We are fortunate to work with students across the university at various stages of their educational journey with an interest in minerals, materials and society.
Humayoun Akram is a hydrologist by training, holds a master’s degree from the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, in Water Science and Engineering. He is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. degree in Water Science and Policy (completion expected in 2023. He has worked extensively in the water sector of Pakistan, where he has traveled throughout the country and worked in different river basins. Having stayed in three continents and been influenced by practical experience convinced him about the importance of social systems in advancing sustainability goals apart from the mere technical solutions. He wants to understand the deep social norms that shape human behavior towards environmental resource use. He is writing his dissertation on the “hydroeconomics” of mining with a multimethod approach involving geospatial analysis, behavioral economics and ethnographic analysis.
Ingrid Burrington is an artist who writes, makes maps, and tells jokes about places, politics, and the weird feelings people have about both. She’s the author of Networks of New York, an illustrated field guide to urban internet infrastructure, and has previously written for The Atlantic, The Nation, The Verge, and other outlets. Her work has previously been supported by Eyebeam Art and Technology Center, the Center for Land Use Interpretation, and Rhizome. She also runs the Data and Society speculative fiction reading group. She is working towards a doctorate in Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware (expected 2025) with an interest in how technological tools need minerals while also providing means of tracking material flows.
Emmanuel Chinkaka is a PhD Candidate in Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware (expected completion 2025), supported by a U.S. National Science foundation grant. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Earth Sciences (Geology and GIS) obtained from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College in Malawi and a Master of Science Degree in Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation from University of Twente, Faculty ITC in The Netherlands. Emmanuel is currently working as a Lecturer in Geoinformatics at Malawi University of Science and Technology. His PhD research focuses on the use of advanced remote sensing techniques and Geospatial Machine Learning in enabling novel approaches to the identification of mining enterprises, mineral mapping, landcover/Land use changes and environmental impacts. Emmanuel is also a Drone Expert Instructor at African Drone and Data Academy in Malawi.
Tabenyang Etchu is completing a Masters in Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Delaware and also the graduate Certificate in Minerals, Materials and Society. He is President and CEO of Landship Field Services in Maryland and also works on human rights activism in central Africa. He is particularly interested in how oil and gas economies transition to other economic development paths. He holds a Bachelors degree in Accounting from the University of Maryland.
Thomas Hale is a graduate student at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University in the Security Policy Studies program; a graduate student in the Minerals, Materials, and Society certificate at the University of Delaware; the president of the Friends of Mineralogy Virginia Chapter Inc.; and the director of the Virginia Mineral Project. Thomas is actively involved in the mineralogy community, working with museums, academic institutions, and industry to promote minerals and their importance in everyday life. His research focuses on the criticality of mineral supply chains with decarbonization, climate change policy, and national security. Thomas is an active lecturer and has over 2,000 mineral specimens he uses to teach the public about these key issues. Thomas received his Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech University (summa cum laude) in Political Science with a strong background in geoscience and mineralogy and an Associate’s degree from Virginia Western Community College in Administration of Justice. He is also a research associate at Mineral Choices.
Kopo Oromeng is pursuing a doctorate in Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware (expected completion 2024). She is broadly interested in nature-society relations and seeks to draw from spatial and statistical analysis, environmental policy, and social theory. Kopo received her BA in Geology and Economics from Oberlin College. She was involved in research projects exploring the paleoclimate reconstructions of the Amazon rainforest using sediment core analysis. She holds an MS in Geological Sciences from the University of Delaware (UD). Her work at UD dealt with the hydrochemistry of the Okavango Delta, a freshwater system located in a large endorheic arid basin. Kopo also received a Diploma in African Studies and Entrepreneurial Leadership from African Leadership Academy. She by the Schlumberger Foundation as a “Faculty of the Future Fellow” in 2020.
Romain Richaud is a Mining and Quarrying Engineer from the Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle (France) and currently a Ph.D. student and Research Assistant in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware. He has acquired multidisciplinary knowledge through diversified experiences in different countries with various cultures (United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Morocco, Portugal, Spain) and with several scientists. In 2019, his Master’s thesis on the ethical aspects of mining development and mining certification models made him aware of all the issues (armed conflicts, corruption, human rights…) related to natural resources. Romain is doing his Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Julie Michel Klinger on the Coltan and Cobalt extractions and trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in relation to artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). He seeks to use a multidisciplinary approach combining scientific, technical, legal, social, cultural and economic aspects with the idea of their synergy, in order to identify and understand the issues and actors present on the ground and on the upstream part of the supply chain (from the extraction site to the smelters/refiners) and beyond.
Coryn Wolk is a Philadelphia-based writer, photographer, and environmental advocate. Her primary trade is communications and digital marketing for nonprofit and community organizations. Her interest in photography started in middle school, when she was given a 1.3 megapixel, prime-lens digital camera. She went backwards in technology from there: now mainly shooting 35mm and 120 film, and printing in a darkroom with a special interest in expired 35mm film. Most of her published writing focuses on sustainable technology and regional environmental issues. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Geography and Spatial Sciences and working on the NSF project on tracking tools of illicit mineral flows (expected Masters completion 2023).
