When Isaac Joseph Cobbinah sets out to learn something, he likes to focus on it intently, and stick with it until he feels like he thoroughly knows the subject. That’s why he plans to put his knowledge on rare earth permanent magnet recycling to work in the metallurgical lab for a few years after he walks across the stage at Montana Technological University’s commencement ceremony on December 13 with a Master of Science in Metallurgical/Minerals Processing Engineering. I want to apply what I’ve learned before continuing my studies,” Cobbinah said. When Cobbinah left his hometown of Tarkwa, Ghana—a region known for its gold mines—he couldn’t have imagined he’d one day find himself in a lab in Butte, Montana, studying how to recycle REE permanent magnets vital to the world’s most advanced technologies. Cobbinah came to Butte to work under Lewis S. Prater Distinguished Professor Dr. Courtney Young. His research focuses on recovering critical rare earth elements from end-of-life neodymium ...