Experiences of mining engineering students in cooperation for development

Abstract

Future engineers, in addition to technical knowledge, should incorporate in their academic curricula aspects that contribute to make mining a sustainable activity. This will contribute to changing the concept that society has about mining and to be a socially accepted activity. In the mining engineering studies at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), students have the opportunity to develop cooperation projects together with professors and other staff members. They all collaborate with artisanal miners from different underdeveloped countries, mainly from Latin America, and contribute to making mining more environmentally friendly. Moreover, they have the opportunity to acquire a social sensitivity that can be of great importance during the development of their professional career. This study presents some experiences of undergraduate, master, and doctoral students in cooperation activities in mining. The projects were developed as a collaboration between UPC and universities or NOGs in Latin America. The activities have been carried out in underdeveloped areas where mining is practiced with a high environmental impact and poor use of resources. A survey among the participants in the projects shows the students' favourable perception of this activity.