Concord Materials & Rare Earth Element Analysis Center
About The Center
The Concord Materials and Rare Earth Element Analysis Center project was launched in 2022 with funds from a major grant by the U.S. Department of Education, which was procured through the Congressionally Directed Spending program with lead support from Senator Joe Manchin. The original grant has since been augmented by an Innovation Grant awarded to Concord University’s Dr. Kuehn last fall by the Science, Technology and Research (STaR) Division of the WV Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC). In January, the West Virginia Office of the Governor also allocated funds to partially match the federal grant. Funding awarded for the project to date includes the $642,000 federal grant, $40,000 Innovation Grant, and $150,000 state match which now totals $832,000.
The project will enhance economic development by establishing core infrastructure to attract and support new research enterprise in southern West Virginia and facilitate development of regional REE natural resources. Mercer County is an ideal location for such a project because it is at the heart of the southern West Virginia metallurgical coal fields.
Concord University students and faculty, visiting researchers, and industry will be all able to take advantage of The Concord Materials and Rare Earth Element Analysis Center in support of workforce training, scientific research, and economic development. As a teaching institution, Concord’s analytical instruments are frequently used for classes in geology, chemistry, and physics as well as for collaborative student and faculty research projects. This already makes it possible to provide Concord students hands-on experiences which they might not get elsewhere, and the capabilities to do so just keep getting better.
Further, Concord is seeking to partner with entrepreneurs to demonstrate the commercial application of the newly developed capabilities of the equipment, particularly in the extraction of REEs.
Our Facilities
Our Faculty & Staff
Allen, Joseph
Distinguished Professor of Geology / Chair, Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences
304-384-5238
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Kuehn, Stephen
Associate Professor of Geology/Director CU Electron Microprobe Laboratory
304-384-6322
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