UW SER and Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc. Project Selected for NSF-Funded Award

The University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources (SER), in partnership with Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc., has been selected for a Seed Translational Acceleration of Research (STAR) Project award.

This competitive funding, provided through UW’s National Science Foundation (NSF) Accelerating Research Translation (ART) award, will advance the assessment of potential byproducts associated with rare earth elements at the Halleck Creek Project in Wyoming.

The STAR Project awards are a core component of the NSF-funded ART project at UW, which aims to emphasize applied research innovations across the university that have high potential for commercialization.

“The intent is to fund projects on a milestone-driven basis with usable outcomes for the industry partner at the end of the project,” says Parag Chitnis, UW’s vice president for research and economic development, and the principal investigator of the ART grant. “These projects will serve as a basis for training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, while simultaneously advancing tangible research that directly impacts development projects in Wyoming.”

Led by Tyler Brown, minerals program manager in SER’s Center for Economic Geology Research, the project team will work directly with Wyoming Rare to examine the tailings and byproducts resulting from rare earth elements extraction at Halleck Creek -- and explore potential applications for those materials to determine potential technical viability for end-use applications, processing requirements and implications to overall project economics.

Deliverables for the project team will include a comprehensive database of material properties; an evaluation of the potential uses of tailings and byproducts through computational modeling; and small-scale laboratory experiments to validate a selected list of high-potential applications.

“Applied, industry-sponsored research holds immense practical value because it is typically directed toward solving immediate, real-world problems and creating marketable innovations,” Brown says. “The SER Minerals Team possesses a profound depth of knowledge in critical minerals and rare earths. When this expertise is directly applied in collaboration with a Wyoming industry partner, it creates a powerful synergy, one that is essential for significantly advancing our energy-driven economic development within the state.”

The Halleck Creek rare earth deposit in the central Laramie Mountains hosts the Cowboy State Mine, owned by Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of American Rare Earths Ltd., and is recognized as one of North America’s largest deposits of rare earth elements.

The new STAR project will specifically focus on accelerating the translational viability of the Halleck Creek resources.

“Our partnership with the University of Wyoming's School of Energy Resources is invaluable,” says Joe Evers, president of Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc. “This NSF-supported STAR award provides the necessary resources to advance the Halleck Creek Project, which holds the potential to become a prominent feature in America’s critical minerals supply chain and a significant economic driver for Wyoming.”

About the NSF ART and STAR Awards

UW is part of the inaugural cohort of institutions to receive the NSF ART award, which provides $6.3 million over four years to reengineer its research and commercialization enterprise. The STAR Projects provide seed funding and training, specifically designed to advance innovations with validated commercial potential that can be completed in one year.

About Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc.

Wyoming Rare USA is developing the Halleck Creek rare earths deposit in Wyoming, which has the potential to supply U.S. domestic consumption of rare earths for over 100 years. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Rare Earths.

About the School of Energy Resources

UW’s School of Energy Resources collaborates with stakeholders at the state, national and international levels to develop energy technologies and policies to grow and support Wyoming’s robust energy sector. SER’s mission is to advance energy-driven economic development for the state, and it leads UW’s talent and resources for interdisciplinary research and outreach, fulfilling Wyoming’s promise to be a global leader in a thriving and sustainable energy future.