PrintWelcome to MNG 230: Introduction to Mining Engineering
Instructor: Dr. Sekhar Bhattacharyya, Associate Teaching Professor of Mining Engineering
Welcome to the world of mining! Nearly 14,000 mines and 300,000 miners in the United States alone, contributing more than two trillion dollars to the economy! Modern food production, plastic pipe, and paper would be impossible without mining, not to mention pharmaceutical products, cat litter, cosmetics, and solar cells. With the 75+ minerals that we mine in the U.S., we could make a list of hundreds of products that depend on mined commodities. As a bumper sticker proudly proclaimed, if it can’t be grown, it has to be mined! Interestingly, or perhaps sadly depending on your perspective, most people are unaware that mining makes modern society possible. The reality is that mined products are truly ubiquitous in society today and forever. Mining engineers make it happen. They work with geoscientists to discover economic deposits of minerals, develop and operate mines to extract and process the minerals in a safe, environmentally responsible, and sustainable manner. Most likely, you are taking this course because you either want to become a mining engineer or you are considering it as a career option. Or, you may be in one of the many disciplines that work closely with the mining industry, including environmental, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering, law, or business. Regardless, you will find this course, an introduction to mining engineering, to provide an excellent foundation for any of these pursuits.
In this course, we will endeavor to provide a comprehensive overview of mining and the work of mining engineers, through all stages of a mine’s life cycle. We’ll look at the different mineral commodities, where, and how they mined. We’ll learn how potentially economic mineral deposits are evaluated. We’ll take a look at the unit operations and equipment used in mining, and we’ll examine major ore extraction processes, including the use of explosives and the design of blasting rounds. The selection of an underground or surface mining method will be an important focus of our studies. Finally, we’ll survey related topics such as mining law and the grand challenges facing the industry. I promise you that the journey from the beginning to the end of this course will be interesting; and at the end, you will have a good foundation to take the major courses in mining engineering if you choose to major in mining engineering. If not, you will have a solid understanding of mining and the minerals industry, which may serve you well in whatever career you choose to pursue!
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