Expanding the University’s
Prof Ronny Webber-Youngman
The University of Pretoria participates in the global mining arena through its transdisciplinary approach to research and innovation. Multiple research initiatives related to mining and minerals engineering are being conducted across various faculties and departments. The conducive environment that has been established for such transdisciplinary research at the University has led to the development of a mining footprint that examines various overlapping aspects of mining from different perspectives. The quality of the University’s research in this field was recognised internationally through its ranking in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) in the top 100 universities in the world for mining and minerals engineering for 2019. This is not only based on the large volume of research on various aspects of mining and minerals engineering being conducted at UP, but also the quality of education, quality of researchers, research output and per capita academic performance of the institution. The collective of these research efforts has a significant impact on the University’s international rankings, as well as the visibility of the University’s mining footprint. A key priority of the Department of Mining Engineering is to showcase the University’s vast research in this field. This strategic intervention is aimed at integrating research emanating from the University’s various
faculties and departments that is related in some way or other to mining. The amplification of mining-related research in other faculties and departments also enhances mining as a career of choice. Transdisciplinary research focuses, among others, on aspects such as society, health, the environment, the economy, engineering and technology. As such, it is in direct support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. These universal goals emphasise that minerals are needed for modern societies. Furthermore, it takes cognisance of the fact that the dominant method for extracting minerals is still mining. Within the Department, collaborative and cross-cutting contract research initiatives are coordinated and facilitated by the Mining Resilience Research Centre (MRRC).
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This research centre draws on the multidisciplinary resources within the University, matching the right skills sets to any mining problem. Research that directly affects the minerals life cycle is conducted in the University’s Minerals Cluster departments. This research includes the study of geological structures in the Department of Geology, the extraction of minerals in the Department of Mining Engineering and the processing of minerals in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering.
TRANSDISCIPLINARY MINING RESEARCH FOCUSES, AMONG OTHERS, ON ASPECTS SUCH AS SOCIETY, HEALTH, THE ENVIRONMENT, THE ECONOMY, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY.
The UP Minerals Cluster departments in synergy
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