SMMR Virtual Labs + AI Mining Education Workshops

Overview

At the University of Arizona School of Mining & Mineral Resources, I worked on a growing ecosystem of digital learning tools designed to make mining, minerals, sustainability, and STEM concepts easier to teach and easier to experience.

The work spans full-stack applications, AR/XR learning, Virtual Labs, 3D mineral exploration, AI-assisted curriculum design, and teacher-facing workshops. The common goal is to reduce friction for educators while giving students a more interactive way to understand the systems behind modern mining and resource development.

The problem

Mining education is important, but often difficult to bring into classrooms. Many students encounter mining only through abstract textbook explanations or disconnected facts. Teachers also face real constraints: limited prep time, uneven technical comfort, school Wi-Fi, crowded schedules, and the need for activities that can work with real students.

The product challenge was not simply to make “cool demos.” It was to make tools that could survive the classroom.

Users and stakeholders

The core users include:

K–12 teachers looking for classroom-ready STEM resources
students exploring mining, minerals, sustainability, and engineering concepts
outreach teams trying to make technical topics accessible
university faculty and staff building education pipelines
workforce and industry partners interested in career awareness

My role

I contributed as a student software developer and workshop facilitator. I built and supported full-stack learning tools, integrated AR/XR and interactive experiences, helped design workshop flows, and facilitated sessions focused on AI curriculum design, Virtual Labs, 3D Minerals, and PathWise career maps.

Product decisions

The strongest product decision was to center the teacher experience.

That meant asking:

Can a teacher understand this quickly?
Can the activity work in a classroom with limited setup?
Does the tool connect to standards, careers, or real-world relevance?
Does it create student curiosity without overwhelming the instructor?
Can AI support lesson design without replacing teacher expertise?

Technical and educational approach

The Virtual Labs ecosystem includes interactive stations around topics such as ore formation, exploration, mine planning, metallurgy, reclamation, lunar mining, and filtration. These experiences are designed to turn complex mining and sustainability concepts into hands-on digital or hybrid activities.

For teacher workshops, I connected the tools with AI-assisted curriculum design. Teachers explored how AI can help brainstorm lesson plans, adapt activities, generate assessments, and personalize classroom materials while keeping teacher judgment at the center.

Impact

In CU at the Mine 2026 Cohort 1, I led two interactive sessions with 36+ educators from Arizona school districts. The sessions focused on practical classroom use: AI curriculum design, Virtual Labs, 3D Minerals, and PathWise career maps. The broader program is expected to reach 100+ Arizona teachers across cohorts.

I also presented the AI-powered Virtual Labs work at SME MineXchange 2026 in Salt Lake City, positioning the work nationally within mining education and K–12/outreach innovation.

What I learned

The best education technology is not the flashiest. It is the tool that a teacher can understand, trust, and reuse.

This project taught me to evaluate AI and interactive learning through classroom reality, not demo-room excitement. If a product cannot survive limited prep time, messy logistics, and real student behavior, it is not ready.

PM / APM interview story

Situation: Mining and mineral education needed more interactive, accessible ways for K–12 educators to teach complex STEM concepts.

Task: Build and facilitate digital tools and workshops that made mining education more classroom-ready.

Action: I supported full-stack Virtual Labs, AR/XR learning tools, 3D Minerals, and AI-assisted curriculum workflows. I led teacher sessions that connected these tools to lesson design and workforce pathways.

Result: Cohort 1 reached 36+ Arizona educators, the broader program is expected to reach 100+ teachers, and the work was presented nationally at SME MineXchange 2026.