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Senator Giessel Congratulates UAF on $15 Million Critical Minerals Award
Anchorage, AK – Today, Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, congratulated the University of Alaska Fairbanks on leading one of 12 new U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines. Led by Lee Ann Munk, Ph.D., the NSF Critical Mineral Accelerator Engine in Alaska will develop new technologies to find, mine, and process critical minerals in Alaska and train Alaskans for jobs in the industry. They will receive $15 million over two years and could receive up to $160 million over the next decade.
"This is a big win for Alaska and the University. The grant-funded work the UAF team is undertaking will reprocess tailings left from previous mining work, extracting substantial residual critical minerals left behind by previous processing,” said Sen. Giessel. “The Senate was proud to support this proposal, and I congratulate Dr. Munk and the entire UAF team. They built a partnership that spans researchers, Alaska Native corporations, industry, and communities across the state, and that's exactly why they won."
Alaska holds 56 of the 60 minerals the U.S. Geological Survey considers essential to the economy and national security. Today, the United States imports most of these minerals, which are used in batteries, computer chips, medical equipment, power grids, aircraft, and defense systems.
The Alaska engine will develop new technologies for mining, processing, and purification, use artificial intelligence to help locate deposits, and research biological methods for extracting minerals. It will also expand workforce training and create job pathways in rural Alaska. The Legislature supported the effort this session by appropriating $500,000 for the project.
To learn more about this effort, visit https://acma-engine.alaska.edu/.
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