South Dakota Mines Trains Future Critical Minerals Experts

The South Dakota Board of Regents has approved two new minors at South Dakota Mines to address the rising demand for critical minerals and workforce shortages. Starting this fall, the programs will prepare students for challenges in the critical minerals sector, under the guidance of Jon Kellar, PhD.

Through these new minors, the university aims to cultivate students' problem-solving skills and innovative approaches to reducing environmental impacts and improving mining safety. The programs are intended to benefit students across various disciplines, not just those in mining, and to address the industry's pressing workforce shortages.

Kellar said that the United States needs to dramatically increase its exploration, mining, processing, and extraction of these necessary minerals. The new Mines program will focus on exactly that. It is comprised of two parts: exploration and development -discovering it and getting it out of the ground - and mineral processing and metal extraction.

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