Project Info

Global Competencies for Engineering Students

This MURF will support a large international and interdisciplinary research project that trains engineering students from the United States, Colombia, and Peru to work with artisanal and small-scale miners to create sociotechnical innovations that help make this work safer and more sustainable. Artisanal mining is a leading cause of deforestation. To process the ore, miners often use mercury – an element that is highly toxic. Using mercury is harmful to the environment, because it contaminates the air, water, and soil. Mercury is also harmful to humans and causes chronic diseases. Each year, undergraduate engineering students from Mines and the United States Air Force Academy travel to artisanal mining communities in South America to collaborate with and to learn from international faculty and engineering students as well as artisanal and small-scale miners themselves. We are seeking an undergraduate researcher to help us assess changes in those students’ learning. We will primarily be analyzing transcripts of student interviews, survey responses, and written work.

For more information:
https://rmrc.mines.edu

Student Preparation

Qualifications

The student should be well-organized and able to work independently. Comfort with Excel is a plus.

Time Commitment

5 hours/week

Skills/Techniques Gained

Qualitative and quantitative data analysis; increased knowledge about engineering education research; and greater global awareness of the challenges facing poor communities.

Mentoring Plan

I will meet weekly with the student, and we will often be joined by other members of our project team. The student will be required to send weekly summaries of our meetings and to list his/her action items for the week. I will also help the student create their poster for the Undergraduate Research Symposium and translate their work into a peer-reviewed publication.