Missouri is not known for its coal mines, but there  are experts here who have studied and trained in mines for years.  KRCG's Mallory McGowin travelled to the University of Missouri-Rolla Tuesday to talk to a mining professor and a mining student to learn about the struggles miners face. She learned we should  all  be concerned with mine safety.

"In the mining rescue the number one rule is you do not want to harm the mine rescuer," says Dr. Jerry Tien.

Dr. Tien is one of several professors in the mining engineering department at the University of Missouri-Rolla and he sits on a national panel focused on improving mine safety.

Even though his students know the rules to make a safe rescue, they say emotions can make following those rules more difficult.

"The rule is team safety is number one, but when your friends are in there you are trying to maintain the fact that, you know, one more hurt person is just one more hurt person to rescue, but at the same time, you're trying to rescue a friend of yours," says UMR senior Adam Kresler.

Adam is a five-year member of the UMR mining team and has competed in nearly ten mine rescue competitions.  He works at the university's experimental mine.

While mining may be unfamilir for you and me, Dr. Tien and Adam tell say there's one reason we should all be concerned with mining safety.

"It is important that we have a strong mining industry because our industry provides energy and materials to sustain our growth and our society," says Tien.

"Without the mining industry, we wouldn't have the basic necessity that we have, the metal, gold for jewelry but for computers.  Every commodity we have, if it's not grown, it's mined," says Adam.

Adam says that despite the Utah collapse, he doesn't plan on changing his major any time soon.

"A lot of my friends lately have been asking me, 'You ever think about maybe a switch in careers?' and I tell them I really, I tell them no.  It's something that I love doing," he says.

Dr. Tien and Adam both say the dangers of mining are overstated.  Given the large number of mining operations taking place across the country, the frequency of mine disasters is rather small.