Virginia Tech mining engineering literally opened up the world to Aaron Noble. He still remembers stepping onto an airplane for the first time as a junior on his way to Alaska for an internship.
As the newly appointed head of the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering, Noble said he wants to ensure more students have the kinds of opportunities that changed the trajectory of his own life. And he wants to grow the mining program, not only to provide careers for new graduates, but to boost U.S. competitiveness in critical minerals and the industries they support.
“I want to focus on sustainable enrollment growth,” Noble said. “I believe we can double our enrollment — double the production of mining engineers to support industries critical to national security and the country’s economic health. Being a mining program in a top-ranked engineering college gives us…
