Virginia Tech® home

Emily Sarver

Stonie Barker Professor of Mining and Minerals Engineering
  • Graduate program director
  • Adjunct faculty, Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Research Interests

  • Responsible development of mineral and energy resources
  • Education of responsible resource engineers
  • Monitoring, characterization and control of mine-generated environmental contaminants

Courses

  • MINE 2504 Introduction to Mining and Minerals Engineering
  • MINE 4644 Environmental Management for Mining and Geoenergy
  • MINE 5114 Sustainable Development of Mineral and Energy Resources
  • MINE 5944 Graduate Seminar

Selected funded research

  • 2022-25: Advancing the understanding of respirable silica occurrence in coal mines, CDC/NIOSH, $461,112 
  • 2021-22: Refining silica and other dust particle classification by optical light microscopy, Alpha Foundation, $154,000
  • 2021-22: Exploration of Temporal Changes in Respirable Coal Mine Dust Characteristics, Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health, $174,405
  • 2019-24: Respirable coal mine dust: mineral content sources, monitoring and control, and building capacity to protect miner health, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Department of Health and Human Services, $1,228,190

Professional affiliations

  • Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME), vice chair of the Education Sustainability Committee
  • Society of Mining Professors (SOMP), co-chair of the Members Development Committee and member of Annual General Meeting organizing committee

Selected publications

Selected honors and awards

  • 2021: Course selected as Case Study on Accelerating Education for the Sustainable Development Goals in Universities, United Nations-affiliated Sustainable Development Solutions Network
  • 2021: Tim Shaw Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, Society of Mining Professors
  • 2018: Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, National Academy of Engineering
  •  2017: Research and Educational Excellence Award, Health and Safety Division, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME)
  • 2017: Outstanding Young Alumni Award, Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
  • 2016: Young Engineer Award, Mineral Processing Division, SME
  • 2016: Outstanding Researcher Award, Appalachian Research Initiative for Environmental Science
  • 2015: Teacher of the Year, Burkhart Mining Society, Virginia Tech
  • 2004-2009: Graduate Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation 

Education

  • 2010: Ph.D., civil and environmental engineering, Virginia Tech
  • 2005: M.S., mining and minerals engineering, Virginia Tech
  • 2004: B.S., mining and minerals engineering, Virginia Tech

Google Scholar