Science partners.
The University of Washington is developing a new collaboration with StrategicREM to support U.S.-Malaysia rare earth projects. A UW team, led by ITAC Director Prof. Alexander Mamishev (Electrical and Computer Engineering) and Prof. Dwayne Arola (Materials Science and Engineering), is applying to the U.S. Department of Energy through ENERGYWERX to establish a University-Based Industrial Training and Assessment Center focused on manufacturing, mining, and mineral processing, while training engineering students in applied energy and manufacturing skills. UW has hosted DOE-funded assessment centers twice before, from 2006 to 2011 and again from 2021 to 2026, and this new installment is expanding to include international partners like StrategicREM. The program builds on a long legacy: UW founded its School of Mining Engineering in 1893 and granted mining degrees until 1976, and the U.S. Bureau of Mines ran its Northwest station on campus from 1916 to 1964.