A C-17 Globemaster III, assigned to
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., sits on the flight line during Combat Raider
19-2 at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., May 14, 2019. Credit: U.S. Air Force
photo by Senior Airman Thomas Karol.
Under a new Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU), the South Dakota Mines will work together with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) on
broad range environmental stewardship goals at Ellsworth Air Force Base and at
other facilities around the nation.
The MOU utilizes experts at Mines in subjects such as environmental engineering, hydrology, geology, ecology, biology,
chemistry, atmospheric sciences, paleontology and other disciplines to help the
Air Force clean up contaminated sites, reduce and prevent future pollution,
maintain compliance with environmental rules and law, and protect natural and
cultural resources at Air Force installations.
This MOU also sets the stage for
increasing academic-public-private partnerships that help aid environmental
clean-up efforts around Air Force installations including emerging contaminants
such as perfluorooctane
sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
“This agreement is a win-win. It
boosts top-tier science and engineering research and education at Mines
while supporting the Department of Defense effort to find the most efficient
and innovative solutions to these challenges,” says Mines President Jim Rankin.
Mines will also use this partnership
with the Air Force in training the next generation of environmental scientists
and engineers. “Our students will have opportunities to contribute to
multidisciplinary teams in a highly collaborative environment,” says Lisa
Kunza, associate professor of chemistry and biology, who is leading the team of
faculty at Mines and coordinating the efforts with the consortium of
partners.
The MOU was signed in June and is
in place for the next 10 years. Details on the cooperative projects and innovation
that take place under this MOU will be announced in the coming months and
years.