UCA Volunteer Opportunities

Special Interest & Outreach Groups

Who: These groups are open to all UCA members.

What: Join the activities of these groups to meet like-minded professionals while serving the industry.

Where: Virtual and in-person opportunities.

How: Use the Volunteer Interest Form to indicate interest.

• Women in Tunneling
  • A networking and outreach group focused on women in tunneling.
• Young Members Committee
  • A networking and outreach group focused on UCA members age thirty-five and younger.
• Down for That Committee
  • The efforts of this committee aim to bring engineering students into the tunneling industry.
  • Learn more at www.undergroundcareers.org.
• Kindergarten – Grade 12 Outreach Task Force
  • The efforts of this committee aim to spark interest in the tunneling industry with K-12 students.
• Mentoring Committee
  • This group plans and manages a program to match interested members with mentors and mentees in the industry.

Technical Working Groups

Who: These groups are open to all UCA members; please only choose one technical working group.

What: Working groups are collaborative teams that meet regularly to move industry efforts forward. The groups provide opportunities to work on projects that bring value to the U.S. market, UCA members, and align with the International Tunneling Association (ITA) Working Groups.

Where: Meetings are mostly virtual with two in-person meetings at the SME Annual Conference and the SME Mid-Year meeting.

How: Use the Volunteer Interest Form to indicate interest (please choose one technical interest group only).

Working Group	Topic	Objective
2	Research	Investigate and assemble knowledge on emerging state-of-the-art or state of-the-practices in tunneling.
3	Contract Practices in Underground Construction	Update ITA contractual pronouncements addressing the most serious issues in underground construction and the appropriate responses contractually.
5	Health and Safety	Provide guidelines for better safety during tunneling works.
6	Maintenance and Repair of Underground Structures	Provide guidelines on the maintenance and repair of underground structures.
9	Seismic Effects	Advocate that tunnels are a safe alternative to other forms of infrastructure in highly seismic regions of the world.
11	Immersed and Floating Tunnels	Provide a searchable database of immersed tunnels worldwide.
12	Sprayed Concrete Use	Increase knowledge of sprayed concrete and its use for permanent lining purposes, particularly to document mix design and application related issues, as well as ground loading, climatic, hydrogeological and geochemical exposure conditions which are of importance for the long term function and durability.
14	Mechanization of Excavation	Promote mechanized tunneling and to inform about the current state of development in this flexible technology. It shall support public and private clients, planners and contractors with general and technical information during the preparation for tunneling projects.
15	Underground and Environment	Prepare guidelines and recommendations on environmental aspects related to underground facilities.
17	Long Tunnels at Great Depth	Elaborate on the unique challenges associated with long and deep tunnels through detailed case studies. These in-depth studies allow WG 17 to draw conclusions on specialized tunnels and create reports every three to four years. The group’s most recent report was published in 2017 on the topic of “TBM Excavation in Difficult Rock Conditions”. Current work focuses on the logistical challenges presented in long and deep tunnels.
19	Conventional Tunnels	Develop guidelines for the design and construction of conventional tunneling in an urban setting.
20	Urban Problems - Underground Solutions	Discover typical challenges of urban city environment and its planning and arrive at solutions by deploying sustainable approaches to the underground space utilization.
21	Life Cycle Asset Management	Elevate and improve the standards and practices involved in assessing the cost and duration of long-term assets involved in maintaining the viability of tunneling projects over time.
22	Information Modelling in Tunneling	Develop Building Information Modelling (BIM) guidelines for the betterment of the tunneling community .
23	Design and Construction of Shafts	Develop guidelines for the design and construction of shafts.

SME Committees (UCA liaisons needed)

Who: UCA members who have demonstrated their leadership ability in the above volunteer opportunities are nominated (including self-nomination) to these positions.

What: 3-year leadership terms

Where: Mandatory meetings are virtual and in-person.

How: Email volunteer@smenet.org to find out how to submit nominations (including self-nominations).

Committees include:

• SME MINEXCHANGE

  The SME MINEXCHANGE Committee plans the technical programs for the Society’s annual conference.

• Information Publishing

  The Information Publishing Committee makes recommendations to the SME Board of Directors regarding individual publishing proposals submitted to the Society and serves as a "watch dog" over accepted proposals to ensure that the final product adheres to quality standards. The Committee also makes recommendations for policy, long‐range planning, and development for the Society’s information publishing programs.

• Journal Oversight

  The Journal Oversight Committee provides input and feedback on the strategic direction of the Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (MME) journal, the quality of the journal and inclusivity of authors and topics, and ensures the journal represents the breadth of SME. Committee members act as ambassadors for the journal and help solicit authors and nominate reviewers, and can nominate future members of the Editorial Board.

• Government & Public Affairs

  The Government Relations and Public Affairs Committee (GPAC) provides relevant, non‐partisan, fact‐based professional and technical information to government officials and others involved in public policy, regulatory and other issues that impact the practice of mining, geology, and related industries. The Committee is responsible for providing factual information related to timely regulatory or political issues facing the mining industry that can be used by government decision-makers.

• Research

  The Research Committee reports to the Council of Education with a goal to identify the national needs of research in the mining and minerals community and coordinate technology efforts with appropriate entities.

• Robert E. Murray Innovation Award

  The Robert E. Murray Innovation Award was established in 2017 to recognize individuals or organizations who advance the mining industry through the implementation of technical innovation. Its primary focus is to award operations or organizations that are changing the mining industry through the inclusion or adaptation of innovative technologies and innovative processes.

• Inclusion & Diversity

  The Inclusion & Diversity Committee promotes advancement and innovation in the mining community by strengthening inclusion and improving diversity in SME. Their goal is to provide structure, strategy, and programming guidance to the Society to enable advancement of I&D in the mining community.

Workforce Sustainability Committees

Who: UCA members who have demonstrated their leadership ability in the above volunteer opportunities are nominated (including self-nomination) to these positions.

What: Volunteer leadership terms vary.

Where: Mandatory meetings are virtual and in-person.

How: Email volunteer@smenet.org to submit nominations (including self-nominations).

Committees include:

• Women in Tunneling Committee
• Young Members Committee
• Down for That Committee
• Teach the Professors Committee

Industry Outreach Committees

Who: UCA members who have demonstrated their leadership ability in the above volunteer opportunities are nominated (including self-nomination) to these positions.

What: Terms vary.

Where: Mandatory meetings are virtual and in-person.

How: Email volunteer@smenet.org to submit nominations (including self-nominations).

Committees include:

• Owners Forum Committee
  • This is a committee of tunnel project owners.
• UCA Tunnel Watch List
  • The UCA Tunnel Watch List spotlights the most important tunneling and underground construction projects in the United States, illustrating the positive impact these projects bring the public.

Professional Development Committees

Who: UCA members who have demonstrated their leadership ability in the above volunteer opportunities are nominated (including self-nomination) to these positions.

What: Terms vary.

Where: Mandatory meetings are virtual and in-person.

How: Email volunteer@smenet.org to submit nominations (including self-nominations).

Committees include:

• Tunneling & Underground Construction Magazine Editorials
• Webinars

UCA Conference Committees

Who: Members who have demonstrated their leadership ability in the above volunteer opportunities are nominated to these positions.

What: Terms vary.

Where: Mandatory meetings are virtual and in-person.

How: Email volunteer@smenet.org for more information.

• North American Tunneling (NAT) Conference Planning Committee
• Cutting Edge Conference Planning Committee
• George A. Fox Conference Planning Committee
• Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conference Planning Committee

Association Liaisons

Who: Members who have demonstrated their commitment to UCA in the above volunteer opportunities and with close ties to other Associations are nominated to these positions.

What: Terms vary.

Where: Mandatory meetings are virtual and in-person.

How: Email volunteer@smenet.org for more information.

Liaisons are appointed to manage relationships with these Associations:

• ACEC
• AEG
• APTA
• ARMA
• ASA
• ASCE
• AWWA
• Beavers
• CMAA
• DBIA
• DFI
• DRBF
• Moles
• NACWA
• NASTT
• TRB
• WEF

UCA Executive Committee

UCA is seeking nominees for the Division’s leadership, and we need your help. Nominations are sought for the following roles on the UCA Executive Committee:
 

• UCA Division Executive Committee Vice Chair (Term 2026-2028, Engineer). This is a six-year commitment. This position will advance to Chair (Term 2028-2030) and then Past Chair (2030-2032).
• UCA Executive Committee Members (4) for the following categories (Term 2026-2030) for four-year terms:
  • Contractor (1)
  • Engineer (2)
  • Supplier (1)

 
REQUIREMENTS

• Be a current UCA Member
• Commit to:
  • Attending, in person, a minimum of two Executive Committee meetings annually held in conjunction with the:
    • George Fox Conference
    • North American Tunneling Conference (NAT) or the Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conference (RETC) biennial conference.
  • Attending quarterly virtual meetings
• Desire a greater involvement in the leadership of UCA.
• Have an interest in one or more UCA activities including educational conferences, publications, promotion, and outreach of the tunneling business, and/or interest in international activities such as the International Tunneling Association.
• In addition, nominees for the Executive Committee must show a record of service to UCA, have held senior positions with a record of accomplishments within their industry, have previously served other committees reporting to the Executive Committee, and demonstrate a willingness to bear the financial burdens of travel to meetings.

 
PROCESS
Please forward any recommendations to Genny Homyack, SME Board Relations Administrator and Executive Assistant at homyack@smenet.org no later than February 28, 2025. All material will be collected, vetted for qualifications, and submitted to the UCA Nominating Committee for review. Final selection will take place at the UCA Executive Committee Meeting in April.
 
APPLICATION

• Bio (300 words or less)
• Resume (3 pages maximum)
• Headshot
• A statement including your UCA history of involvement, why you want to be on the Executive Committee, and a commitment to attend all meetings and make this committee a priority.