Project Info
Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in Latin America
Nicole Smith | nmsmith@mines.edu
The goals of this project are to understand the technical and social complexity of artisanal and small-scale gold mining communities in Latin America, in particular, Peru and Colombia. By working toward these goals, this project incorporates social and technical data that can be used to inform policy aimed at the artisanal and small-mining sector and technological interventions that can support mining communities in safer and cleaner mining and mineral processing activities.
More Information
http://www.minesnewsroom.com/news/mines-receives-4m-nsf-grant-study-artisanal-gold-mining
Grand Engineering Challenge: Not applicable
Student Preparation
Qualifications
Students who can read, write, and speak Spanish are preferred, but not required.
Required qualifications include a curiosity about sustainable development, artisanal and small-scale mining, and the integration of social science and engineering research.
Time Commitment
20-30 hours/month
Skills/Techniques Gained
The student will gain skills in analyzing social and technical data, writing reports, communicating with international project partners, media outreach.
Mentoring Plan
Mentorship will occur through biweekly meetings where we discuss the research and the outcomes. Student will also receive mentoring in data analysis, writing, and communications.