Twelve engineering students are spending the summer working around the globe on Rio Tinto projects at universities, research institutes and mines.

The students are based in South Africa, Canada, Australia, the US and the UK. They are tackling diverse subjects, from researching ways to prevent water pollution from coal mine waste in Cape Town, to experimenting with ore samples in Brisbane, Queensland.

The internships are part of a new Education Partnership between Rio Tinto - one of the largest mining companies in the world - and the College, which aims to encourage engineering students to apply their skills in the mining sector. Twelve scholarships are given every year to students from the Faculty of Engineering, who can apply at the end of their first year. Students on the scholarship programme receive financial support from Rio Tinto for the remainder of their degree.

Along with financial support, Rio Tinto also provides students with help finding internships, in addition to career-development events and networking opportunities, with Rio Tinto staff acting as mentors. This gives the scholars valuable exposure to support future careers in the mining industry.

Professor Jan Cilliers FREng, Head of the Department of Earth Science and Engineering said: “The Rio Tinto Education Partnership has the student experience at its core. The Partnership is multi-faceted, supporting not only those students that have scholarships, but also part-funding two Teaching Fellows and a geology field trip for all our students. This is a model for industry support of university education, and I am very proud the Faculty of Engineering is part of it.” 

Four of the first cohort of Rio Tinto scholars are chronicling their activities during their work experience placements on a College blog site.

Professor Jan Cilliers added: “Now that the students have finished their second year, all are on training placements at sites associated with Rio Tinto projects. I know they are having a great time; I hope readers enjoy finding out more through their blogs.”

Blog voyage

Extracts from the Rio Tinto - Imperial Summer Internships Student blogs. 

Hayley Meek (Geophysics) and Isobel Mackay (Geophysics)
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC), at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia

“We are involved in a project known by the centre as “The Secret Squirrel” [insert dramatic music here]. This involves carrying out innovative, small-scale experiments on 1000s (literally 1000s), of ore samples straight from Kennecott Mine, Utah.

Our main aim is to optimise the process of separating valuable minerals from barren waste using Microwave technology. And that, for now, is all we are allowed to tell you.

Even though it has been all go, we wouldn’t miss the opportunity to soak up the Australian culture! Oz is absolutely fab. The people are so friendly and really do seem to love the British accent.

On the first weekend, we visited Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (20 minutes away from our house) where we actually got to cuddle koalas and kangaroos!!”

Harry Fisher (Geology)
University of Cape Town, South Africa

“I arrived in Cape Town just over a week ago and have done so much already. I started work at the University of Cape Town (UCT) on Monday and was thrown straight into my task for the next 9 weeks; being part of a research group that looks into acid rock drainage from mine waste. This will involve lots of lab work, which is meant to be very messy (cue for sympathy) but hopefully will prove useful to the mining industry as a whole!

Harry Fisher

I will try to keep you updated with everything I am doing from research at the university, to day drips at weekends and a local ice hockey match tomorrow (random I know!).”

The students are currently on their summer internships, to find out how they’re getting on visit the Rio Tinto Summer Internships 2013 blog.

For more information on the Scholarship, visit the Rio Tinto - Imperial Scholarships page for further information.