UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Shimin Liu, Joseph Kreutzberger Early Career Professor and assistant professor of energy and mineral engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State, has been selected to receive one of the 2017 Freeport-McMoRan Career Development Grants from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME).
The grant program was designed to help rebuild the mining school faculty pipeline by awarding grants to provide financial support for industry educators and their research, publications and professional services. Liu’s grant is for $100,000 for up to three years.
“I am extremely honored to be selected as the recipient of this award,” said Liu. “I would like to express my wholehearted thanks to SME for this opportunity to boost my early career in the mining profession. It provides me a chance to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. mining industry and the Penn State mining engineering program.”
Liu’s research focuses on fluid dynamics and rock mechanics in mining engineering. He uses knowledge of these areas to improve energy extraction efficiency and the health and safety conditions in mines and energy extraction industry.
“I plan to use this grant to continuously build my lab capacity for coal mine gas control testing and to upgrade some of my equipment,” Liu said. “I will also use the grant to travel to different coal mines to learn the best field practices for coal mine gas control under various geological conditions. Most importantly, the grant will enable me to support some of my graduate students as they prepare for their careers in mining engineering.”
“This prestigious career development grant will help Shimin continue his critical research in mining engineering, specifically in the area of mine ventilation and coal mine gas control,” said Sanjay Srinivasan, John and Willie Leone Family Chair in Energy and Mineral Engineering, professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering, and head of the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering. “I am pleased that he has been selected for this prestigious grant and it is an honor for our department.”
Liu received a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering in 2005 and a master’s degree in mineral processing engineering in 2007, both from the China University of Mining and Technology Beijing. In 2012, he received a doctorate in engineering science from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and joined Penn State’s faculty.
SME is a professional society whose more than 15,000 engineers, geologists, metallurgists, educators, students and researches serve the mining and minerals industry in more than 100 countries. The society seeks to advance the worldwide mining and underground construction community through information exchange and professional development.