Ask a Pro: MGE Alum Discusses Her Career as a Geotechnical Engineer

The Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources recently conducted an interview with MGE alum Mara Erhardt as part of its Ask A Pro video series. Erhardt is a geotechnical engineer at Freeport-McMoRan, and currently works in Phoenix for the underground planning group that focuses on strategic planning for an underground mining complex in Indonesia.

"A geotechnical engineer is a bit like a civil engineer, but instead of working with a lot of known materials like steel and concrete, you're designing things with rock," Erhardt said. “For me, the most rewarding part is working with people from all over the world every day. I'm frequently the only American in the room. And it's fantastic to hear everyone's stories and their experiences."

Erhardt explained how she consults with the mine site, works on ground support design, works on long range mine plans and sees projects through to the end.

“I think mining engineers help provide the foundation for civilization,” Erhardt said. “I realized that in mining, you need to be outside, travel the world, and blow stuff up. That sounded perfect. My time at UA was phenomenal.”