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Subsurface
Small-scale mining is crucial to Peru’s economy, but the work is often difficult and dangerous. In collaboration with Universidad Nacional de San Agustín, Mines is helping address these industry issues and create new best practices in the region.
on engineering and science and our great strengths in geology, water, mining and materials make us an obvious choice to undertake this initiative with UNSA,” he said. Small-scale mining is a reality for many and a practice that’s not likely to disappear anytime soon, Santi said. “This is how people in many parts of the world make a living, so our job is to find ways to increase their safety and minimize the environmental and health impacts that mining creates.” Formally speaking, said Santi, the center’s vision is to provide research-driven solutions for mining issues by building research capacity, training scientists and
solving key mining, environmental and focus on research,” Santi explained. “This societal problems. But in his eyes, the is much like the situation Mines found partnership boils down to three main goals. itself in 30 or 40 years ago—a teaching institution that was leaning more toward The first is the chance to make a research—so I think we’re ideally suited to meaningful, humanitarian contribution. help UNSA achieve its goals.” “Our aim is to improve what’s going on in small-scale mining in terms of safety and efficiency, not only to make it a more viable lifestyle but also to improve the safety of the communities around mines by reducing contaminants in the air and water,” Santi said.
The third is to do good—and interesting— science. “This is an opportunity to do some cool things in a unique setting,” Santi said.
The partnership has launched with intensity—nine projects running simultaneously—and is set to complete its The second is to assist UNSA in developing current phase in November 2020. “We’re operating on a rather short fuse,” Santi a deeper research culture across the conceded. “But the collaboration’s off to institution. “The university’s culture is a great start and is running smoothly. We historically that of a teaching institution, learned a lot from Purdue University’s but they would like to increase their