The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration’s (SME) Student Chapter of the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano in Puno, Peru, won the society’s 2015 Student Chapter Fall Membership Challenge.
The annual contest challenges student chapters to recruit newcomers to join the chapter and become SME members. The Peru chapter will receive a monetary award, be featured in an article in Mining Engineering and be recognized at the SME Annual Conference & Expo.
The Indian School of Mines in Jharkhand, India, won second place; the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, S.D., won third place; and Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va., won fourth place. The winners were determined by the highest percentage of growth in membership.
The schools that recruited 25 or more new students during the challenge include Virginia Polytech, the South Dakota School of Mines and Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla, Mo.
“Through their SME membership, a student’s opportunities to be involved with industry professionals and the potential for training and skills development are unsurpassed,” says David Kanagy, SME executive director. “SME is committed to strengthening the professional workforce by providing educational opportunities for the industry’s future leaders.”
There are currently 50 active SME student chapters at accredited colleges and universities. According to SME, the number of SME’s international student chapters increased from 12 in 2013 to 29 in 2016.
SME is a professional society with more than 15,000 members who represent all professions serving the mining, minerals and underground construction industries in more than 100 countries.
