CART Receives Grant from MSHA

(Bluefield)—The Center for Applied Research and Technology (CART), Inc. at Bluefield State College (BSC) has been awarded a $61,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration’s Brookwood-Sago grants program to provide education and training within the mining industry.

The MSHA grant awarded to CART will underwrite the development of a Web-enabled course of instruction to improve conveyor belt safety training.  Established to foster and support applied research at the BSC School of Engineering Technology and Computer Science, CART serves the region of southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia.  “This proposal builds upon our commitment to support programs that help identify, avoid, and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around mines,” CART Director Bruce Mutter explained. 

CART, Inc. will perform applied research and adapt the latest educational technology and collaborative Web tools to develop web-enabled courses for training 45 trainers specializing in conveyor belt safety.  “CART will provide support services for delivery of these courses from BSC, and at the Bluestone Business and Technology Park in Bluefield, VA,” Mutter said.  “Additionally, CART will demonstrate results at our fifth annual BSC Mine Rescue Competition, the 118th annual ASEE Conference, and at the 2011 Bluefield Coal Show.”

The CART grant was one of six awarded through the Brookwood-Sago grants program, which was established through the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006.  The focus of all 2010 program grants will be on training/training materials for mine emergency preparedness and prevention for all underground mines.