The Missouri Mine Rescue Association, in conjunction with Missouri S&T, hosted its 40th Annual Mine Rescue Competition at Missouri S&T Sept. 27-29, 2022, judged by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and Missouri Department of Labor Cave and Mine Safety.

The Mine Rescue Competition consists of a variety of challenges focused on different aspects of mine rescue. Teams must respond to simulated underground emergencies, perform equipment checks, and show their first aid skills in both written and hands-on tests.

Missouri S&T’s team came in third in the BG-4 Benchman test, in which they checked a breathing apparatus for potentially dangerous faults. The S&T team was the only student team in the competition; all other teams were made up of mining industry professionals.

The following students are on the S&T team:

• Grant Clark, first aid, a senior in geology and geophysics from Le Roy, Illinois.
• Mary Kathryn Deister, fresh-air base, a junior in mining engineering from Wildwood, Missouri.
• Josh Dierking, map specialist, a senior in mining engineering from Sullivan, Missouri.
• Alec Gray, cable puller, a junior in mining engineering from Saint Charles, Missouri.
• Dustin Peterson, captain, a senior in mining engineering from Grain Valley, Missouri.
• Robert “Trey” Menendez, fresh-air base assistant, a junior in mining engineering from Ballwin, Missouri.
• Brett Scott, co-captain, a junior in mining engineering from Aurora, Illinois.
• Nicole Wagoner, gas specialist, a senior in mining engineering from St. Louis.

About Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System and located in Rolla, Missouri, Missouri S&T offers 101 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top 10 universities for return on investment, according to Business Insider. S&T also is home to the Kummer Institute, made possible by a $300 million gift from Fred and June Kummer. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.