School of Mining and Mineral Resources educational video unravels the connection between water and mining
Isabel Barton (L) and Xenia De Gracia (R) behind the scenes during the making of “Water in the Lifecycle of a Mine”
How do water and mining intersect? How do engineers and scientists manage challenges related to that intersection? Where does the water used by mines come from and how important are conservation measures to the whole process?
A recent educational video produced by the University of Arizona School of Mining & Mineral Resources (SMMR) and the UArizona Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences (HAS) answers those questions in a fun and informative way. Aided by a Mineral Resources Research and Innovation Initiative, “Water in the Lifecycle of a Mine,” which recently debuted on the UArizona SMMR YouTube channel, is an accessible six-minute dive into the complex issues surrounding water and the mining industry.
Intended to educate and inspire future mining engineers in the elementary through undergrad arena, the video connects the dots between mining and hydrology using narrative flourishes and interviews with experts that include UArizona professors as well as local engineers involved with the industry.
The original idea for the video came from the Hydrology Department’s desire to create an outreach program that exposes students to the facts surrounding hydrology and mining. Enter the video’s Executive Producer, Gillian Noonan, Senior Engineer, Research and Development at the Geotechnical Center of Excellence (GCE). “The overall goal of the video is to understand the big picture of the importance of minerals and mining and then the importance of water in the mining process,” Noonan, who has a background in geological engineering and hydrology, says. “We also wanted to overview the ways that engineers and scientists manage the challenges related to water and mining, for example, slope stability, water balance, and environmental monitoring.”
Click here to view on YouTube: Water in the Lifecycle of a Mine