South Dakota Mines Professor Andrea Brickey to Speak on Future of U.S. Mining Education

Andrea Brickey, Ph.D., professor of mining engineering and management at South Dakota Mines, will join fellow leaders in mining education and industry this month as a featured panelist at Better In Our Back Yard’s second annual Mining and Energy Expo in Minneapolis.

The expo will take place Tuesday, Sept. 29 – Friday, Oct. 2 at the Radisson Blu Mall of America. Brickey will participate in the featured panel, “Why the United States Needs More Mining Schools,” on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Better In Our Back Yard (BIOBY) is a citizen-led advocacy organization that promotes responsible domestic mining, energy production and industrial development.

The panel will examine whether the current U.S. model for mining education is equipped to meet growing workforce and innovation needs as demand for critical minerals increases. Panelists will discuss how universities, industry and policymakers can better align education and training with the geographic and technological changes shaping modern mining, including whether a more regionalized approach to mining education could help meet workforce needs near key mineral-producing regions.

“The United States cannot rebuild a secure critical-minerals supply chain with the few numbers of graduates we are currently producing as a nation. While it is unclear if we need more universities, it is clear we need to encourage students to pursue mineral industry degrees to meet the needs of our country,” said Brickey.

Along with her university background, Brickey brings more than 15 years of experience in the mining industry to the conversation. Before returning to academia to pursue her doctorate, she worked in mining operations and on consulting projects across Africa, as well as in North and South America. Her industry experience spans the extraction of copper, gold, silver, nickel, phosphate and coal, as well as mine feasibility and design.

Aside from being a professor in the mining engineering and management department, Brickey serves as the university's director of the Office for Professional Education. Her leadership in mining education extends beyond campus. She served as the 2025 president of the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America and is a co-founder of the Black Hills Women in Mining Chapter.

Her commitment to educating the next generation of mineral engineers was also recognized last year with the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration’s Ivan B. Rahn Education Award.

The need to strengthen the mining workforce is increasingly important as the United States works to expand domestic critical minerals production and supply chains. Mines is slated to receive $25 million in funding from the Department of War to expand mining education and workforce development, supporting efforts to educate and train the next generation of geologists, metallurgists and mining engineers.

Better In Our Back Yard Mining and Energy Expo brings together decision-makers and leaders from across North America's mining and energy sectors to discuss policy, infrastructure, investment and the future of resource development.

Why the U.S. Needs More Mining Schools

Panelists:

Kathy Arnold, Next Plan, LLC / Mining & Minerals Education Foundation
Andrea Brickey, South Dakota Mines
Scott Rosenthal, Montana Technological University
Julia Potter, University of Arizona
Lei Pan, Michigan Tech

More information on the BIOBY expo can be found here.