Engineering seniors guide DOE tour at San Xavier Mine
Discussions between U of A leadership and the DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation focus on workforce development and research to help secure domestic supplies.
Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson (center) on a tour with university leadership and students at the San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory on Aug. 26 says the U of A is crucial to the reindustrialization of America.
Students from the University of Arizona School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources guided Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson, head of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, on an Aug. 26 tour of the San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory.
Rachael Overbey, the DOE office’s chief of staff; Kray Luxbacher, SMEMR head and Gregory H. and Lisa S. Boyce Leadership Chair of Mining and Geological Engineering; Robert Bodnar, executive director of the U of A Mining and Critical Minerals Initiative; Kim Ogden, Craig M. Berge Interim Dean of the College of Engineering; and James Werner, director of the San Xavier Mine, joined Robertson for a close look at the university's leading workforce training center and tech proving ground.
The visit followed the DOE’s Aug. 7 announcement of up to $100 million in funding for PROSPECT – Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies – an initiative aimed at doubling the number of graduates entering the U.S. mining and critical minerals workforce in two years.
“Universities like the University of Arizona play a critical role,” Robertson said. "We will be working side by side with the University of Arizona, seeing how we can help expedite and send out across the country the great technologies that will be developed here.”
San Xavier Mine – one of four university-led mining laboratories in the country – is part of MiningWerx, a multi-site facility that meets the growing demand for skilled mining professionals. In February 2026, the mine received $3 million in federal funding to add a modular, pilot-scale mineral processing facility for expanded testing of traditional and experimental mineral recovery methods.
‘You guys are true patriots, studying and working hard in this industry,’ says Assistant Secretary Audrey Robertson.
“We’re very excited about the opportunity with DOE PROSPECT, and we recognize that this is the biggest investment the federal government has ever made in the mining workforce,” said Luxbacher, adding that MiningWerx has started what the national program aims to advance.
From emergency response simulations to industry partnerships and research, the San Xavier Mine gives students an advantage to cross the commencement stage directly into full-time careers. In fact, U of A mining engineers have a 100% job placement rate.
“I am very thankful that we have the mine and the students are so involved,” said Dirk Patton, mining engineering senior.
Students manage the mine and develop skills in design planning, health and safety, sensor deployment, and accident-prevention equipment maintenance.
Patton was one of six students who toured with Robertson.
“It's really cool to have them come see the student mine and what we can put together at the university with student help,” he said.
Copper research on the horizon
On the same day as Robertson’s visit, the DOE awarded SMEMR professor Selo Ndlovu $1.7 million to advance copper extraction methods.
“As the nation's leading copper-producing state, Arizona is uniquely positioned to help develop the technologies needed to secure future domestic supplies of critical minerals and support the energy transition,” Ndlovu said.
