Provost's Investment Fund Supports San Xavier Mining Laboratory

The San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory, roughly 20 miles south of Tucson, is among several proposals that have received support through the Provost's Investment Fund. The Provost's Investment Fund is a biannual competitive funding opportunity designed to ensure that the University can be nimble and proactive in funding high-impact projects that align with the university's strategic goals and support ambitions for institutional excellence and distinctiveness.

The San Xavier Mining Laboratory, which is owned and operated by UA, was once a working mine. Today, the laboratory serves as a research and training facility that has attracted various projects, including some related to national defense, geosciences and miner rescue.

"Having visited the laboratory, I was extremely impressed by the transformation," said ECE professor and University of Arizona provost Liesl Folks. "The implications to the university, our students and future research are incredible."

The investment in the mine allowed for the expansion of education and training offerings to University, community college and high school students, as well as government and industry professionals, said James Werner, assistant director of the SX mine. It also brought benefits for several partners –  the College of Engineering, the College of Science, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health – as well as the potential to add more.

"The University of Arizona is unique in the U.S. and perhaps in the world in having an underground mine with multiple levels and a working shaft that can be a state-of-the-art technology facility," Werner said.