By Barbara Arnold, 2018 SME President

August 14, 2018 - August - the sixth month of the SME presidency - in the midst, the middle, the center, the midpoint. It's been my pleasure to meet many SME members and wave the SME flag at several conferences already. There are many more conferences and meetings on the schedule and I'm sure I'll be meeting even more members. I've learned that apparently, "president" isn't a sufficient title for some. I've been called the queen, queen empress and, my favorite, mother of the mothership. Many have asked how I can do this and still run my business. Let me tell you that I had to pay someone to cut my grass for several weeks in May and June and that my house needs a good cleaning.

An engineering professor at Penn State New Kensington told our statics class that to be a good engineer you need to be organized, disciplined and flexible (and be able to stand math). I've taken that to heart throughout my career and those principles certainly apply to my approach to the SME presidency, especially since I also have a high school class reunion, the Mortar Board Centennial and my niece's wedding this summer. And, of course, SME staff keeps everything on track.

SME participates in the Global Minerals Professional Alliance (GMPA) with other international mining societies. We share our best practices and discuss issues of relevance to our societies. The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) hosted the GMPA at its annual conference in Vancouver in May, which I attended. Looking at the numbers from our benchmarking survey, I can say with great confidence that SME is well-positioned within the global mining society community. The depth and breadth of our publications, our support for education (student chapters, ABET, Ph.D. fellowships, career grants, the Minerals Education Coalition, etc.), our membership numbers, financial strength and every other metric are top-tier.

So what can you expect in the next six months? You'll be hearing about a deep dive into our website. Is it logical? Can you find things where you think you should find them? Are there broken links? Is the information correct and updated? We'll also be completing our member satisfaction survey this fall. This one occurs every four years. And, next spring, we'll do a survey in preparation for our next round of strategic planning that will begin in the summer of 2019. We need member input to ensure that we serve you and meet your needs as an SME member. Please respond. Or contact me with any issues at any time.

As I mentioned last month, our first THRIVE conference will be held on Sept. 27, 2018, preceding the SME midyear board meeting. I'll welcome everyone to Pittsburgh, PA. If you haven't registered, please visit the website to do so. I've compiled a terrific line up of new technologies that will fascinate you. Don't just survive, THRIVE! http://www.smethrive.com/.

We're also on track to launch our new journal at the 2019 Annual Conference & Expo in February. Our first issue will be in honor of the 90th birthday of mineral processing stalwart, Douglas Fuerstenau. I'll also update you on the results from our first Certified Mine Safety Professional exam. Look for that update in the December issue as I'll highlight St. Barbara's Day and mine safety in general.

All in all, it's been an interesting six months. But, stay tuned for my September column. I'll have a task for you, should you choose to accept it.