OXFORD, Miss. – Fictional archaeologist Indiana Jones is
unearthing some magnificent discoveries on the silver
screen this summer, but some high school students visiting
the University of Mississippi recently found a similar
real-life treasure trove just hours from campus.
The seven visiting students – enrolled in Engineering 100
as part the Summer College for High School Students program
– along with three Ole Miss engineering students and three
staff members, made their discovery on a field trip to the
Red Hills Mine and Power Plant, an affiliate of North
American Coal Corp. located near Ackerman.
Members of the group expressed amazement at seeing the coal
refinery process, which supplies electricity to the
Tennessee Valley Authority.
“This was a fantastic experience,” said Maxine Woolsey,
educational outreach specialist in the School of
Engineering and coordinator of Engineering 100. “The
students were allowed to see how all disciplines of
engineering operate together to provide electrical power to
thousands of north Mississippi households on a daily
basis.”
During the outing, the students learned about the history
of the 10-year-old mine. They also witnessed how the
lignite is uncovered, shoveled into dump trucks, then
deposited into areas where it is crushed and transported to
the power plant to be transformed into electricity.
“Watching the whole mining process from beginning to end
was very interesting,” said Michael Huber, a student from
Blackmon High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn. “The power
plant has many floors, boilers, turbines and other heavy
equipment. It was fun to watch.”
“It was truly amazing to see how all that coal goes into a
relatively small machine that transfers so much energy,”
added Nathan Flippo of Shoals Christian School in Florence,
Ala.
Others were impressed with the environmental restoration
aspects of the mine.
“Having seen the worst of strip mining in the ’60s, I
think the Red Hill is an amazing facility,” said Cathy
Grace, staff geologist and coordinator of academic and
administrative affairs. “I was glad the students were able
to see a mining operation done beautifully from an
environmental standpoint.”
Zack Parchman, a junior civil engineering student from
Amory, was also impressed with the environmental aspect of
the project.
“I was amazed at how they transformed land depleted by the
mining process into wooded forests and lakes,@ Parchman
said. AAlso, the fact that the processing plant where the
coal is burned produces extremely low emissions is really
cool.”
Arin Jones of Columbus, a student at the Mississippi School
for Mathematics and Science, said, “I found the way they
use ash to build streets that are as strong as those made
with concrete very interesting.”
Taylor Langford, an Ole Miss engineering alumnus who
teaches chemistry and physics at Lafayette County High
School, said the trip was an excellent reinforcement of the
subject matter he has been covering as an Engineering 100
instructor.
“As a teacher, I believe it’s good to be able to expose
students to the practical applications of whatever it is
we’re talking about,” Taylor said. “Having the students see
all the different types of engineering being used in this
operation was a rare and great opportunity for everyone.”
The trip would not have been possible without the
transportation provided by UM’s Office of Community
Outreach and Summer School, Woolsey said.
“The students belong to the Summer College for High School
Students program,” said Jason Wilkins, outreach project
coordinator. “This was a wonderful class, which really does
really neat things. With the computer science course
they’re taking, it’s like experiencing a full semester in
college, only in a monitored environment.”
In addition to Flippo, Huber and Jones, the other visiting
high school students enrolled in Engineering 101 are Bryan
Hostetler of Rome, Ga., Chris Huber of Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
Jon Lalo of Brandon and Taylor Yates of Ridgeland.
For more information about the School of Engineering, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/engineering
or call 662 915 7407. For more information about the Summer
College for High School Students, call Wilkins at 662 915
6614.