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The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) will convene a Rare Earth Summit on April 20, 2023 of national and international experts to discuss technologies and policies to secure the supply chain of rare earth elements (REEs).

REEs are essential for the continued growth of high-tech industries (including electric vehicles, wind turbines, batteries and unmanned aerial vehicles). As such, a sustained supply of REEs is critical for the economic and national security of the United States and its allies.

The summit will provide recommendations regarding technologies for recovery, recycling and reuse of REEs and illuminate the environmental and economic aspects. Recommended technology strategies and public policies for reducing supply chain risks will be identified as potential swim lanes for future REE roadmaps.

Rare Earth Technical Summit

Agenda 

Time Activity Presenter/Moderator
7:30 - 8:30 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast  
8:30 - 8:40 AM Welcome Remarks Dr. Dimitis Lagoudas, Deputy Director of Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
8:40 - 8:55 AM REE Supply Chain: Orienting the Discussion Dr. Roderick Eggert, Professor, Colorado School of Mines and Deputy Director, Critical Materials Institute
8:55 - 9:20 AM Keynote: Supporting the Innovation Pipeline for Rare earth supply chain - Department of Energy Strategy and Critical Materials Institute Programs Dr. Thomas Lograsso, Director, Critical Materials Institute Ames National Laboratory
9:20 – 10:20 AM

Panel: Public policies for REEs

  • Commercial Policy: land access, tax, and environmental
  • Trade Policies:  Imports/exports
  • Technology policies: R&D, PPP, innovation incentivization
  • Environmental Policies: extraction permitting
  • Defense Production Act implications

 

Moderator: Dr. Roderick Eggert, Professor, Colorado School of Mines and Deputy Director, Critical Materials Institute

 

Panelists:

 

  • Dr. Ned Mamula, Chief Geologist - Green Met
  • Mr. Troy Hobbs, Lead, Co-products Strategy & Delivery - The Mosaic Company
  • Mr. Jon Blumenthal, President and CEO - Blue Line Corporation

 

 
10:20 - 10:50 AM Break  
10:50 - 11:15 AM Keynote: Upstream Industry Perspectives Mr. Matt Sloustcher, Sr. Vice President, Communications & Policy - MP Materials
11:15 - 11:40 AM

Keynote: Perspectives from a Magnet Fabricator/Distributor 

Mr. Michael Devine, Senior Applications Engineer - Adams Magnetic Products
11:40 - 11:55 AM

Texas A&M Materials Research Capabilities and Academic Initiatives

Dr. Ibrahim Karaman, Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering - Texas A&M University
11:55 AM - 1:15 PM Lunch  
1:15 - 2:15 PM

Panel: Recovery, Recycling, and Reuse of REEs

 

  • Seperations and recovery
  • Environmental concerns
  • Alternate technologies

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Dr. Nabeel Mancheri, Secretary General - The Global Rare Earth Industry Association

 

Panelists:

 

  • Mr. Patrick Nee, Co-Founder and Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Cyclic Materals
  • Mr. Nicholas Myers, CEO - Phoenix Tailings
  • Dr. Allan Walton, Professor of Critical and Magnetic Materials - Univerity of Birmingham
  • Ms. Michelle Simpson, Vice President, Clean Energy & Critical Materials - Okon Metals

 

 

 
2:15 - 3:15 PM

Panel: Role of REEs in Advancing High-tech Industries for Defense and Energy Sectors

 

  • Products
  • Processes
  • Innovations

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Dr. Sarbajit Banerjee, Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science, Texas A&M University

 

Panelists:

 

  • Dr. Muhammad Imran, Vice President Rare Earth Element Division, Saskatchewan Research Council
  • Mr. William Dawes, Chief Executive, Mkango Resources Limited
  • Dr. Terry Russell, Managing Director - Interface Ventures
  • Dr. Vicky Poenitzsch, Manager R&D - Southwest Research Institute

 

 
3:15 - 3:45 PM Break  
3:45 - 4:45 PM

Panel: Education and Workforce Development

 

  • Critical skills (e.g. mining engineers)
  • Program deficiences
  • Leveraging existing initiatives

 

Moderator: Dr. Cindy Lawley, Associate Vice Chancellor, Texas A&M University System

 

Panelists:

 

  • Mr. Tom Schneberger, CEO - USA Rare Earth
  • Dr. Sam Spearing, Mining Center of Excellence, Great Basin College
  • Dr. Kwame Awuah-Offei, Professor - Missouri S&T
4:45 - 5:00 PM Concluding Remarks Dr. Prabhakar Pagilla, Associate Dean of Research of the College of Engineering