Explorations: Experiential Learning for Building the Critical Minerals Workforce

This project addresses the growing national need for a skilled workforce in the critical minerals sector, which supports technologies essential to national defense, economic growth, and energy production. By engaging high school and community college students in immersive, hands-on learning, it is positioned to cultivate early interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and expand pathways into geoscience, engineering, and resource management. The project will focus on students from the Greater Houston area with limited prior STEM exposure, leveraging regional energy and mineral industry infrastructure to deliver relevant, industry-tailored experiences. Through mentorship, cohort-based learning, and academic-industry partnerships, impactful educational opportunities will be offered that align with workforce needs. The project supports NSF’s mission by promoting scientific progress and enhancing national prosperity and security. Aligned with the Explorations track of NSF’s Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) program, this project plans to develop and evaluate a learning framework that integrates artificial intelligence, geoscience, and mineral processing into early-stage STEM education. Led by the University of Houston with industry partners, the program plans annual support of 20 students through field-based activities, lab experiments, and structured mentoring. The curriculum designed emphasizes active learning, digital tools, and peer support. The evaluation plan includes measures of student learning, career interest, and persistence. Planned outcomes include a validated experiential model, impact data, and publicly available resources to inform broader STEM education and workforce development efforts. Public dissemination of outcomes and instructional materials can support national efforts to build capacity in critical minerals education and provide a scalable model for experiential STEM training. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.