Release Date: 6/5/2020
SME Foundation Assists Mining Professors in Reaching Tenure
Program Supports U.S. Mining & Minerals Educators
The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Foundation (SMEF) is pleased to announce two more successful outcomes of its highly regarded Academic Grant Program. Dr. Jaeheon Lee achieved tenure at the University of Arizona on April 30, and Dr. Aaron Noble achieved tenure at Virginia Tech on June 3.
The Academic Career Development Grant provides Assistant or Associate Professors with the financial support needed to better participate in activities such as research, publication, and professional service which are necessary to achieve tenure and promotion.
The Academic Career Development Grant and the Ph.D. Fellowship Grant are two of the most successful SMEF programs. They were designed to promote the stability of academic programs in minerals education and improve the capacity of mining schools to produce high quality graduates for successful careers in the mining and minerals industry.
“These critical Foundation programs are successfully tackling the shortage of Ph.D. candidates and tenured professors in universities with mining related programs,” said Mary Korpi, SMEF President. “Since the inception of the programs, our goal has been to provide the universities with the new faculty that they need to sustain their programs into the next decade and beyond.”
With support from the Foundation’s corporate and individual donors, five professors have achieved tenure. Three students have received their Ph.D.s, with one more expected to defend his dissertation in 2020. These Ph.D. recipients have accepted teaching positions within mining schools nationwide.
For more information, please contact the SME Foundation at
community.smenet.org/smefoundation/home.
The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. (SME) is a professional society (nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation) whose more than 15,000 membership represents all professionals serving the minerals industry in more than 100 countries. SME members include engineers, geologists, metallurgists, educators, students and researchers. SME advances the worldwide mining and underground construction community through information exchange and professional development. SME's staff is located in Englewood, Colorado.
For more information contact Jackie Dorr, Communications Manager, at (303) 948-4244 or dorr@smenet.org.
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