In lieu of a monthly SME UT meeting, SME UT will be partnering with WIM UT to host a gala ahead of the annual SME MINEXCHANGE Conference.Details: When: Saturday, February 21, 2026 Time: 6:30pm Where: Natural History Museum of Utah Attire: Formal Guests will enjoy: Exclusive access to select museum exhibits Dinner Two complimentary drink tickets Round-trip transportation from downtown Salt Lake City Tickets: Individual tickets ($125) can be purchased here: Individual Ticket - SME Utah Sponsorship opportunities are available and encouraged: Details can be found here: FINAL_2026 WIM/SME Gala Sponsorship Packet If you are interested in a sponsorship option, that is already sold out or have an amount your company would like to give but it is not an available option, please reach out to cmiller@barr.com. We'd love your support and will figure out a way to make what you are looking to give work. Please note - you RSVP'ing to this event does not secure your attendance. You must purchase a ticket in order to attend this event. We are look forward to coming together to honor our industry and invest in its future. We hope to see you there and please feel free to invite your out of state friends who will be in town for the annual conference! For any questions regarding the event, please reach out to cmiller@barr.com.

At MINEXCHANGE, you’re surrounded by people as excited and passionate about the mining industry as you. Join leaders from around the industry where you’ll learn the latest on today’s critical topics from innovation to responsible mining.

The annual award winning PDAC Convention in Toronto, Canada brings together 27,000 attendees from over 135 countries for its educational programming, networking events, business opportunities and fun.

Creation of a new sustainable energy infrastructure, carbon sequestration, advanced electronic and computer technologies, and advanced defense technologies all mean that the demand for metals is increasingly rapidly. But traditional mining technology can be highly environmentally damaging. This means that the supply chains for many critical metals and semiconductors stretch through unstable parts of the world, leaving them vulnerable to disruption and exploitation. Biomining with Acidithiobacillus species already supplies about 20% of the world’s copper and 5% of its gold through an iron-specific redox process. However, there are no industrially-used microbes for any of the 30 or 40 other critical elements. This means that we will need to build microbes to enable bioprocesses to mine these elements with synthetic biology. However, we do not understand the basic science of how microbes interact with metals and minerals sufficiently to guide this engineering. My lab has characterized the genome of the mineral-dissolving microbe Gluconobacter oxydans and discovered the genetic systems that enable it to mine rare earth elements. We have used this new knowledge to create a roadmap for engineering G. oxydans that has already improved biomining of REE by up to 1,200%. Furthermore, we engineered the hyper-engineerable microbe Vibrio natriegens to separate adjacent heavy lanthanides, leap-frogging solvent extractions. However, this still leaves over 20 other critical elements that we need build microbes for. To build the basic knowledge for this, my lab has started the Microbe-Mineral Atlas to catalog metal and mineral-interacting microbes from around the US, and hopefully the world. Finally, I will discuss some of the barriers that our current model of technology transfer poses to development of new technologies, what we have done to solve this problem, and some recent successes in starting REEgen for biomining rare earth elements, and Forage Evolution to develop hyper-engineerable microbes.

The SME Midweek Member Mixer (MMM) is a bi-monthly, 1/2 hour virtual networking event. MMM is held the second Wednesday of each month at 9:00 am MT. Join each month to discuss industry topics and SME programs. Register once for this event series, then attend any of the monthly events. You will be sent a reminder from Zoom each month with your unique access link.

Kuala Lumpur Convention CenterKuala Lumpur City Center, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The biennial Offshore Technology Conference Asia (OTC Asia) is where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters. Founded in 1969, OTC’s flagship conference is held annually in Houston. OTC is sponsored by 15 industry organisations and societies, who work cooperatively to develop the programme each year. OTC has expanded technically and globally with other flagship events including OTC Asia.

The SME Minnesota Conference focuses on the developments, technology, trends, and innovations directly affecting the heart of the Iron Ore region. Featuring a wide variety of technical sessions and speakers combined with interactive networking opportunities, the SME Minnesota Conference is a professional event you will truly enjoy and remember.

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters.  Founded in 1969, OTC’s flagship conference is held annually in Houston. OTC has expanded technically and globally with the Arctic Technology Conference, OTC Brasil, and OTC Asia. OTC ranks among the largest 100 trade shows held annually in the United States and is among the 50 largest meetings. OTC is a collaboration of *15 non-profit organizations that support the global energy sector. *15 non-profit organizations: 12 sponsoring, 1 regional sponsoring, and 2 endorsing organizations.

The SME Midweek Member Mixer (MMM) is a bi-monthly, 1/2 hour virtual networking event. MMM is held the second Wednesday of each month at 9:00 am MT. Join each month to discuss industry topics and SME programs. Register once for this event series, then attend any of the monthly events. You will be sent a reminder from Zoom each month with your unique access link.

The North American Tunneling conference (NAT) is the premier biennial tunneling event for North America, bringing together the brightest, most resourceful and innovative minds in the tunneling and underground construction industry.

 International Conference on Ground Control in Mining August 10-11, 2026 | Charleston, WV Participate in achieving practical ground control solutions in mining at the 45th International Conference on Ground Control in Mining. By attending, you will experience two days of highly focused technical programs that you can put into practice at your organization, get access to the type of industry research and insights you need from today’s thought leaders, and connect with other professionals in the industry. Learn more here: groundcontrolmining.org

The SME Arizona Conference is the leading conference for regional collaboration and growth in the mining industry in the southwest, specifically Arizona. The conference focuses on the development, technology and innovations used in local area projects.

An intensive one-day conference where you can keep up on project updates, learn strategies for overcoming challenges, and discuss surrounding critical industry issues.

At MINEXCHANGE, you’re surrounded by people as excited and passionate about the mining industry as you. Join leaders from around the industry where you’ll learn the latest on today’s critical topics from innovation to responsible mining.

Every two years, industry leaders and practitioners from around the world gather at the Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conference (RETC), the authoritative program for the tunneling profession, to learn about the most recent advances and breakthroughs in this unique field. This comprehensive conference helps practicing professionals keep up with the ever-changing and growing tunneling industry. Stay on top of new trends and technologies as well as innovative concepts, new equipment, materials, management, financing, and design challenges.

An intensive one-day conference where you can keep up on project updates, learn strategies for overcoming challenges, and discuss surrounding critical industry issues.

At MINEXCHANGE, you’re surrounded by people as excited and passionate about the mining industry as you. Join leaders from around the industry where you’ll learn the latest on today’s critical topics from innovation to responsible mining.