Informacion

Journal of Cleaner Production 14 (2006) 366e373 www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro

Educational note

An interdisciplinary approach to integrating sustainability into mining engineering education and research
Silvana Costa, Malcolm Scoble *
Sustainability Working Group, Department of Mining Engineering, University of British Columbia, 6350 Stores Road, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z4 Received5 September 2003; accepted 14 January 2004 Available online 11 May 2005

Abstract This paper considers how the Mining Engineering Department at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is addressing the need to integrate sustainable development into mining engineering on behalf of industry and society. In particular, it considers the evolution of an interdisciplinary model, the SustainabilityWorking Group (SWG), which has brought together a diverse array of disciplines from academia, industry, government, NGOs and mining communities. The operational mechanisms and structure of SWG have enabled momentum to be gained through several initiatives. These aim to impact on undergraduate and postgraduate education, lifelong learning and research. Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Keywords: Sustainability; Education; Interdisciplinary; Mining; Research; University; Innovation

1. Introduction A learning process has evolved within UBC’s Department of Mining Engineering over the last six years, a period when industry has faced much change. This process initially focused on understanding the nature and the relevance of sustainable development principles to mining and itscommunities [1]. It then addressed how sustainability should be integrated in a functional manner into our academic culture for educational and research development. Central to this learning process were the following issues:  How could the University respond to the increasing awareness of social as well as environmental
* Corresponding author. Tel.: C1 604 822 1247; fax: C1 604 822 5599. E-mailaddress: malcolms@interchange.ubc.ca (M. Scoble). 0959-6526/$ - see front matter Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2004.01.011

responsibilities in designing, planning, developing, operating and closing mines?  What learning model could facilitate capacity for our mining faculty to legitimately lead sustainability teaching and research initiatives?  Whatinterdisciplinary networking mechanism could serve the need for educational and research development within the context of the UBC Campus, and other Universities and institutions? The Sustainability Working Group (SWG) aims to contribute to education and research for technology development, new practices, policy and regulation in support of responsible mining. The Group provides complementary synergies, and oftencritical support, to the traditional mining, mineral processing and environmental expertise within UBC’s Mining Engineering Department. The rationale is non-intrusive, bringing the social sciences to complement existing technical expertise. Thus, due consideration can be given to community

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and policy issues indeveloping and implementing the next generation of sustainable mining systems. The goal of the SWG is to develop educational and research initiatives aimed to enhance the integration of sustainability concepts within the mine life cycle. A related goal is to train a new kind of researcher and practitioner; one that is familiar with the scientific and engineering challenges but also able to contendwith the complexities of ecological, economic and social realities. This paper reviews efforts to characterize sustainability and its integration into mining engineering. It then focuses on education and research, and presents an operational model adopted in the evolution of SWG. It concludes with a summary of some current SWG educational and research initiatives.

2. Mining and sustainability in...