Federal prize seeks to strengthen Alaska's critical minerals workforce

Federal prize seeks to strengthen Alaska's critical minerals workforce

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will receive $1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to expand plans for mining and critical minerals education.

UAF's College of Engineering and Mines is one of 16 institutions nationwide selected for the planning prize, part of the DOE's Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies program.

The PROSPECT Planning Prize will support UAF's proposed Alaska Critical Minerals Collaborative Force, an effort to connect students with academic programs, applied research, industry experience and careers throughout the critical minerals supply chain.

"Alaska has both the mineral resources and the research expertise to help address this national challenge," said Bill Schnabel, dean of UAF's College of Engineering and Mines. "This award gives us an opportunity to build on those strengths, expand access to engineering education and prepare more students for meaningful careers in a rapidly evolving industry."

DOE estimates that the United States will need approximately 6,000 new mining engineers over the next decade. Demand also extends to professionals who can develop new technologies for mineral processing, materials science and resource recovery.

UAF's proposal would strengthen pathways from K-12 outreach and technical training to university degree programs and professional careers. The plan includes student scholarships and graduate assistantships, a proposed Critical Minerals Alaska academic track, new and expanded coursework, and practical experiences that connect classroom learning with field and laboratory work.

The proposed effort would build on UAF's existing strengths and engage partners such as the Alaska Miners Association, the National Laboratory of the Rockies and Alaska's critical minerals research network. The goal is to make education and technical training more accessible while preparing graduates to help produce, process, recover and recycle minerals used in energy systems, advanced manufacturing and other technologies.

"America has abundant natural resources, but we need the skilled workforce to turn those resources into economic drivers that will grow our economy and create new jobs," said Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson. "For decades, we have allowed our mining and critical minerals workforce to decline and our domestic supply chains of critical minerals to weaken. PROSPECT is about reversing that trend by challenging universities to rapidly grow the number of graduates ready to build and sustain the American critical minerals supply chains, from mines to materials."

The PROSPECT Planning Prize is part of DOE's broader $100 million PROSPECT initiative. The prize is funded by DOE's Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation and managed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies under the American-Made program.

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