Technology Metals MOOC launches 13 January

The new Technology Metals for a Green Future MOOC (massive open online course) written by HiTech AlkCarb, with contributions from SoS RARE, launches on Monday 13 January.

Moving from fossil fuels to renewable energy and low carbon technology means moving to an 'age of metals'. We will need to mine more than ever before to build wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles. This course takes a look at the specialist 'Technology metals' required to do this. It covers rare earths, tantalum, niobium, tin, tungsten, lithium etc – specialist metals essential in low carbon technologies and also in digital technologies such as smartphones, data centres, medical equipment. We discuss definitions, terms and uses in week one, geology in week two, mining and processing in week three and responsible sourcing and circular economy in week four. Many of the examples are from the HiTech AlkCarb project.

The course is free. It runs for four weeks, and can take about 4 hours a week to do all the activities, but it is also easy to dip into when you like in this period and watch some of the videos. It is all designed to be accessible to non-specialists so it is nice and easy going.

Here is the link if you are interested to find out more or would like to pass on to friends, e.g. in industry, schools, or other universities: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/technology-metals-for-a-green-future

The course is also available on eLearnAfrica if you have contacts in universities, companies or senior schools in African countries: https://www.elearnafrica.com/c-united-kingdom/university-of-exeter/technology-metals-for-a-green-future-37012

Frances Wall, Kate Smith, 6th January, 2020