Economic geology graduate student Conner Callaway is so passionate about his chosen field that he has been known to pan stream samples for gold in rural Nevada in his spare time.

“With Conner’s enthusiasm, mentorship is more a matter of reining him in,” says Andrew Martin, assistant professor in economic geology in the department of geoscience at UNLV.

Callaway’s 10-week internship with Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) played to this passion and helped refine his thesis focus.  

Buoyed by this enriching summer internship at NGM, Callaway dove head first into a graduate assistant position in geoscience — funded by NGM — as the fall 2023 semester got underway. 

It’s all part of a growing relationship that benefits both NGM and UNLV, setting students up for research and post-graduation success. Every year, NGM employs UNLV student interns from engineering, geoscience, and business to gain experience and skills needed in their rapidly evolving industry. 

“During my internship NGM leadership were constantly asking what I wanted to do, what I was most interested in, and allowed me to learn more about those areas,” says Callaway. 

Callaway first interacted with NGM during his undergrad as a member of the campus chapter of the Society of Economic Geologists. He attended an event that NGM hosted on campus to learn about the program Leapfrog, a 3D geological modeling software used in mining operations.  

This event, along with a dinner he attended with members of the NGM team, introduced him to the summer internship — an internship he would spend at Rita K mine in Carlin, Nevada. 

Drilling down deep

It was at the Rita K mine — one of several NGM mines in northern Nevada, and roughly seven hours from the UNLV campus — where Callaway would continue to follow his passion. 

From the outset, following training and acclimating to the mining operation, Callaway was given a project to develop a drill plan for NGM with the opportunity to present it to management at the end of the internship. 

In gold mining, syncline and anticline patterns indicate the folding of rock layers within the earth. Gold typically follows these folds, and geologists are exploring why this is and why there is more gold in one place over another when the rock all looks the same. 

Callaway is exploring that further for his thesis, and his internship has provided plenty of core samples to bring back to campus to further his research goals. 

“With the tools we have on campus, we’re able to look at these core samples at a much higher resolution so we can grow our knowledge and understand better why there is more gold present in one area over another,” says Martin. 

Mining companies like NGM are working to grow “fundamental ore body knowledge,” which is focused on the integration of geological, mining, environmental, and economical information to work toward predictive models for mineral exploitation and more efficient mining methods. 

The research and mining complement each other because NGM can’t suspend mining operations to research these questions each time they drill a new hole. Supporting research through the university environment will pay dividends down the road, with the broad goal of increasing efficiencies in their mining operations and equipping future generations of geologists with the skills needed to be successful in the mining industry.

It’s estimated to cost about $200 to drill one foot, and some drill holes can be thousands of feet in length. Further knowledge gained about the “behavior” of gold in these deposits means mining companies like NGM can be more efficient and cost effective in their drilling decisions. 

Geologists can spend one to three months analyzing, planning, and applying this “fundamental ore body knowledge” to make the best decision on where to drill to extract the most ore with the least amount of drilling.

“We are reaching a place where we’re having to dig deeper, and it’s potentially more challenging to get the gold out — which is more expensive. Knowing how to find the gold, and being accurate with finding gold will save money once drilling. The knowledge gained will also make geologists working at NGM more efficient with their time when looking at a drill plan,” says Martin. 

The graduate assistant support Callaway is receiving allows him to focus on his research, which in turn allows him to focus on getting NGM the results they need.

“Every bit of knowledge we can gain to make the process more efficient is valuable to everyone,” says Martin. “With research like Callaway’s, we can better define what really controls where gold is and mine these ore bodies more efficiently. In doing that we move less rock, we produce less CO2, we use less chemicals to get the gold out, we produce less waste. Basically, we have to get smarter with our mining processes to access Earth resources in a more sustainable way.”

A deepening partnership

Martin sees himself as a facilitator, getting students out to the field to meet people and gain exposure to the industry. His goal is to make these experiences at the mines more available to students, as well as getting students access to the training they need on tools like Leapfrog. That will ultimately make them more prepared for when they start working in the field.  

“There is a lot we still want to do, and I’m confident that it will come to fruition,” he said.

Martin loves going up to the mines because each time he goes he sees a larger number of students from UNLV. He feels these internships partner nicely with coursework to give students like Callaway a deeper understanding of the material. 

“This internship is not just for geoscience students, it can cover many degree paths,” Callaway added. “Anyone who has interest should apply. When I was there for my internship, there was also someone from the Lee Business School interning with their human resources department.”

As part of the internship, NGM provides housing in Elko as well as, “a good paycheck,” according to Callaway. NGM has built this partnership at UNLV not only with the College of Sciences and the department of geoscience, but they support the College of Engineering, Lee Business School, and the Honors College, as well.

“Geology is the foundation of any mineral resource, and we are proud to partner with UNLV to develop the next generation of geologists,” says Tricia Evans, head of mineral resource management for Nevada Gold Mines and a UNLV graduate. “As a UNLV geoscience alum, it’s an honor to provide opportunities that fuel excitement for geology and launch careers in Nevada.”

Martin would like to get more students out to the mines as he feels it’s the time in the field that can really draw them into the industry. 

“It’s what drew me during my graduate work and made me fall in love with it,” he said. “You can see a picture of a mine in a textbook, but actually standing there and seeing the scale of it is incredible. Students need to look at more rocks and get out and see more mines!”