Academic and business leaders gather for inaugural U.S. Mining Summit

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 challenges.

"Mining and minerals innovation are critical areas for Arizona’s economy and for our global society, and a strategic priority for the U of A," said University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella. "We are proudly home to one of the oldest and best mining programs in the country. With our long history of expertise and leadership in mining, it is fitting that our university would host this important event, bringing together top leaders to tackle the challenges and opportunities in this critical area for our nation."

Kray Luxbacher, head of the U of A 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," Luxbacher said.

Luxbacher – the Gregory H. and Lisa S. Boyce Leadership Chair of Mining and Geological Engineering – leads a Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration committee for university mining programs.

Her role in the society, a 15,000-member technology transfer and professional development consortium, is one factor that makes the U of A an ideal hub for national collaboration on mining, said David W. Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering. Luxbacher's work builds on the university's storied mining education history, he told summit attendees gathered in Old Main.

"The School of Mines opened in 1895 in this very building," said Hahn. "Here at Arizona, mining is in our blood." 

Where universities fit

Arizona is one of 14 universities in the United States with an ABET-sanctioned mining or mineral engineering program. The accredited schools collectively educate about 650 undergraduates, according to the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration. However, the society estimates that in the next four years at least half of the mining workforce – more than 221,000 workers – will retire, potentially jeopardizing industry skills and knowledge. The summit underscored the importance of investment in mining engineering education and research to meet workforce demand and develop competitive technologies.

"Boosting education and advancing technology can make the difference between leaping beyond other nations and just keeping up," Luxbacher said.

Academic leaders at the summit represented 13 of the accredited universities, 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. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., are backing the bill, which is under committee review. The act proposes strategic federal grants for university research and student recruitment.

The act would be a great help to the industry, said Bill Hancock, the 2025 president of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration. Universities play a vital role in developing technologies, such as those using artificial intelligence and automation, that can partly mitigate the workforce gap, he said.

"The quality of the work will be higher and the workers more effective. It will take some of the repetitive, tedious tasks off their plates," said Hancock.

Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, the university's senior vice president for research and innovation, spoke at the summit, stressing the development of mining technology.

"At the University of Arizona, we are advancing cutting-edge technologies that support a safer, more efficient and more sustainable mining future, while helping to secure long-term U.S. interests," he said.

A crossroads for broader cooperation

According to S&P Global, mine development in the United States – from discovery to production –averages 29 years, compared with 20 in Australia. Delays are attributed to complex permitting procedures, litigation risk, and lack of a centralized mining authority.

These obstacles put domestic mining at a competitive disadvantage, said summit speakers, who stressed the importance of domestically mining materials for security-oriented technologies. 

"This summit highlights the critical role of research universities in strengthening the mineral supply chains that underpin our national security and economic resilience," said Díaz de la Rubia.

Those who lead mining education and business must form effective strategies quickly, said panelist Dawn Wellman, strategic program manager for copper research and development at Rio Tinto, the world's second-largest metals and mining corporation.

"How do we rebuild our workforce and infrastructure?" Wellman asked. "How do we figure out the new processes and technologies we need to produce these minerals today and increase our independence?"

In addition to working together to accelerate technology and bolster the labor force, attendees identified unified government outreach as a priority. As such, the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration plans to hold the summit every two years to keep the momentum going.

"We need more of these events," said panelist Hassan Amini, senior metallurgist at MP Materials, the only integrated rare earth mining and processing site in North America, headquartered in Las Vegas. "It's really important to have these talks and relationships."