Mines Newsroom - Official news from the Colorado School of Mines

Molybdenum mine in the mountains seen from above

U.S. already has the critical minerals it needs – but they're being thrown away, new analysis shows

The findings, published in the journal Science, show that improved recovery of critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium and rare earth elements currently being discarded as tailings of other mineral streams could meet the U.S. demand for energy, defense and technology applications.

Land of Ice: Jaunts Into Colorado’s Glacial Landscape wins Colorado Book Award

U.S. already has the critical minerals it needs – but they're being thrown away, new analysis shows

2025 M Climb: New Orediggers set to ascend Golden’s Mount Zion on Aug. 22

Geoff Brennecka named department head for Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Campaign Champions’ transformational gifts are elevating Mines students, faculty and programs: Impact Report

Offshore phase of international expedition looking at fresh water under ocean floor wraps up

Media tip sheet: Understanding wildfire impact from Mines experts

News Headlines

group of students wearing hard hats and holding rocks on mountain

August 18, 2025

2025 M Climb: New Orediggers set to ascend Golden’s Mount Zion on Aug. 22

August 13, 2025

Geoff Brennecka named department head for Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

August 4, 2025

Village at Mines Park opens with 1,058 beds, redefining student housing at Mines

Mines Magazine

July 9, 2025

Economist turned energy leader: "Coming to Mines was the first step"

June 25, 2025

In a career path fueled by endurace, Mines alum starts athletic performance business

June 24, 2025

New fellowship program helping to turn Mines faculty research into startup reality

Videos

Two Colorado School of Mines students wearing safety vests, hard hats, and headlamps examine the rock ceiling inside the Edgar Experimental Mine using a mounted inspection camera. The underground setting is lit with work lights, revealing rough stone walls.

Colorado School of Mines is shaping the future of mining

A gloved hand holds a small metal scoop of processed mine tailings in a laboratory setting. Behind it, lab equipment and a mixing drum are visible. Overlaid text reads: “Rebuilding with Mining Waste – Inside the lab.”

VIDEO: Mines researchers turn mine tailings into high-performance construction materials

Collage of three scenes: a student tightening a pipe structure, a group solving clues in an escape room, and Jalen Thomas speaking inside a modern building. Banner text reads “Colorado School of Mines – How an Escape Room Idea Became a Startup.”

VIDEO: Mines alum brings escape room startup to life with support from campus innovation ecosystem

Research

U.S. already has the critical minerals it needs – but they're being thrown away, new analysis shows

five people in safety orange hold drill core aboard boat

Offshore phase of international expedition looking at fresh water under ocean floor wraps up

Media tip sheet: Understanding wildfire impact from Mines experts

In The News

A Colorado manufactured home community is getting more energy efficient

Paulo Tabares-Velasco, associate professor of mechanical engineering, has partnered on an effort to make 16 manufactured homes in Lake County, Colorado more energy efficient. Tabares-Velasco's team installed heat pumps and induction stoves, which run on electricity instead of fossil fuels.

August 29, 2025

These materials could cripple America’s defense industrial base

Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, co-authors this column looking at the role critical minerals play in the defense arena.

August 28, 2025

A moon rover is driving around a ranch in southern Colorado. Here’s why.

Angel Abbud-Madrid, professor of practice in mechanical engineering and the director of the Center for Space Resources, discusses the university's involvement with the development of a moon rover. The rover has been tested in a lab at Mines that contains simulated moon dirt, called lunar regolith.

August 26, 2025

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