Arianna BennettChannel 2 News
As Nevada's economy continues to recover, the University of Nevada is trying something new to help out: one-of-a-kind classes in key subjects that just might be able to diversify the economy and help the unemployment rate at the same time.
This semester UNR came out with a few new online classes in subjects that are big players in Nevada's future. And they gave us a look inside their online metallurgical engineering program-- giving an old industry some new skills.
"The only important mineral is the black stuff," associate professor Dr. Carl Nesbitt explained as he showed us around his lab. That black stuff is called Pyrite, or Fool's Gold. But you'd be a fool not to take it seriously. In the lab, they learn how to take that black stuff and turn it into gold.
And in turn, they take these lessons and make them digital, uploading them online for mining science students in Nevada, Nigeria, Turkey, and all over the globe. It's a non-traditional twist on a traditional Nevada subject, and the University of Nevada is the only one in the world to do it.
"This is part of economic development for us," College of Science Dean Jeff Thompson said, "making sure that we have a skilled workforce, that people can advance in their careers in our industries, in our state."
Putting the program online allows different types of students, like working engineers, to learn skills that are in really high demand. A decline in the mining industry in the 90s caused universities to cut their metallurgical engineering programs. But now, with metal prices at all-time highs, mining companies are desperate for these specialized engineers.
"A lot of mining companies have really good tuition reimbursement and continuing education," Nesbitt said, "but they don't have any classes available for their people to take, so we hope to fill in that need."
All this interest is good news for the record number of unemployed people in Nevada, like Steve Erickson. He is a retired Navy engineer with two master's degrees, but he still wasn't able to find work.
"I've been a professional engineer all my career," Erickson said, "but I've been more the management side of things. And as a senior manager I was unable to find jobs out here."
That's what sent him to the online metallurgical engineering program. It's an easy jump from his engineering background into mining sciences, and it's a transition that means practically guaranteed employment when he's finished.
"The jobs are clearly here in mining," Erickson said, "whether it be in Nevada, or the world market."
With this program, you could say the university has hit the motherlode. It funnels students directly into careers-- careers that promote the advancement of Nevada's economy and help the university's relationship with the mining industry.
"It's a real good symbiotic relationship with the mining industry," Nesbitt said. "They really like us, and of course we try to support them whenever we can."
In fact, the mining science program is almost completely funded by mining companies looking for more qualified employees. It's a deal that makes the mining school--and its students--a lot more recession-proof.
"It allows us to not have to worry about the budgetary crisis," Nesbitt said, "so we've been able to weather the storm very nicely."
Mining school administrators plan to have a full master's certificate in metallurgical engineering up and ready by this fall.
