Montana Tech Assistant Professor/UM Doctoral Student Wins Prestigious Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration PHD Fellowship

Chris Roos, an Assistant Professor in the Mining Engineering Department at Montana Tech and doctoral student in the Individualized Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program (IIP) at the University of Montana, is the recipient of one of three $60,000 fellowships awarded for 2015 from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME).

Roos started his PhD studies this fall in an individualized plan that combines the strengths of both the University of Montana and Montana Tech in mining engineering, statistical modeling, financial analysis and technical communication. His IIP shows a multi-disciplinary and multi-campus approach that addresses challenges in the mining industry and makes him an ideal candidate for the SME fellowship.

SME is a professional society whose more than 15,000 members represent all professions serving the minerals industry in more than 100 countries. The purpose of this fellowship is to support students with industry experience and a desire to pursue an academic career. Roos’ depth of industrial experience and desire to increase his academic research knowledge served him well while applying to the IIP, which is a challenging process.

Roos joined the Mining Engineering Department at Montana Tech in 2014 and teaches courses related to surface mine design and planning, mine surveying, and proper selection of mining methods. His research focusses on providing the mining industry with practical approaches to mine planning and quantifying and communicating the uncertainty within the mine value chain.

“I am honored to be selected by SME for this fellowship as it will provide the funding necessary to allow me to focus on my education and research,” noted Roos. “I also believe it serves as a recognition that the collaborative nature of the IIP, utilizing resources at both the University of Montana and Montana Tech, has the potential to provide significant benefit to industry and the education of our future generations.”

For more information about the Interdisciplinary degrees, visit http://www.umt.edu/grad/Interdisciplinary%20Graduate%20Programs/Prospective%20Students/default.php or contact the Program Coordinator Dr. Raquel Arouca (raquel.arouca@mso.umt.edu or 406-243-6695).

For more information about Montana Tech, please visit http://mtech.edu/academics/gradschool/ or Dr. Beverly Hartline at bhartline@mtech.edu.