MGE Students Shine at SME/NSSGA Competition

Two teams of MGE undergrads won awards at the 2022 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration/National Sand, Stone and Gravel Association's (SME/NSSGA) student design competition. A team of seniors earned second place and a $1,500 prize in the metallic competition, and the juniors placed third in the same real-world test, winning $1,000. A team from the University of Kentucky won first place.

The Metallic Student Design Competition tasked more than 20 teams from around the world with forming mock consulting companies to evaluate a boron and lithium deposit in New Mexico and create process designs. All teams wrote and submitted technical papers in Phase 1 of the project. The top six moved on to Phase 2, presenting their designs in March at SME’s 2022 annual conference and expo, MINEXCHANGE, in Salt Lake City.

The teams had three weeks to complete their papers. During the weekend of the conference, they polished their reports and prepared oral presentations for competition judges.

“Job well done, teams, and well deserved,” said mentor Brad Ross, MGE Professor of Practice and director of the Geotechnical Center of Excellence in the Lowell Institute of Mineral Resources and interim director of the School of Mining and Mineral Resources. “Both teams represented the department and the university very well – the seniors demonstrated experienced professionalism, and the juniors brought energy and innovation.”