VTCA's Rob Lanham Guest Lectures At ODU

It was an honor to be invited to address Professor Nora Noffke’s Mineralogy and Petrology class at Old Dominion University to discuss the economic impact and the important role aggregates and industrial minerals (aggregates) play in the day-to-day lives of Virginians. Dr. Noffke wanted to expose her students to an outside perspective from industry on the markets and uses of aggregates.

The class consisted of about 15 geoscience students of varying levels. The presentation started with a slide asking, “Have you used aggregates today?” and “What is a critical mineral?”

We shared the VTCA Aggregate Producer – Economic Contribution of Construction Aggregate and Industrial Mineral Mining in Virginia report with the students and went through a slide presentation that highlighted where Virginia’s minerals are mined, how they’re produced, their uses and markets, and the challenges and economic benefits of the nonmetallic minerals that are mined in Virginia.

By the end of the presentation, all of the students learned how aggregates are used today, and that construction aggregates and industrial minerals are all critical minerals.