new research agreement with Hindustan Zinc Limited, one of the world’s top zinc and silver producers, to improve silver recovery across its lead-zinc processing plants in India.
The collaboration will focus on advancing the science behind flotation. The process is used to separate valuable minerals from ore, increasing silver recovery, improving concentrate quality, and strengthening the overall performance of the precious metal.
This is important, the school said, because today’s demand for silver goes far beyond the jewelry box – it’s become a cornerstone of the modern economy. Silver powers solar panels, electric vehicles, medical equipment, and the handheld devices people use every day. And as demand for renewable energy and advanced technologies increases, so does the need to recover critical minerals more efficiently and responsibly. As this editor sees it, it could not be a more timely effort.
The international partnership drives meaningful global impact, said Aaron Noble, head of the department.
“By working directly with industry, we can apply our cutting-edge research on mineral recovery to real operational challenges and opportunities. Our goal is to translate discovery into more efficient resource use and tangible benefits for the global mining sector.”
So, I hope you’ll join me in telling all of these students – from West Virginia University and Virginia Tech, as in these examples, and beyond – that we’re proud of them, to keep on pushing, and we can’t wait to see what they’ll do next.
Donna Schmidt
Editor, North American Mining magazine
[email protected]
X: @Dschmidt_NAM