UW accepts applications for critical minerals academy in Laramie

The University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources is taking applications for a nine-day critical minerals academy in Laramie, and the first deadline that matters is June 21. The second Critical Minerals Leadership Academy is set for Sept. 15-23, with priority going to applicants who apply by that date.

The academy is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and hosted by the School of Energy Resources, putting Laramie in the middle of Wyoming’s effort to build a deeper bench of talent for mining, processing and the policy work that surrounds both. Organizers are looking for graduate students and early-career professionals working across geology, engineering, data analytics, business, community engagement, social science, law and policy. Applicants must have U.S. citizenship.

For Albany County, the opportunity runs beyond a line on a university calendar. UW students, recent graduates, local professionals and businesses tied to energy, minerals and technical services could use the academy as a pipeline into a sector that is drawing increasing attention across Wyoming. The program is designed to give participants a closer look at the full critical minerals supply chain, while also building relationships that can carry into jobs, contracts and research collaborations after the September session ends.

The 2026 academy will include lectures, workshops and field excursions in Wyoming. That format follows the first academy, launched in 2025, which brought together 19 graduate students and early-career professionals from government, industry and academia. Participants visited the Rare Element Resources Bear Lodge Project in Sundance and the Dry Fork Mine near Gillette, giving the inaugural class a firsthand look at projects at different points in the supply chain.

The School of Energy Resources has said the academy is meant to build a domestic critical minerals network and create an alumni network for long-term professional connections. That matters in a state where critical minerals and rare earth elements are becoming central to discussions about energy security, industrial capacity and defense supply chains.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory helped shape the academy to align with broader Department of Energy critical minerals initiatives. NETL has said the United States imports greater than 80% of its rare earth elements from non-domestic suppliers, a dependence that has sharpened the push to train more people who can work across exploration, extraction, processing, recycling and end use.

In Laramie, that makes the academy more than an academic offering. It is part of the workforce and economic infrastructure Wyoming is building around critical minerals, with Albany County positioned as one of the places where that pipeline starts.