Missouri S&T has been awarded funding from the National Science Foundation to host the fourth annual Resilient Supply of Critical Minerals workshop, which will be Wednesday, Aug. 7, and Thursday, Aug. 8. 
 
“Missouri S&T is a national leader when it comes to addressing the critical minerals crisis, and we are grateful to once again to have NSF’s support,” says Dr. Marek Locmelis, associate professor of geosciences and geological and petroleum engineering at S&T and faculty fellow in research and innovation. Locmelis is leading this year’s workshop, as he has done since its inception. 
 
“We look forward to providing a platform again this year for stakeholders from throughout the country to come together and discuss the best approaches to improve the United States’ sustainable and ethical supply of critical minerals,” he says. 
 
NSF will grant $50,000 for the workshop, which will be in-person but have an online option available as well. 
 
The Energy Act of 2020 defines critical minerals as non-fuel minerals vital to the nation’s economic or national security. Missouri is home to 29 of the 50 critical minerals identified by the U.S. Geological Survey. 
 
Shelby Clark, a geology and geophysics Ph.D. student at S&T who is co-organizing the workshop, says it is vital for the U.S. to find more solutions when it comes to its supply of critical minerals.  
 
“These minerals are necessary for so much of our modern-day technology,” she says. “Everything from cell phones and touch screens to electric vehicle batteries and wind turbines requires critical minerals. We must develop our own supply so we no longer have to rely on other countries.” 

Clark says S&T is one of the best universities in the U.S. to host this type of workshop due to its amount of experts in programs across the campus.  
 
“We have the expertise at S&T to discuss all stages of the critical minerals supply chain and the different ways it affects our country,” she says. “This workshop allows researchers from S&T and other universities to network directly with government officials and industry representatives. Stakeholders from all areas can attend and discuss ways to make a real difference.” 
 
Some of S&T’s programs related to the critical minerals supply chain include economics, environmental science, environmental engineering, explosives engineering, geology and geophysics, geological engineering, materials science and engineering, mining engineering, metallurgy, and political science. 
 
Missouri S&T also leads the Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy Tech Hub. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration named 31 hubs last year, and as a hub, and the university is now in the running for up to $70 million in funding related to critical minerals and materials. 
 
The 2024 workshop topical sessions will cover the country’s potential for critical minerals, workforce development, mineral processing and recycling, and policy and supply chain economics. 
 
The workshop is a joint effort by several departments at Missouri S&T. In addition to Locmelis and Clark, co-organizers from Missouri S&T include: 

• Dr. Lana Alagha, a Robert H. Quenon associate professor of mining engineering 
• Dr. Kwame Awuah-Offei, chair and Union Pacific/Rocky Mountain Energy professor of mining and explosives engineering  
• Dr. Mahelet Fikru, associate professor of economics 
• Dr. Mark Fitch, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering 
• Dr. Alanna Krolikowski, assistant professor of history and political science 
• Dr. Michael Moats, chair and professor of materials science and engineering 

Registration will begin April 15 at sites.mst.edu/criticalmineralsworkshop. The full list of keynote speakers and other workshop information is available on the website as well and will continue to be updated.

More about Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.