Emily Sarver
Stonie Barker Professor of Mining and Minerals Engineering
- Graduate Program Director
- Advisory board member
- 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 leadership and affiliations
- President, Society of Mining Professors (SOMP), 2025-present
- Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME), Vice Chair Education Sustainability Committee
Recent publications
2026
- F Animah, ME Uluer, E Sarver, S Schafrik, Lab Testing of a Flooded Bed Scrubber: Mass versus Particle Removal Efficiency, Mine Ventilation, Environment, Safety, and Health, 331-338
- A Greth, E Sarver, M Yekich, Evaluation of Method for Analysis of Respirable Crystalline Silica in Recovered CPDM Samples, Mine Ventilation, Environment, Safety, and Health, 383-392
- E Sarver, Ç Keleş, SG Afrouz, E Agioutanti, Particle-Level Changes in Respirable Coal Mine Dust Characteristics, 2003–2020, Mining 6 (2), 27
- ME Uluer, LJ Taborda, E Sarver, Evaluating particle complexity in respirable coal mine dust using automated SEM-EDX with an integrated mineral analyzer, Journal of Hazardous Materials, 142068
2025
- N Santa, L Jaramillo, E Sarver, Assessment of Optical Light Microscopy for Classification of Real Coal Mine Dust Samples, Minerals 16 (1), 15
- F Animah, E Sarver, Field Study Demonstrates Inordinate Respirable Dust Generation During Continuous Mining in Rock versus Coal Strata, International Journal of Coal Science and Technology 12 (93)
- ME Uluer, LJ Taborda, C Keles, EA Sarver, Evaluation of advanced SEM-EDX tools for classification of complex particles in respirable dust, Journal of Hazardous Materials, 139732
- A Greth, G Elie, E Sarver, Toward rapid silica analysis of CPDM samples: A study of dust recovery and quartz estimation using lab and field samples, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 22 (6), 460-473
- G Elie, R Pandey, E Sarver, Direct-on-filter FTIR analysis of respirable crystalline silica: A field study. Mining Engineering 77 (6)
- E Sarver, D Sweeney, LJ Taborda, C Keles, Exploring agglomeration of respirable silica and other particles in coal mine dust, Scientific Reports 15 (1), 17497
- A Greth, E Sarver, Toward rapid silica analysis of CPDM samples: Deposition of recovered dust and analysis by FTIR, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 22 (2), 87-100
2024
- G Elie, R Pandey, EA Sarver, Direct-on-filter FTIR analysis of respirable crystalline silica: A field study to demonstrate utility for routine non-regulatory monitoring in coal mines, Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration 41 (6), 2817-2831
- F Animah, C Keles, WR Reed, E Sarver, Effects of dust controls on respirable coal mine dust composition and particle sizes: case studies on auxiliary scrubbers and canopy air curtain, International Journal of Coal Science & Technology 11 (1), 33
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