2024 Energy Xchange Seminar Series

Please join us on April 18 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the EMS Energy Institute (C213 Coal Utilization Lab) for our 2024 Energy Xchange Seminar Series. This presentation will feature Thandazile Moyo, Assistant Professor of Energy and Mineral Engineering, John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering.  Her presentation is titled, "Integrating Sustainability in Minerals and Energy Resource Extraction Education". This event is free and parking is available at the Institute at 4 p.m. 

Abstract:

It is recognized that the transition to clean energy will require significant volumes of minerals, which in the immediate future will be supplied through primary mining. Future energy scenarios going into the next few decades reflect an energy mix that remains blended, with renewables growing in dominance but fossil fuels remaining a key contributor. Extraction, particularly mining, suffers a poor public image and is seen as dirty, non-innovative, and outdated. However, the role of extraction in sustainability has never been stronger, but challenges remain in integrating sustainability and responsible extraction into the education curriculum. Broadly speaking, education for sustainable development (ESD) provides the knowledge, skills, values, and agency to address interconnected global challenges including climate change, loss of biodiversity, unsustainable use of resources, inequality, etc. In this seminar, Moyo will talk about opportunities and experiences in teaching sustainability in mineral and energy resource extraction, and why sustainability literacy is a knowledge gap for the future workforce.