Penn State (PSU) mining technology coordinator Nancy Dorset, who played a large part in the events of the program, said the entire group received first-hand glimpses into the industry, including an appreciation of the work done by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
“The camp and tour was to give the teachers a feeling for what skills high school students need to be successful in the mining industry. On [the second day], the camp participants went to NIOSH’s Lake Lynn Lab and took the jeeps into the mine.”
The group of students also toured Consol Energy’s Enlow Fork operation alongside teachers, PSU administrators and three reporters. The university supplied the participants with classroom project ideas, lesson plan information and packets from the Minerals Information Institute. “All agreed they wanted to keep their day job,” Dorset said.
Dorset said PSU students will later go on to tour Lake Lynn’s experimental mine as part of an orientation to the mining technology course. All who attended the camp late last month also had the opportunity to see the experimental sections of Lake Lynn as well as the mine, a former limestone operation.
“The camp and tour was to give teachers a feeling for what high school students need to be successful in the mining industry,” she noted of the project.
The program was made possible by sponsor donations from Peabody Energy, Foundation, DBT America and Consol Energy.
Dorset said she looks forward to holding the event again next year under the same format, with teacher education during one week in July and student education held throughout another.
