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Mining has been embedded in the public consciousness as a dirty, non-innovative, outdated and environmentally harmful industry. Proper education, especially the academic one, becomes crucial to successfully change this image. This article depicts the initial assumptions of the international project Master in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology Integration in Mining (MEITIM), co-financed by EIT Raw Materials, that aims to diagnose the current state of Polish higher education in the field of mining at, among others, the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (WUST), concerning the experience of the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) and Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT). The MEITIM project allowed identifying the directions of necessary changes in the didactic process as an indispensable set of skills and knowledge for a future mining graduate. Such activities are dictated by many guidelines and arrangements, among others, at the level of the European Commission or key industry institutions such as the International Council on Mining and Metals. These are key competencies that require significant changes in university curricula supporting sustainable development goals in innovative mining. The authors show that there is a link between the condition of the mining industry in Poland, its reputation, and the number of people who want to study mining.

This paper investigates the problem of stability in a group of headings driven in high horizontal stress fields in the copper ore mines of the Legnica-Glogow Copper Belt (LGCB). The headings are protected with the roof bolting system. This problem is of high importance due to special safety regulations which apply in mining workings serving as airways and haulageways. The analysis was performed for a group of four headings driven in the geological and mining conditions of the Polkowice-Sieroszowice mine. The stability of the headings was evaluated with the use of Finite Element Method (FEM). The parameters of the rocks used in the numerical modeling have been determined on the basis of the Hoek–Brown classification, with the use of the RocLab 1.0 software. The parameters of the stress field have been identified on the basis of in situ measurements, which were performed in the Polkowice-Sieroszowice mine in 2012. The measurements were carried out with the use of the overcoring method, which is a stress relief method. A CSIRO HI probe was used as the measuring device. The tests were carried out on three measuring points, on which six successful tests were performed. The measurements confirmed the presence of high horizontal stresses in the rock mass. Numerical modeling was performed using the Phase2 v.8.0 software, in a triaxial stress state and in a plane strain state. The rock mass was described with an elastic-plastic model with softening. Numerical analyses were based on the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion. It was assumed that the optimal measure of the stability of the group of headings is the range of the formed zone of yielded rock mass in the excavation roof. Numerical simulations have shown that the direction of driving the headings in the field of increased horizontal stresses may be of key importance for the stability of the headings in LGOM mines. The greatest extent of the yielded rock mass zone in the excavation roof occurred when the group of headings was driven in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the maximum horizontal stress component σH. The obtained results served to provide an example of the application of a roof bolting system to protect headings driven in unfavorable conditions in a high horizontal stress field.

Experience gained until now underground mining worldwide and in Poland indicates that remnants may have an impact on the occurrence of seismic phenomena. Remnants are stress concentration sites encompassing both the deposit and the layers of rock mass located above and below the undisturbed rock. In the case where stresses in the remnant exceed its strength, it may collapse, and under unfavourable geomechanical conditions, stress-induced rockburst may occur. Remnants may also cause breaking of strong roof layers above their edges, which results in the occurrence of high-energy shocks (Salustowicz [30], Adach [3], Adach and Butra [4]). This article presents the possibility of utilizing numerical modeling to evaluate the influence of remnant upon the occurrence of seismic phenomena. The results of numerical calculations performed for a model room-and-pillar mining system with roof deflection under the conditions of copper ore mines in the Legnica-Głogów Copper District (LGOM) are presented. Numerical calculations in a plane strain state were performed by means of Phase2 v. 8.0 software for the analyzed mining system in which remnant was left behind. The results of numerical modeling showed that sudden fracturing of roof layers above the mined out space may occur on the edge of the remnant. This may cause a shock with very high energy, and under the appropriate conditions, this may lead to the rockburst phenomenon.

The mining industry in the world has undergone a major metamorphosis in recent years. These changes have forced higher education to modify the curricula in a thorough way to meet the mining entrepreneurs’ needs. The paper’s scope is to answer the research question—how to attract students and implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in higher education in mining engineering? Based on the case of international cooperation carried out at the Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology (WUST) within the framework of educational projects co-financed by European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities Raw Materials (EIT RM), the authors prove that the idea of sustainable development can be introduced into the system of teaching mining specialists at every level of their higher education (engineering and master’s studies), through developing their new competencies, introducing new subjects taking into account innovative solutions and technologies, or placing great emphasis on environmental and social aspects. Examples of new curricula show a good way to change into the new face of a mining engineer.

This article presents the problem of seismic and rockburst hazard in underground hard rock mines. Types of rockbursts and their mechanisms as well as the causes of dynamic phenomena are discussed. The possibility of using numerical modeling to simulate the occurrence of a high-energy tremor, as a result of sudden shear rupture, is also shown. Results of numerical simulations are presented for a model mining field in a hard rock mine at high depth, in which the deposit is mined in a room-and-pillar mining system. General geological and mining conditions characteristic for Polish underground copper mines in Legnica-Glogow Copper Mining District belongs to KGHM Polska Miedz S.A. were adopted in the models. The typical lithological cross-section of the polish copper mines is characterized by rigid, high-strength rock layers in the roof, capable of accumulating elastic energy, while layers with much lower strength parameters are present in the floor. In the analyzed mining field, the remaining undisturbed rock, with a width of 40 m, was left. Numerical simulations were conducted in a plane strain state by means of Phase2 v. 8.0 software. An elastic-plastic model with softening was accepted for the rock mass. The results of numerical modeling showed that sudden (one computational step in the model) collapse of roof strata may occur over the excavated space on the edge of the remaining undisturbed rock, as a result of exceedance of shear strength, above all. This may cause a very high-energy tremor, and under the appropriate conditions, may result in the rockburst phenomenon.