22 NOVEMBER 2026 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Are you going to Groundwater Week this year? If so, stop by and see the WWDR Team at booth #1643. GROUNDWATER WEEK Booth1643 Partnership to Scale-Up U.S. Minerals Capacity Adapted from Information by the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) NLR signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Utah to strengthen America’s energy and material supply chains through critical minerals innovation, commercialization, and workforce development. “Stewarded by Department of Energy’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, NLR's mission is to help build our nation’s critical minerals capacity, bringing together partners to scale-up and de-risk the technologies we need for stronger supply chains and greater energy security,” NLR Director Jud Virden said. “Our partnerships with Colorado School of Mines and University of Utah combine unique facilities and capabilities and outstanding people to advance this mission. These integrated capabilities, along with a world-class student pipeline and partnership with U.S. industry, will help transform our nation's competitiveness in critical minerals research, workforce development, and technology demonstration.” The MOUs address challenges in the energy industry by enabling integrated research and facility sharing - supporting concept-to-commercialization scalability of critical mineral innovations while building education and training pipelines for a highly skilled domestic workforce. Building on an energy research partnership that extends back to 1974, NLR and Colorado School of Mines are launching new facilities to shape the future of critical minerals research in Colorado: j NLR’s Energy Materials and Processing at Scale is a new facility currently under construction on NLR’s South Table Mountain Campus with 60,000 square feet of laboratory, high-bay, and support space enabling collaboration with industry partners, universities, and other U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories to accelerate the scale-up of early-stage innovations in energy materials into market-ready products and processes. j Colorado School of Mines’ Critical Minerals Innovation and Commercialization Hub is a newly acquired 50,000square-foot laboratory and high-bay research facility designed to accelerate innovation and commercialization across the critical minerals value chain. Together, NLR and Colorado School of Mines will share facilities and information, coordinate student and researcher exchanges, as well as plan future funding opportunities. “This agreement reflects what makes Colorado School of Mines distinctive - our ability to bring together applied research, industry and government partnerships, and workforce development in ways that move technologies from concept to impact,” Colorado School of Mines President Paul C. Johnson said. “This strategic partnership with NLR complements our other partnerships with industry and the U.S. Geological Survey, further cementing Golden, Colorado, as the center of our nation’s expertise, education, and innovation related to materials supply chains. Together, we are preparing the next generation of leaders while accelerating innovation and advancing solutions that are essential to secure, resilient U.S. critical materials supply chains.” The University of Utah MOU will promote research and technology development for critical minerals, advanced materials, and manufacturing through “AI” (artificial intelligence) enabled science workflows, high-performance computing, and data science. Joint research programs will facilitate information sharing between university, industry, and national laboratory partners. Academic programs, internships, and career opportunities connected to the National Laboratories will stimulate education and workforce development. These MOUs build on NLR’s momentum in critical minerals, materials, manufacturing, and advanced computing research, development, and demonstration by leveraging complementary capabilities at academic institutions across the country. “Through our university partners we accelerate the pursuit of the best ideas and solutions out there while enabling tomorrow’s workforce,” said Andrea Watson, NLR’s Associate Laboratory Director for innovation, partnering, and outreach. “These are some of the most inspiring partnerships we have at NLR.” Colorado School of Mines President Paul C. Johnson with NLR Director Jud Virden and University of Utah President Taylor Randall. eranhenderson@gmail.com New & Used Tricones PDCs Drag & Claw Bits Drill Collars Bit Tipping Subs & Stabilizers HDD Bits & Reamers DTH Hammer & Bits Custom Fabrication Junk Mills / Fishing Tools Rod Henderson 661-201-6259 Eran Henderson 661-330-0790 GROUNDWATER WEEK Booth 688
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