WorldWide Drilling Resource

New Explosives Degree Available Adapted from a News Release by Missouri University of Science and Technology Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is answering the country’s growing interest in explosives technology by expanding its explosives graduate programs. The Missouri S&T system board of curators recently approved a new master of science degree in explosives technology. The announcement isn’t a surprise to the explosives industry. Missouri S&T was the first university in the country to offer both undergraduate and post-graduate minors in explosives back in 2005. In 2010, the university added a master’s degree in explo- sives engineering to the mining department’s expanding program. According to Dr. Braden Lusk, chair of mining and nuclear en- gineering at Missouri S&T, the new program is focussed more on students who didn’t study engineering as undergraduates or earn an undergraduate engineering degree. The university has offered a more limited graduate certificate in explosives technology since 2012 and it attracts 30-40 students from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives every year. “The explosives program receives a constant stream of inquiries,” he stated. “But prospective students without an en- gineering degree are limited in their op- tions. There will continue to be growing opportunities for graduates with explosives qualifications in the defense, consulting, and explosives manufacturing industries and in government,” Lusk added. The master’s degree program in explosives engineering exceeded its fourth-year enrollment projections in its first year. Lusk and his colleagues expect the new degree program to be similarly popular. The Missouri S&T explosives engineering and explosives technology programs are directed by Dr. Paul Worsey, professor of mining engineering. In addition to Dr. Lusk, additional faculty include Dr. Kyle Perry, and Dr. Catherine Johnson, Missouri S&T assistant professors. Photo of Dr. Worsey working with a student in Missouri S&T’s Experimental Mine, by Aimee Whitmire. DID YOU KNOW? The U.S. uses more than 7 billion pounds of explosives each year, most of which is in mining. 30 FEBRUARY 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®