Project Info
Sustainable Development Indicators for the Mining Industry
Nicole Smith |nmsmith@mines.edu
The goals of this project are interesting because they aim to identify a set of indicators that can be used by mining companies and governments to assess the mining industry’s contributions to sustainable development in the locales where they operate. Many companies use indicators defined by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI); however, these indicators do not reflect the spatial and temporal scales of a mining project and these indicators are not mapped to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). This project attempts to address these deficiencies by identifying a set of indicators that can assess the spatial and temporal variability of a mining development and quantify a company’s contributions to the SDGs.
More Information
Grand Engineering Challenge: Not applicable
Student Preparation
Qualifications
Student should have a basic understanding of sustainable development, as well as mining.
Time Commitment
20 hours/month
Skills/Techniques Gained
The student will gain skills in conducting research, analyzing data and disseminating data through both written and oral forms, and working with an interdisciplinary team of graduate students and faculty members.
Mentoring Plan
The student will be mentored through weekly research group meetings. We also plan to send the student to a conference to present their findings. Student work will be assessed by Drs. Smith and Duzgun and a PhD student on the project will also provide mentorship to the undergraduate student.