The IMMERSE Project: Virtual Excursions on Critical Raw Materials for the Clean Energy Transition

Despite progress in increasing female representation in the mining industry, women remain significantly underrepresented, also in mining engineering education. This paper aims to address gender disparities in mining engineering education by proposing three gender-related goals: empowering women, preventing discrimination and strengthening gender and diversity competencies. Specific measures are identified for each stage of the student life cycle, including overarching themes as a zero-tolerance area for discrimination, gender-sensitive language and training for educators. The implementation and planning needs various stakeholders from which lecturers, role models, industry representatives and experts for awareness and gender-sensitive education hold a key position. Most importantly, students are also identified as key stakeholders, highlighting the importance of their participation in driving these initiatives forward. Additionally, both local commitment and global collaborations are crucial in promoting gender equality in the mining sector. By working together, a more equitable and diverse environment can be created that benefits not only women in mining but the industry as a whole. This paper contributes to the process by providing guidance and recommendations for institutions, stakeholders and policymakers on how to effectively address these challenges and promote gender equality.

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Motivation

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By the end of 2050, Europe must ensure the achievement of the European Green Deal and a full commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (1). At the core of these efforts lies the critical need for a sustainable supply of critical raw materials (CRMs), which are the essential for diverse industries and have significant economic value for key sectors in the European economy. However, the European industry is highly vulnerable to the supply risks associated with CRMs, mainly due to its high dependence on imports and the concentration of these materials in certain countries (2). This dependence underlines the urgent need to move towards a more resource-efficient economy, while promoting sustainable development (3).

As the focus on sustainable resources increases, there is a rising need for skilled professionals to ensure the responsible and secure extraction of CRMs. This is essential to meet the growing demand for CRMs, strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and to reduce its import dependence of CRMs. However, a notable challenge in Europe is the shortage of qualified specialists in the mining and mineral raw materials sector.

Mining studies face numerous challenges, particularly in translating theoretical knowledge into practical skills, which hinders the smooth transition from academic education to professional practice (4). In addition, the field of mining engineering and its associated education sector are undergoing a sustained period of change, resulting in declining student numbers. This decline is largely due to negative societal perceptions of mining, whereby concerns about possible environmental degradation and social impacts overshadow its economic contributions. As public opinion shifts away from mining as a career choice, fewer students are attracted to the sector, which in turn exacerbates the skills gap and skill shortage in the mining industry. As a result, higher education institutions face challenges in securing the financial resources necessary to maintain the attractiveness of mining-related programs.

Hands-on learning experiences, such as field trips, are essential for effective mining education. However, these experiences are costly and often impractical for large groups of students (5). In addition, traditional teaching methods like lectures, which often lack student engagement, need to be replaced by more innovative approaches. This shift is being driven by technological advances and changing student attitudes to learning (6).

Virtual Excursions (VEs) are innovative educational tools that enhance the integration of scientific research with practical applications in industry, allowing students to safely engage with scenarios in the classroom that are often difficult to access or pose safety risks in real life. By simulating real-world mining environments through immersive online experiences, VEs enable students to explore current research and industry practices without geographical limitations. These virtual experiences encourage the exploration of sustainable practices and innovative solutions to today’s mining challenges, aligning educational outcomes with market demands.

The IMMERSE (Immersive Virtual Tours on Critical Minerals for Clean Energy Transition) project is a pioneering initiative in educational innovation aimed at developing VEs to improve education in the CRMs sector. This collaborative effort unites leading universities from Europe and Australia to address the training gap for mining and geoscience professionals by implementing innovative teaching and learning practices that emphasize sustainability.

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Objective

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The primary objective of the IMMERSE project is to develop VEs that enhance education in the CRMs sector, focusing on the entire Life of Mine (LOM) cycle of these materials. By simulating real-world mining scenarios, these VEs allow students to engage with complex concepts in a simulated environment, improving their understanding and retention of key principles. The project also aims to provide flexible, time and cost-saving teaching concepts to enhance the accessibility of educational materials. Through virtual technologies, these resources can be accessed anytime and anywhere, reducing the need for expensive field trips and specialized equipment. Moreover, IMMERSE will produce Open Educational Resources (OER) to ensure widespread access to high quality educational materials. In addition, the project aims to enhance the collaborative capacity of universities by fostering cross-border cooperation, particularly at EU level, enabling students and educators to address common challenges in the mining industry.

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Partnership

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The IMMERSE project brings together a consortium of leading academic institutions in Europe and Australia, each contributing unique expertise in mining and geosciences (Figure 1). The partnership is led by the Institute of Mineral Resources Engineering (MRE) at RWTH Aachen University, Aachen/Germany, which is well-known for its strengths in sustainable resource management. Collaborating partners include the Centre for Ore Deposit and Earth Sciences (CODES) at the University of Tasmania, Hobart/Australia, renowned for its leading research in ore deposit geology and geosciences, the School of Mineral Resources Engineering (MRE) at the Technical University of Crete, Chania/Greece, with a strong focus on sustainable mining practices, and the Environmental Mineralogy and Geochemistry Group (MGA) at the University of Huelva, Huelva/Spain, with expertise in geological sciences and environmental impact assessments.

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Target group

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The primary aim of the IMMERSE project is to address the educational needs of specific target groups as follows:

• Undergraduate and postgraduate geoscience and mining students: The primary focus of the project is to provide comprehensive educational resources for undergraduate and postgraduate students in geosciences and mining.
• Public: The project also targets the public with the aim of raising awareness about the significance of CRMs for society and the importance of sustainable extraction practices.
• Universities: In addition, the project seeks to facilitate the creation and dissemination of VEs for educational purposes, encouraging universities and other organizations to develop similar content.

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Project Outcomes

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The IMMERSE project aims to deliver several key outcomes:

• Virtual Excursions:

During the project, at least ten mining sites will be visited to collect data on different geological settings, mining methods and stages within the LOM cycle. This data will be used to develop a minimum of thirty VEs to ensure comprehensive educational coverage of different mining scenarios.

• IMMERSE Website:

A website will be established to share disseminating resources, including VEs and project updates, and to provide guidelines and instructions for the creation of VEs to support a broader audience and extending the impact of the project.

• Manual for creating VEs:

The project will develop a manual outlining the process of creating VEs, including best practices for data collection, post-processing and integration into educational frameworks. This manual will be made available as an open-access resource, encouraging the broader adoption of VE creation techniques by other institutions.

The materials created for this project will be delivered in English to reach a wider audience and promote international collaboration.

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Approach

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The IMMERSE project adopts a systematic approach to enhance education in the raw materials sector through the development of VEs (Figure 2). The initiative began with a workshop aimed at establishing a unified framework to align project objectives, methodologies and educational outcomes. This led to the development of a comprehensive pedagogical framework that addressed the diverse academic needs of the target groups. A standardized software platform was then developed to facilitate collaboration and ensure consistency across partner institutions. Following the selection of critical raw material mine sites, field trips will be conducted to collect digital content, including conventional and 360° imagery, drone footage and geological data. The collected data will be post-processed and enriched with metadata to create structured, interactive educational content according to pedagogical guidelines. The creation of the VEs will then follow the established pedagogical concepts, transforming the raw data into structured, interactive educational content. The integration of the VEs into the curricula of the partner universities will be followed by the processes of validation, evaluation and revision to ensure their effectiveness. Finally, the VEs will be disseminated, informed by user feedback and emerging best practices.

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Case Studies

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To date, field trips to two key mining sites, the Riotinto Mine in Spain and the Gánt Bauxite Mine in Hungary, were undertaken to gather content for the development of VEs. These sites were chosen for their significance and unique geological features, offering students diverse learning opportunities to explore different aspects of mining and sustainable resource management.

• Riotinto Mine, Spain

The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) hosts some of the world’s most significant volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits, with a mining history of over 5,000 years (7). In the last decade, the IPB has seen a resurgence in mining activity and scientific research (8). The historic Riotinto mine was reopened in 2015 under the management of Atalaya Mining (9) and is currently a fully operational open pit copper mine in the province of Huelva (10). This region has significant historical and environmental value, with mining activities dating back to pre-Roman times (7). In addition, the Riotinto River is a world-famous example of acid mine drainage (AMD) resulting from sulfide oxidation (11) (Figure 3).

Two VEs on Riotinto will showcase the site’s unique geological characteristics, AMD challenges, and mining techniques. By incorporating interactive drone footage, 360° photos and videos, and geological data, these two VEs will enhance the students’ understanding of mining techniques and environmental challenges in the raw materials sector.

• Gánt Bauxite Mine, Hungary

In 1924, Jenő Balás discovered the significant karst bauxite deposit at Gánt, a key part of Hungary’s geological efforts to identify new mineral resources after World War I (12). The open pit mine began operations in 1926 and eventually became Europe’s largest bauxite producer, with a total output of 10 Mt. By 1987, however, the mine was no longer economically viable and was closed (13).

Today, the site functions as a museum and geological park, offering visitors a glimpse of its mining history. The geological park features a 13-station educational trail that highlights the geology and mining history of the area. The museum, located in an artificial tunnel at the edge of the former mine, displays mining tools, equipment and historic photographs.

The VE developed for Gánt emphasises geological information, mining techniques and the environmental impact of mining on the surrounding landscape. It also highlights post-mining rehabilitation efforts, aimed at restoring the area and promoting biodiversity. The VE includes 3D models (Figure 4), 360° images, drone videos and geological surveys.

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Summary and outlook

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Mining schools around the world are faced with declining student numbers. As a consequence, universities around the world will need to pursue innovative teaching and learning projects to engage students and the public in the raw materials sector. This project, with its focus on immersive virtual excursions, will integrate technological advancements in university education and deliver interactive learning activities. As a result, the IMMERSE project will serve as a model for similar educational initiatives in other scientific disciplines.

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Acknowledgement

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The IMMERSE project is funded by the ERASMUS+ grant program of the European Union (grant number: 2023-1-DE01-KA220-HED-000165332).

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