McBrayer receives Society of Mining Professors fellowship award

Mining engineering teaching assistant professor Amy McBrayer has been recognized by the Society of Mining Professors as this year's Michael Karmis PhD Fellow. (WVU Photo/Savanna Leech)

Amy McBrayer, teaching assistant professor in mining engineering at the  Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, has been named the 2023 Michael Karmis PhD Fellow by the Society of Mining Professors.

Story by Kaley LaQuea, Communications Specialist
Photos by Savanna Leech

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

The fellowship, established in 2019, recognizes one junior SOMP member in pursuit of a PhD in mining engineering or mineral processing. McBrayer, who is also a Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration and Stantec/McIntosh PhD fellow, recently returned to West Virginia University as a faculty member in mining engineering. 

The Society of Mining Professors comprises a global academic community committed to the future of the minerals disciplines through information exchange, research and teaching partnerships and member collaboration.

“Having my research, work experience and commitment to mining engineering education recognized by the Society of Mining Professors is an honor,” McBrayer said. “I am extremely thankful to the Society and Michael Karmis for the opportunity and for the network of mining professors willing to collaborate and exchange information.”

McBrayer completed her undergraduate studies at West Virginia University and spent nearly a decade in engineering, operations and logistics roles in the Powder River Basin of the western United States. McBrayer's research and accomplishments were recognized at the SOMP Annual General Meeting in Clausthal, Germany in September where she presented her research on integrating renewable energy use into mine production schedules.

“I was also honored to have the opportunity to meet with other very distinguished professors throughout the globe and hear about how they're bringing technology into the classroom, what research they're doing and what mining education looks like in Australia versus South Africa versus Europe versus the United States,” McBrayer said. She believes that connections like these help her integrate fresh ideas into her classrooms and prepares her to help her students solve some of the challenges and problems they’ll encounter in the professional world.

“Mining is still very important,” McBrayer said, highlighting ways that organizations like SOMP and mining professionals are tackling how to attract new students and integrate new challenges in the mining industry into the classroom. “We continue to see a need for mining engineers. There's a continued importance and we're doing very relevant things in our research."

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