Corby Anderson, professor of mining engineering, said in terms of deep sea mining for critical minerals the U.S. is decades behind China, and it’s going to be very hard to catch up.
July 21, 2025
How China created a chokehold on the rare earths industry
Rod Eggert, research professor of economics and business, explains that China's attempt to clean up the mining and processing of rare earths ironically resulted in a black market for less expensive rare earths that were smuggled out of the country. These smuggled rare earths were obtained and processed with little regard for the environment.
July 18, 2025
Bifrost Electronics: $2.5 million seed raised for advancing quantum amplifier technology
Mines doctoral student Connor Denney and recent Mines graduate Logan Pauli are among the founders of a new firm focused on making quantum amplifiers. The company will soon move to Quantum Commons, a 70-acre business park in Arvada managed by the consortium Elevate Quantum.
July 17, 2025
Department of Defense directly invests in U.S.-based rare earth mining company
Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, says the U.S. government's decision to invest in creating a domestic supply chain for rare earth minerals is a game changer.
July 16, 2025
Researchers study forever chemical removal at Peterson Space Force Base
Mines PFAS researchers are investigating how to capture and destroy PFAS "forever chemicals" on the Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs. The material being analyzed and processed is drawn from a containment pond on the base property. A host of different technologies are being used by the researchers to deal with the stubborn PFAS materials.
July 10, 2025
Q+A: Dr. Richard Luarkie on moving Native nations from sovereignty to significance
Richard Luarkie, director of the Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty program at the Payne Institute for Public Policy, envisions a future where tribes and the U.S. government can work together toward a positive energy future for tribes and the country generally.
July 10, 2025
Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs hosts a proving ground for cleaning up longtime PFAS contamination
Chris Higgins, AMAX Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a host of other Mines PFAS experts, hosted a PFAS media event at the Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs. The Mines officials explained the work being done at the base to discover the best way to capture and destroy the "forever chemicals."
July 10, 2025
Trump floats a 50% tariff on copper, risking price increases for wide range of goods
Ian Lange, professor of economics and business, notes that because copper is used in such a wide variety of products, increases in the price of the metal can cause a general inflation in prices.
July 9, 2025
Summer research aims to mitigate PFAS contamination in southern colorado
Mines researchers are comparing the performance of a variety of PFAS technologies that are aimed at recovering and destroying the "forever chemicals." A demonstration day at Peterson Space Force Base allowed the news media a chance to learn about the work.