DEVELOPMENT OF AND COLLABORATION WITH THE PENN STATE CENTER FOR CRITICAL MINERALS

In May 2019, Penn State launched a Center for Critical Minerals that will address the growing need for these important resources so vital to our Nation’s manufacturing economy and that are driving the future of global information technology. The Center builds on decades of critical minerals and energy research within the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and affords the opportunity to form partnerships with Federal and State agencies, industry, and academia. Led by the Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering and with participation from the Department of Geosciences and other Penn State units, the Center is expected to leverage existing faculty, facilities, and research strengths to gain new understanding of the occurrence of critical minerals and to develop new processes for extracting and separating critical materials. With many of these resources located in the Eastern United States, there is an excellent opportunity for collaboration with the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative recently begun by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Association of American State Geologists. These efforts will help to decrease our reliance on foreign sources of key mineral resources while supporting “A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals”, a principal priority of the Administration.