NIOSH Mining promotes its scientists, engineers and unique laboratories as a viable education and community resource through its outreach activities and teacher programs. For information on the programs offered at the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory contact Dana Butchley, Office of Administrative and Management Services, 412-386-6580, DButchley@cdc.gov. For information on the programs offered at the Spokane Research Laboratory, contact Theodore D. Teske, 509-354-8070, TTeske@cdc.gov

Student Internship, Mentoring and Job Shadowing

NIOSH offers opportunities for students to participate in non-paid internship programs, mentoring, and job shadowing in various research, administrative and development areas. These programs offer flexible scheduling to meet the needs of the participants and give the students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in an actual health and safety research environment.

The Silver Kid Mine

The Silver Kid Mine, located at the Spokane Research Laboratory, is a replica of an underground silver mine used to show visitors what mines are "really like". The mine includes a shaft station, supply bins, and working examples of the five major systems common to underground mines: ventilation, ground support, mining (blasting), haulage, and exploration. Visitors to the Silver Kid Mine wear hard hats and safety glasses, and are led by employees who take turns dressing up as "Miner Mike", an expert miner and tour guide. The Silver Kid is a very popular field trip for regional K-12 schools, as well as university classes, community organizations, professional societies, and civic groups.

Safety Research Coal Mine Tours

The Safety Research Coal Mine, founded in 1910, is located at the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory. Tours of the mine educate students, teachers and the public about the history of coal mining and the Pittsburgh coal seam, allowing the visitors to witness firsthand the safety and health research efforts underway at the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory.

The Safety Research Coal Mine is a hands-on educational experience for students from the third grade and up. Visitors are given the opportunity to see, firsthand, how coal is mined as they travel part of the 4 1/2 miles of underground workings. During the tours, coal miners explain how mining technologies have evolved from the hand loading days, where coal was produced at 12-14 tons per 8-hour shift, to present day longwall mining that can produce 8000 tons per 8-hour shift.