This program provides educational, engineering and operating experiences to the participants, with a focus on safe, modern mining practices. In the inaugural year of the exchange program, several students from the National University of Colombia at Medellin demonstrated interest in the program, with 14 students submitting formal applications. Two students, Álvaro Barros Suárez and Sebastián Vizcaíno Díaz, were ultimately selected as participants in the program for the Fall Semester of 2011. “Both students demonstrate a passion for mining, a clear interest in health and safety, and a desire to learn,” according to Dr. Michael Karmis, a professor in the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering at Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech’s Mining and Minerals Engineering department is one of the largest minerals engineering programs in North America and enjoys a strong international reputation for its academic, research and public service programs. During their partial semester of study at Virginia Tech, Álvaro and Sebastián will take several intensive directed-study courses, including rock mechanics and computer modeling of ventilation systems.

After completing their course work, the students will then spend a month assisting Marshall Miller & Associates with mining projects, including the design of a new mine in Colombia. After their internship with Marshall Miller & Associates, the students will spend another month at a producing mine in the U.S., to get hands-on experience in modern mining techniques.

A second part of this exchange program will involve selecting Virginia Tech students to participate in courses at the National University of Colombia at Medellin.