A SEMESTER LONG MINERAL RESOURCE SIMULATION PROJECT FOR NON-MAJOR UNDERGRADUATES

As climate change continues to impact the livelihoods of people across the world, private and public sector entities are moving towards alternative sources of energy. This green energy transition is well underway, yet it’s progress may be constrained by a lack of knowledge about the source of the earth resources needed to fuel this transition both among the scientific community and general population. It is more important than ever that undergraduates be equipped with tools to understand vital mineral resources and their role in the future of energy. However, economic geology has been largely neglected in geoscience curriculum across the US over the past few decades. This curricular deficit limits our ability to prepare our students for the challenges they may face in the mineral resource sector. Furthermore, beyond our departments, the broader undergraduate student population may not be aware of the complex links between mineral resources and renewable energy. It is these students, who are may work in jobs crucial to the successful execution of the green energy transition, who also need to be aware of the scientific and societal challenges posed by an increasing demand for ore minerals. To address these multifaceted challenges, I designed a semester-long role-playing simulation project which illustrates the challenges and opportunities of opening a critical mineral mine, as part of my non-major seminar Mineral Resources and the Green energy Transition. This project was designed to be fun, creative, multi-disciplinary, and rooted in best practices in economic geology. A team of four students was assigned a role of technical expertise (e.g., Chief Engineer), a commodity (e.g., Lithium), and a mine site. Each group was tasked with formulating a written and oral plan for the development of their mine, while addressing criticism from peers assigned relevant stakeholder roles. Learning outcomes included (1) developing constrained geological models of their deposit (grade, tonnage, geometry); (2) analyzing commercial applications, extraction technologies for their commodity; (3) evaluating best practices for minimizing environmental damages form mining activity. I will present findings from my first term developing this project, and I hope to share its structure more widely with the community.