Penn State receives $1M DOE award to build critical materials workforce

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has received a $1 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a workforce pipeline for the critical minerals and materials used in batteries, magnets and other advanced technologies.

The University was selected as a winner of the Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies (PROSPECT) Planning Prize, a DOE program that supports universities in developing new education and training pathways for the critical minerals workforce. Penn State’s plan, “PROSPECTing the Future,” brings together the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) and the Materials Research Institute (MRI). The joint project is designed to prepare more students for careers involving critical materials, from extracting mineral resources through their use in advanced products and eventual recovery for reuse.

Barbara Arnold, Wilson Faculty Fellow and chair of mining engineering in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, is principal investigator for the Penn State project.

“We’re focusing on creating a strong workforce across the mining materials spectrum from exploration through mining, mineral processing, extractive metallurgy and recycling,” Arnold said.

Critical materials are essential to technologies such as electric-vehicle batteries and high-performance magnets used in energy systems and electronics. Supply shortages or processing bottlenecks can affect manufacturing and slow the development of new technologies. That creates a need for scientists and engineers who understand both the materials themselves and the supply chain that moves them from the ground into products.

"America has abundant natural resources, but we need the skilled workforce to turn those resources into economic drivers that will grow our economy and create new jobs,” said Audrey Robertson, U.S. assistant secretary of energy. “For decades, we have allowed our mining and critical minerals workforce to decline and our domestic supply chains of critical minerals to weaken. PROSPECT is about reversing that trend by challenging universities to rapidly grow the number of graduates ready to build and sustain the American critical minerals supply chains, from mines to materials.”

Penn State already has academic programs that address different parts of the critical materials field. “PROSPECTing the Future” aims to tie them together through summer programs, research and new academic credentials.

“The United States faces growing demand for skilled professionals across the critical minerals and materials supply chain,” said Sarah Boehm, associate director for research engagement at MRI. “At the same time, employers are expanding domestic operations and seeking workers with interdisciplinary technical expertise. Penn State’s project is designed to grow that talent pipeline and prepare students for careers that strengthen U.S. supply-chain resilience and security.”

“From mining engineering through materials science and manufacturing, the United States is facing a serious shortage of skilled workers in the critical materials sector,” said John Mauro, interim John Leone Dean of EMS. “We are thrilled to receive this support from the U.S. Department of Energy to help address this workforce gap, a priority for both our economy and national security.”

Working with EMS, MRI will contribute to the project’s hands-on research experience. Students in summer programs and other research opportunities will work with MRI’s advanced characterization tools, such as scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, to determine what materials are made of and understand how their structure affects their properties.

That training will help students connect raw mineral resources to finished materials while learning analytical techniques used in research and industry.

“Through summer programs and new semester-long research experiences, students will work with these state-of-the-art analytical techniques to develop an understanding of the critical mineral and material pathways from rocks to final metals and products like batteries and magnets,” Arnold said.

Industry partners and DOE national laboratories also will help keep the program aligned with workforce needs. Their involvement could provide students with mentoring, research opportunities and connections to potential employers.

The project’s long-term goal is to significantly increase the number of graduates from participating Penn State programs who enter critical minerals and materials careers. It also aims to create an education-to-employment pathway that can continue beyond the award period and adapt as technologies and workforce needs change.

The PROSPECT Planning Prize is funded by the DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation and managed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies under the American-Made program. This content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the funders.