Professor Michael Karmis to receive honorary degree
Michael Karmis, who holds the Stonie Barker Professorship of Mining and Minerals Engineering at Virginia Tech, will receive an honorary degree from the Scientific Council of Moscow State Mining University in Russia this fall.
Moscow State Mining University said it was awarding Karmis a "Doctor Honoris Causa" honorable title as a recognition of his personal contribution to the establishment and development of the scientific and educational collaboration and international relations between higher mining education institutions worldwide.
Karmis also serves as the director of the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research, a statewide interdisciplinary study and research facility located at Virginia Tech. In this capacity, he is responsible for research and analysis of Virginia’s energy situation, as well as the examination of socio-economic implications related to energy and coal development and associated environmental impacts. He is a recognized expert on decreased carbon footprints through effective coal degasification.
As the research center director, Karmis is coordinating the Appalachian efforts of the Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership, a program established by the National Energy Technology Laboratory of the Department of Energy, dedicated to a major research effort on the feasibility of long-term storage of carbon dioxide in geologic formations.
Karmis arrived at Virginia Tech in 1978 after earning his bachelor's degree and Ph.D. in Mining Engineering in 1971 and 1974 respectively, from Strathclyde. In 2008, he served as the president of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. He also received institute’s 2008 Mineral Industry Education Award for his “national and international recognition as a teacher, researcher and academic leader, and for his commitment in mentoring and advising of students.”
