Application Deadline: March 29th, 11:59PM ET Application Link: Click here The UCA Young Members Emerging Leaders Program will provide funding to under-35 tunneling professionals to attend both the 2026 North American Tunneling Conference (NAT) and the 2026 Cutting Edge Conference. Participants are required to complete a project that provides value to UCA and contribute up to 15 hours of volunteer service with UCA’s administrative staff.

Kuala Lumpur Convention CenterKuala Lumpur City Center, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The biennial Offshore Technology Conference Asia (OTC Asia) is where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters. Founded in 1969, OTC’s flagship conference is held annually in Houston. OTC is sponsored by 15 industry organisations and societies, who work cooperatively to develop the programme each year. OTC has expanded technically and globally with other flagship events including OTC Asia.

Join us on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, for a talk by the SME Leadership Team - Mary Korpi, Andy Cole and Melissa Russell!  *PLEASE NOTE: this meeting is the 2nd Wednesday of the month vs the 3rd!* Topic: An Update on All Things SME! Schedule: Social hour and dinner: 6:00 to 7:00 pm Technical Presentation: 7:00 to 8:00 pm Dinner Costs: We will be offering $5.00 dollars off the meeting price when you prepay before the meeting. Please use the following links to make the payment: Members & Nonmembers: $25.00: https://square.link/u/ugk8QWqh Students: $10.00: https://square.link/u/dmrMKqS1 Please note: Cash or credit card payment will still be accepted at the door at the time of the meeting, and pricing is as follows: Members & Nonmembers: $30.00 Students: $15.00 Location: FLSmidth, Inc. Please park in the West parking lot and enter through the atrium door between the two buildings.

We are preparing to conduct an educational outreach event at this year's Safford Spring (Wine) festival! We need knowledgeable professionals who are ready and willing to teach both kids and adults about mining through interactive demonstrations. We will order pizza for the meeting, so please RSVP if you plan to attend.

Volunteers Needed! We are preparing to conduct our first-ever field trip fundraiser! We want to get a bus and sell tickets for a wine-tasting trip to Wilcox, AZ. We need volunteers who can lead groups from tasting room to tasting room, and anyone with connections in Wilcox who can help us lower our overhead. The goal is to fundraise to support our professional development programs. We will order pizza for the meeting, so please RSVP if you plan to attend.

The SME Minnesota Conference focuses on the developments, technology, trends, and innovations directly affecting the heart of the Iron Ore region. Featuring a wide variety of technical sessions and speakers combined with interactive networking opportunities, the SME Minnesota Conference is a professional event you will truly enjoy and remember.

Speaker: Alejandro Buffo Sempe Alejandro Buffo Sempe is the Co-Founder and CEO of Giraffe Bio, a biotechnology startup developing biomolecular reagents to improve metal recovery in mining. He is an engineer with 15 years of experience across commodities trading, technology ventures, and investment, including five years based in New York. Alejandro leads Giraffe Bio’s work at the intersection of biotechnology and mineral processing, developing programmable bio-collectors for flotation and other bio-enabled extraction approaches. The company is currently working with global mining partners to validate these technologies for copper recovery and impurity control in complex orebodies. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandrobuffo Presentation:  "Programmable Bio-Collectors: A New Approach to Selective Copper Flotation" This talk introduces a new class of biomolecular flotation reagents designed to selectively bind target minerals such as chalcopyrite while rejecting impurities like arsenic, zinc, and iron. The presentation will cover how synthetic biology and high-throughput screening can be used to design mine-specific bio-collectors that function as drop-in replacements for conventional reagents. Lab-scale results from copper sulfide flotation tests will be discussed, including improvements in recovery across different particle sizes and enhanced concentrate selectivity. The session will also explore how programmable reagents could help miners process increasingly complex orebodies while reducing chemical usage and improving process efficiency. Case study: https://docsend.com/view/fn2b77zfxjifauhc" Sponsor: to be announced. Schedule: 6:00 - 6:30 Bar Social 6:30 - 6:45 Dinner & Announcements 6:45 - 7:15 Presentation 7:15 - 7:30 Q&A

The Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals (FGIM) is an international meeting of geologists and mining professionals interested in industrial minerals. For over half a century the Forum’s focus has been on the geology of industrial minerals with an emphasis on the promotion of the knowledge and organization of mining, mineral processing, regulation and reclamation through the forum meetings, presentations and field trips.

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters.  Founded in 1969, OTC’s flagship conference is held annually in Houston. OTC has expanded technically and globally with the Arctic Technology Conference, OTC Brasil, and OTC Asia. OTC ranks among the largest 100 trade shows held annually in the United States and is among the 50 largest meetings. OTC is a collaboration of *15 non-profit organizations that support the global energy sector. *15 non-profit organizations: 12 sponsoring, 1 regional sponsoring, and 2 endorsing organizations.

The SME Midweek Member Mixer (MMM) is a bi-monthly, 1/2 hour virtual networking event. MMM is held the second Wednesday of each month at 9:00 am MT. Join each month to discuss industry topics and SME programs. Register once for this event series, then attend any of the monthly events. You will be sent a reminder from Zoom each month with your unique access link.

The North American Tunneling conference (NAT) is the premier biennial tunneling event for North America, bringing together the brightest, most resourceful and innovative minds in the tunneling and underground construction industry.

The SME Midweek Member Mixer (MMM) is a bi-monthly, 1/2 hour virtual networking event. MMM is held the second Wednesday of every other month at 9:00 am Mountain Time. Join each event to discuss industry topics and SME programs. 

 International Conference on Ground Control in Mining August 10-11, 2026 | Charleston, WV Participate in achieving practical ground control solutions in mining at the 45th International Conference on Ground Control in Mining. By attending, you will experience two days of highly focused technical programs that you can put into practice at your organization, get access to the type of industry research and insights you need from today’s thought leaders, and connect with other professionals in the industry. Learn more here: groundcontrolmining.org

From the East to the West Coast, North America’s tunneling industry is flourishing. The annual Cutting Edge Conference examines the latest advances in tunneling technology, its methodology and how they can be harnessed to assist the nation’s major upcoming underground projects. You’ll find cutting edge perspectives on a range of topics, including meeting industry challenges, developments in materials technology, and methodologies in sustainability.

The SME Arizona Conference is the leading conference for regional collaboration and growth in the mining industry in the southwest, specifically Arizona. The conference focuses on the development, technology and innovations used in local area projects.

An intensive one-day conference where you can keep up on project updates, learn strategies for overcoming challenges, and discuss surrounding critical industry issues.

At MINEXCHANGE, you’re surrounded by people as excited and passionate about the mining industry as you. Join leaders from around the industry where you’ll learn the latest on today’s critical topics from innovation to responsible mining.

Every two years, industry leaders and practitioners from around the world gather at the Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conference (RETC), the authoritative program for the tunneling profession, to learn about the most recent advances and breakthroughs in this unique field. This comprehensive conference helps practicing professionals keep up with the ever-changing and growing tunneling industry. Stay on top of new trends and technologies as well as innovative concepts, new equipment, materials, management, financing, and design challenges.

An intensive one-day conference where you can keep up on project updates, learn strategies for overcoming challenges, and discuss surrounding critical industry issues.

At MINEXCHANGE, you’re surrounded by people as excited and passionate about the mining industry as you. Join leaders from around the industry where you’ll learn the latest on today’s critical topics from innovation to responsible mining.