University of Arizona mining engineering students come from all over the world — from the mineral-rich deserts of Chile to the alluvial diamond deposits of Angola, from the iron ore-filled plateaus of India to the copper mines of Arizona.

As they earn their degrees and put them to use, the men and women featured in a series of articles developed by the university’s College of Engineering are defying expectations about who mining engineers are and what they do.

The series of articles, called “Blasting Through Barriers,” focuses on the increasing diversity of the mining industry and profiles six students and alumni.

They will go on to become geotechnical engineers, metallurgists, mine designers and managers, business executives and college professors across the globe and their stories are available at the university’s College of Engineering’s web page.