The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) and its Pennsylvania Anthracite section, as well as the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME), joined the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in dedicating an official Commonwealth Historical Marker to the 1871 founding of the American Institute of Mining Engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
SME Executive Director David Kanagy, AIME Executive Director Michele Lawrie-Munro, three AIME/SME past presidents, 2016 SME President Timothy Arnold and SME Penn Anthracite Section past chair Michael C. Korb attended the event. Korb helped spearhead the initiative for the historical marker.
“SME was honored to participate in the dedication ceremony for a historical marker honoring the 22 people who, 145 years ago, had the foresight and ingenuity to create a forum for education, business networking and technical exchange opportunities among their peers,” Kanagy says. “Their vision created a network of participating societies that now serves 150,000 professionals across a range of disciplines and areas of expertise around the world.”
According to SME, the first meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers was help May 16, 1871 in Wyoming.
SME is a society that has more than 15,000 members representing all professions serving the mining, minerals and underground construction industries in more than 100 countries. SME members include engineers, geologists, metallurgists, educators, students and researchers.
