Venezuela’s coltan and the quiet fragility of tantalum and niobium

Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, and Greg Clough, deputy director at Payne, co-author this article about the importance of Venezuela's coltan reserves.
January 13, 2026

The next hot career: Mining engineering

Sebnem Düzgün, professor, Fred Banfield Distinguished Chair and associate department head in mining engineering, explains how Mines is transforming its mining engineering program to meet new challenges.
January 13, 2026

Drilling into the details Of Venezuela’s oil

Jennifer Miskimins F.H. Mick Merelli/Coterra Energy Distinguished Department Head Chair and professor in petroleum engineering and the president of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, discusses the heavy oil found in Venezuela with Science Friday host Ira Flatow.
January 12, 2026

Greenland’s harsh environment and lack of infrastructure have prevented rare earth mining

Ian Lange, professor of economics and business, explains why it's so difficult to bring Greenland's rare earths to market.
January 11, 2026

Denver oil companies join Trump talks on Venezuela

Luis Zerpa, Harry D. Campbell Endowed Chair in Petroleum Engineering, associate department head, associate professor and director of The Center for Rock and Fluid Multiphysics, discusses the risks and rewards for oil companies who choose to do business in Venezuela.
January 9, 2026

Can Trump convince oil companies Venezuela is a good bet?

Luis Zerpa, Harry D. Campbell Endowed Chair in Petroleum Engineering, associate department head, associate professor and director of The Center for Rock and Fluid Multiphysics, discusses the challenges associated with getting the Venezuelan oil ....
January 8, 2026

Keeping ourselves in the loop: 6 human-centered activities for the age of AI

Carter Moulton, faculty developer, lays out strategies for effectively using AI as part of your instruction plan.
January 8, 2026

Why does Venezuela have so much oil? Geology

Luis Zerpa, Harry D. Campbell Endowed Chair in Petroleum Engineering, associate department head, associate professor, and director of The Center for Rock and Fluid Multiphysics, explains why Venezuela has the perfect geology for oil.
January 7, 2026

Maduro’s capture won’t disrupt global oil markets

Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, is a co-author on this examination of how regime change in Venezuela will, or won't, impact international oil markets.
January 6, 2026

The superalloy dilemma: can America break its mineral dependency?

Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, co-authors this article that analyzes a new “super alloy” made of niobium, tantalum, titanium, and hafnium.
January 5, 2026

To explore space, scientists want to turn the moon into a gas station

George Sowers, professor of practice in mechanical engineering, explains how water on the moon could be turned into fuel to power space travel and research on the moon.
January 2, 2026

Colorado School of Mines professor creates gel to better heal wounds, burns

Melissa Krebs, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, is interviewed about the wound-healing gel she created.
December 30, 2025