South Dakota Mines is partnering with five regional
universities thanks to a $1 million grant from the U.S. National Science
Foundation's Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program.
Mines is among more than 44 teams nationwide to
receive one of the first-ever NSF Engines Development Awards, which aims to
help partners collaborate to create economic, societal and technological
opportunities for their regions. The regional collaboration includes Mines, the
University of North Dakota, the Tribal Nations Research Group, Montana State
University and MiTech and Boise State University. The project brings together
leaders in autonomous systems in these states.
The Department of
Mining Engineering and Management at Mines brings an expertise in cutting edge mining
technology to the project. South Dakota Mines is also home to the Mining Hub, which includes
diverse partners to work in convergent research areas that include technology
development and implementation, digitalization, human factors, and many other
areas to support sustainable recovery of the Earth’s resources, to ensure a
stable national supply of materials, and to support the nation’s needs —
including critical minerals vital to the transition to a new greener economy.
Alongside regional institutional partners, the University of
North Dakota (UND) is leading the effort to build a framework (the
“engine”) that catalyzes autonomous system development and fielding, enabling
the accelerated realization of economic and humanitarian benefits from
autonomous systems technology across a wide range of use cases.
The regional NSF
grant also focuses on driving workforce development initiatives to cultivate
needed skills, including engaging all stakeholders and expanding participation
of underrepresented groups — especially from Native populations that are
critical stakeholders across the region.
“This is the kind of game-changing collaboration
that elevates the high-tech economy in the entire region,” says Mines President
Jim Rankin. “We are proud to play a role in the exciting future this type of
technological development can bring to our world.”
The mining industry boasts the most autonomous miles
traveled in any industry, leading all industries in use of autonomous equipment.
Emerging mining technologies are on pace to transcend other industries including
agriculture, construction, automotive and other autonomous vehicle
applications.
“The exciting part of this opportunity is that it is
bringing together experts from a variety of fields that will combine their
collective knowledge to ensure the stakeholders realize the maximum benefit
from existing and emerging autonomous technologies,” says Robert Hall, Ph.D., a
professor and head of the Department of Mining Engineering and Management at
South Dakota Mines.
“These NSF Engines Development Awards lay the
foundation for emerging hubs of innovation and potential future NSF Engines,”
said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “These awardees are part of the
fabric of NSF's vision to create opportunities everywhere and enable innovation
anywhere. They will build robust regional partnerships rooted in scientific and
technological innovation in every part of our nation. Through these planning
awards, NSF is seeding the future for in-place innovation in communities and to
grow their regional economies through research and partnerships. This will
unleash ideas, talent, pathways and resources to create vibrant innovation
ecosystems all across our nation."
Alongside Mines, UND will focus on uncrewed
aircraft, transportation and rural health initiatives. The other regional
partners in the grant, as well as their focus areas, are: Tribal Nations
Research Group (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians), data protection,
mining, management, and tribal partner outreach; Montana State University,
smart optical sensors; Montana State University MiTech, technology transition
from research to commercialization; and Boise State University, resource
management and energy.