Graduate Research Assistant: “Don’t Be Afraid of Asking Questions”

Graduate research assistant Maria Franco Montoya was immediately drawn to the University of Arizona’s mining program while on a campus visit. At her university in Colombia, mining students have to visit sites three of four hours away. But the UA offers easy access to the San Xavier Mining Laboratory. After earning her undergraduate degree in mining and metallurgical engineering, Franco decided to enroll in the MGE graduate program. She is also a graduate research assistant at the Geotechnical Center of Excellence.

“I am [doing research] on the direct shear test and the sources of its variability. A direct shear test consists of the application of a fixed normal force while increasing a shear force in order to displace two halves of a rock sample," Franco said in an article for the School of Mining & Mineral Resources.

While not studying or conducting research, Franco enjoys hiking, singing, and checking out new restaurants. She is also a member of WIM UA Chapter, the student SME chapter, and back home in Colombia, was the founder and president of her school chapter’s American Rock Mechanics Association. 

Her advice for students? “Don’t be afraid of asking questions,” even if you may be embarrassed to ask. She has learned that mining is a versatile field and needs everyone – electricians, hydrologists, all areas of expertise you can think of: “It’s like a little world!”

Franco hopes she can encourage other students to come to this program, as well. She knows it can be daunting for women to enter this field and she says, “Don’t think being a woman is a restriction for you to be an excellent engineer.”