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⛏️ Mining What’s Next: The Race for Critical MineralsMME Department Head Dr. Aaron Noble will join the Virginia Tech Cen...
10/07/2026

⛏️ Mining What’s Next: The Race for Critical Minerals

MME Department Head Dr. Aaron Noble will join the Virginia Tech Center of Next Speaker Series on Oct. 9 in Alexandria for a conversation about the technologies, investment and workforce needed to build resilient critical mineral supply chains.

It’s an important conversation about the future of technology, defense and innovation—and one where Virginia Tech’s mining and minerals expertise has an important role to play. 🦃

https://partnerships.vt.edu/networking/center-of-next/mining-whats-next.html

🏈 A Familiar Face on the Jumbotron!At the recent Virginia Tech–Pitt football game, University Distinguished Professor Dr...
10/05/2026

🏈 A Familiar Face on the Jumbotron!

At the recent Virginia Tech–Pitt football game, University Distinguished Professor Dr. Roe-Hoan Yoon was recognized alongside Virginia Tech’s other members of the National Academy of Inventors.

A longtime leader in mining and minerals engineering, Dr. Yoon was elected an NAI Fellow in 2022 for his significant contributions to mineral processing and separation technologies. His work has helped advance how we recover and process the minerals essential to our world. We’re proud to see his innovation and impact recognized on the field—and beyond.

https://www.mining.vt.edu/people/faculty/roe-hoan.html

Congratulations Dr. Yoon for this well-deserved recognition!🧡🤍⛏️

Join us today at the MME Tailgate!Alumni, Students, Faculty, and Friends, if you're in town for the Hokies vs. Pitt game...
10/02/2026

Join us today at the MME Tailgate!

Alumni, Students, Faculty, and Friends, if you're in town for the Hokies vs. Pitt game this evening, then stop by our MME Tailgate on Dietrich Lawn from 4 p.m. until kickoff!

We are located at Tent #3!

Friends, Food, Fund and Refreshments! We hope to see you there!

What better way to prepare students for leadership in mining than to put them in the room with professionals who have sp...
10/02/2026

What better way to prepare students for leadership in mining than to put them in the room with professionals who have spent their careers making tough decisions, leading teams, and navigating change?

Richard Bishop’s Senior Resource Engineering Leadership Seminar recently welcomed Virginia Tech Mining and Minerals Engineering Industry Advisory Board members Brittany Horton, Craig Hairfield, and Rick Kim for a candid leadership and career panel.

Students asked questions and heard firsthand perspectives on leadership, mine safety, operations, finance, business strategy, career transitions, and what it takes to grow into positions of responsibility—exactly the kind of real-world perspective our Industry Advisory Board brings to VT MME, connecting students with experienced professionals and insights that go well beyond the classroom.

We’re grateful to Brittany, Craig, and Rick for investing their time in our students and supporting the next generation of mining engineers and industry leaders. 🔨

🏈 LAST CALL: VT MME TAILGATE! 🏈Friday, October 24:30–7:00 p.m.Dietrich LawnAlumni, students and industry partners—join u...
09/29/2026

🏈 LAST CALL: VT MME TAILGATE! 🏈

Friday, October 2
4:30–7:00 p.m.
Dietrich Lawn
Alumni, students and industry partners—join us for food, refreshments and Hokie spirit before the Hokies take on Pitt!

See you Friday! 🌟🦃

🎉 Congratulations Dr. Nino Ripepi!We’re pleased to congratulate Nino Ripepi on his appointment as Director of the Virgin...
09/24/2026

🎉 Congratulations Dr. Nino Ripepi!

We’re pleased to congratulate Nino Ripepi on his appointment as Director of the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research (VCCER), recently approved by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Nino has worked closely with VCCER for more than two decades and has served as interim director since 2023. His extensive experience leading large research initiatives will help advance the Center’s work in energy storage, critical minerals and the responsible development of domestic energy resources.

We’re proud to see one of our faculty members take on this important leadership role. Congratulations, Nino! 👏⛏️

https://energy.vt.edu/index.html

🔬 Seeing the Future of Mineral ProcessingStudents in Kaiwu Huang’s Mineral Processing course recently toured Aclara’s ra...
09/24/2026

🔬 Seeing the Future of Mineral Processing

Students in Kaiwu Huang’s Mineral Processing course recently toured Aclara’s rare earth separation pilot plant at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg. The visit gave students a firsthand look at cutting-edge separation technologies being developed to strengthen domestic supplies of critical minerals and rare earths, while demonstrating the vital role mineral processing plays in turning mined resources into the materials our modern economy depends on.

A special thank you to William Hedley, Aclara’s Production Engineering Manager, Kristopher Strickland, and the rest of the team for sharing their industry experience and giving students an inside look at this exciting facility. ⛏️🔬

🏆 MME Seniors Earn 2nd Place in Regional Capstone Competition!Congratulations to Christian McNally, Emma Khan and Dakota...
09/23/2026

🏆 MME Seniors Earn 2nd Place in Regional Capstone Competition!

Congratulations to Christian McNally, Emma Khan and Dakota Webster, whose senior design team, Earth Movers United (EMU), earned 2nd place in the annual capstone design project competition hosted by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. (SME) Pittsburgh Section (PCMIA)! Their project was the culmination of a year-long effort in MME’s Capstone course, where they developed an SEC S-K 1300 Mine Design and Feasibility Study for a granite aggregate operation called the Mocksville Quarry in North Carolina.

We’re proud of Christian, Emma and Dakota for the hard work, technical expertise and teamwork they put into their project, and grateful to SME PCMIA for recognizing their efforts. Congratulations Earth Movers United! ⛏️🎓

💥 Blast Day: Mining Engineering in Action!A big thank you to the Rogers Group Inc. – Roanoke Quarry and Area Production ...
09/22/2026

💥 Blast Day: Mining Engineering in Action!

A big thank you to the Rogers Group Inc. – Roanoke Quarry and Area Production Manager Christopher Willis ’09, for once again hosting Virginia Tech students for Blast Day last Friday. These annual visits give undeclared freshman engineering majors a chance to see firsthand what mining engineering is all about as well as the many career possibilities the field has to offer.

Two vanloads of freshmen toured the working quarry, climbed into the cab of a haul truck, learned about the different types of rock produced, and saw how engineers design blasts to minimize impacts on surrounding communities.

And, of course, there was the blast! 💥 Students witnessed an actual quarry blast, with one student getting the chance to detonate it. Experiences like these give prospective engineers a look at the combination of engineering, technology, hands-on work and problem-solving that makes mining engineering unique. We’re grateful to Chris and the Rogers Group team for helping introduce the next generation of Hokie mining engineers to the profession—and, judging by the students’ enthusiasm afterward, they may have sparked some new interest in mining. ⛏️🦺

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