RAPID CITY,
S.D. (June 17, 2016) – Andrea Brickey, Ph.D., an associate professor at the
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, has been awarded the 2016 Freeport-McMoRan
Career Development Grant, a$300,000 award focusing on rebuilding the
faculty pipeline in U.S. mining schools.
The grant is
part of the Academic Career Development initiative of the Society for Mining,
Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. (SME) and the SME Foundation to boost viable
tenure-track candidates in mining engineering, mineral processing or extractive
metallurgy.
Brickey’s
award is worth $100,000 per year for three years and will primarily
fund two graduate students to assist in her research on “Production Schedule
Optimization for Underground Mining,” which addresses processes, efficiencies
and safety of mining projects. Additionally, the award will fund several
undergraduate students and pay for travel for professional development opportunities, all of which is intended to support
tenure and promotion.
“Dr. Brickey has been a
tremendous addition to our faculty, and we very much appreciate the support of
SME to help develop the next generation of top notch faculty in mining,” said Heather Wilson, president of South Dakota
Mines.
Brickey earned
her bachelor’s degree from South Dakota Mines in 1999 and worked for 15 years
before returning to academia, earning her doctorate from Colorado School of
Mines and then joining the SD Mines faculty ranks last fall. Her industry
experience has focused primarily on mining operations and consulting projects
in Africa and North and South America, mining copper, gold, silver, nickel,
phosphate and coal.
As a doctoral
student, Brickey was awarded the Seeley W. Mudd Memorial Fellowship, the predecessor
to the SME Ph.D. Fellowship Grant also announced this week. Brickey is
associate editor for the professional publication Mining Engineering and is a member of the SME Professional Engineer
Exam Committee.
“I am grateful to Freeport-McMoRan and SME
and deeply honored to receive this grant, which will support students and
research at SD Mines. The research focuses on developing a more holistic mine
schedule by incorporating additional aspects of the mine’s operation, such as
ventilation,” said Brickey.
According to
the SME, viable tenure-track faculty candidates are in decline at universities
offering degrees in mining engineering, mineral processing or extractive
metallurgy. “The challenges associated with faculty scarcity extend from the
ability of students with industry experience to successfully complete a Ph.D.
degree to newly employed faculty who are facing the difficult process of
achieving tenure,” said SME Executive Director David L. Kanagy.