THE U GOES TO GREENLAND

Faculty members Rajive Ganguli and Michael G. Nelson and their team in the U’s Mining Engineering Department were selected for a $1.2M cooperative agreement to assist Greenland with mine training.

Partnering with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the team possesses decades of mining and training experience in the northern lands of the world’s eight northernmost countries (a.k.a, the “Arctic Eight”). Together they will assist the KTI Råstofskolen, Aatsitassalerinermik Ilinniarfik or KTIR (Greenland School of Minerals & Petroleum) in advancing its training capabilities to address the growing mining sector in the world's largest island.

Founded in 2008 in the city of Sisimiut, situated among picturesque wide valleys and steep mountains in central-western Greenland, KTIR ensures a skilled workforce for the Greenlandic mining and construction industries. The school offers students international courses and apprenticeship programs.

The goals of the project are to advise KTIR on the design and construction of an underground mine training facility (UMTF) by developing six courses that enhance KTIR’s training offerings for the mining sector, provide training in mine search and rescue, and to familiarize KTIR and government stakeholders with major elements of the mining sector.

The team will view plans for UMTF at the school, advise on funding and operating the facility in the circumpolar north, and provide experiential learning in two different areas (underground mine construction and mine search and rescue) among other activities, including curriculum development.

The activities will have three major impacts: expanding KTIR’s capacity in terms of facility, expertise and curriculum; seeding world class content and practices into KTIR training; and ensuring that training facilities, curriculum and expertise are highly relevant to Greenland.