Schedule
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August 13, 2025
Session 1: Conventional and Unconventional Sources of Critical Minerals
| 8:00 – 8:30 | Check-In at Thompson Conference Center front desk |
| 8:30 – 9:00 | Welcome and Opening Remarks |
| 9:00 – 9:30 | Keynote Speaker Jeffrey Mauk, United States Geological Survey “Critical minerals: Reasons for hope” |
| 9:30 – 10:00 | Keynote Speaker Daniel Alessi, The University of Texas at Austin “Development of lithium manganese oxide sorbents for the recovery of lithium from brines” |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Oral Presentation Kristina Butler, The University of Texas at Dallas “The origin and enrichment of sedimentary basin lithium brines: a case study from the Devonian Leduc Formation, Alberta Basin, Canada” |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Oral Presentation Rona Donahoe, University of Alabama “CCR Impoundments: Unconventional Sources of REE and Li” |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | Break |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | Oral Presentation Jorge Crespo, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology “Light Rare Earth Element Occurrence, Distribution and Mineralogy in the Thacker Pass Lithium Deposit” |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Oral Presentation Toti Larson, The University of Texas at Austin “Assessing critical mineral resources in mudrock-shale systems across Texas” |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | Oral Presentation Stefanie Brueckner, Laurentian University “Critical metals in volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits” |
| 11:30 – 11:45 | Oral Presentation Jeffrey Catalano, Washington University in St. Louis “Molecular Insights into Critical Mineral Transformation, Mobility, and Accumulation in Regolith-Hosted Deposits and Mine Wastes” |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Oral Presentation Margaret Goldman, United States Geological Survey “Critical Mineral Assessments with AI Support” |
| 12:00 – 13:30 | Lunch and Poster Session |
Session 2: Critical Minerals Workforce Development
| 13:30 – 14:00 | Keynote Speaker Leah Turner, CUAHSI “Inspiring the Next Generation: Success Stories and Strategies from Youth Outreach” |
| 14:00 – 14:30 | Keynote Speaker Robert Bodnar, Virginia Tech “Challenges and Opportunities for Students in Critical Minerals Space” |
| 14:30 – 14:45 | Oral Presentation Joe Biasi, University of Wyoming “A student-owned, student-operated, and student-led mineral exploration company” |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | Oral Presentation Tetteh & Motlagh, Freeport McMoRan Inc./ New Mexico Tech “Embracing the Morphology of 21st Century Miners in the Future of the Critical Minerals Workforce” |
| 15:00 – 15:15 | Oral Presentation James Kubicki, The University of Texas at El Paso “Mining Engineering and Economic Geology at UTEP” |
| 15:15 – 15:30 | Oral Presentation Clémentine Hamelin, William & Mary “Engaging Undergraduate Students with Critical Minerals through ‘Role Play’-based course Activities and Projects” |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Break |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Panel Discussion Critical Minerals R&D in the light of recent Executive Orders |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Happy Hour and Evening Poster Session |
| 19:00 – 21:00 | Workshop Dinner (reservation only) |
August 14, 2025
Session 3: Towards a Circular Economy
| 8:30 – 9:00 | Day 2 Welcome |
| 9:00 – 9:30 | Keynote Speaker Douglas Wicks, Department of Energy ARPA-E “Innovations to Address Challenges in Critical Mineral Processing” |
| 9:30 – 10:00 | Keynote Speaker Jesica Urbina, Infinite Elements “Revolutionizing Critical Mineral Recovery: Bridging Biotechnology & Mining for a Sustainable Future” |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Oral Presentation Emma Zhang, George Mason University “Bio-Engineered Mining and Manufacturing: Toward Sustainable Critical Material Extraction” |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Oral Presentation Benton Wilcoxon, Critical Elements Extraction Technology “Novel Extraction of Critical Elements |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | Break |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | Oral Presentation Ben Ruchte, IXRF, Inc. “Characterization and leaching feasibility studies of copper flue dust for the recovery of main and trace metals” |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Oral Presentation Bridget Scanlon, Bureau of Economic Geology “Comparison of Rare Earth Element Potential from Coal versus Coal Ash in the Gulf Coast” |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | Oral Presentation Yihan Li, The University of Texas at Austin “Ash to Gel: A Hidden Barrier in Rare Earths Recovery from Legacy Coal Wastes” |
| 11:30 – 11:45 | Oral Presentation Wencai Zhang, Virginia Tech “Integrated Critical Metal Recovery and CO2 Sequestration Using Produced Water via a Novel Process” |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Oral Presentation Andrew Gordon, Iofina Natural Resources “Exploration and Extraction of Iodine from Produced Waters in the Anadarko Basin” |
| 12:00 – 13:30 | Lunch and Poster Session |
Session 4: Policy and Supply Chain Economics
| 13:30 – 14:00 | Keynote Speaker Simon Jowitt, University of Nevada-Reno “The 21st Century Minerals Industry; Energy Transition Challenges and Opportunities and Policy Influences on Metal Supply and Demand |
| 14:00 – 14:30 | Keynote Speaker Jani Das, Bureau of Economic Geology “Environmental impacts of critical mineral supply chains and policy implications” |
| 14:30 – 14:45 | Oral Presentation Karin Olson Hoal, Cornell University and CSIRO “Science-stakeholder business practices for the new minerals sector” |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | Oral Presentation Holiday O’Bryan, The University of Texas at Austin “Relevant or Redundant: Evaluating the Disbandment of the U.S. Bureau of Mines” |
| 15:00 – 15:15 | Oral Presentation Monika Ehrman, SMU Dedman School of Law “Acknowledging Tribal Nation Sovereignty over Critical Minerals in Indian Country” |
| 15:15 – 15:30 | Oral Presentation Homay Fath, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production: Establishing Tellurium Supply Chain Resilience for Strategic Decarbonization” |
| 15:30 – 15:45 | Oral Presentation Jim Kennedy, Caldera Holding LLC “Casualties at the Intersection of Policy, Expectation, Perception & Reality” |
| 15:45 – 16:00 | Break |
| 16:00 – 17:30 | Breakout Sessions Critical Minerals R&D in the light of recent Executive Orders |