Educating, Connecting, and Inspiring: See What’s New with the SME Foundation
In late July, the SME Foundation’s Minerals Education Coalition (MEC) again attended Scouting America’s National Scout Jamboree in West Virginia. The 2026 Jamboree was attended by over 8,000 Scouts, ages 11-17, plus hundreds of adult leaders and public visitors. And our Mining in Society booth was a hit! We saw 1,639 scouts, leaders and guests come to the booth, and 419 Mining in Society merit badges were earned by Scouts.
Scouts learned about the vital importance of mining and minerals to their lives, as well as exciting career opportunities in the mining industry. SME and MEC volunteers staffed the booth, some even staying on-site to share in the Jamboree experience. MEC’s chair for the event, Edward Wellman, was interviewed by local news outlet WVNS regarding the experience.
“Mining is absolutely critically important and coal is an important energy source across the country. And you look at energy demand there’s a long heritage of mining coal here [in West Virginia.] There’s talk of transition to non-carbon fuels, but really coal is an important part of the equation because it’s something that’s readily available, it’s on demand, and really if we need to grow our energy demand for things like computing and AI we’re going to need additional energy sources,” said Wellman.
As we move towards the final months of the year, SMEF will turn its focus toward the annual golf tournaments in West Virginia (September 25) and Arizona (November 20). Participants will enjoy the spectacular Meadows golf course at The Greenbrier in West Virginia and the Dinosaur Mountain and Sidewinder golf courses at Gold Canyon Golf Resort in Arizona, all while raising thousands of dollars for the valuable education, outreach, and professional development programs. Tee times and sponsorship opportunities remain available at smefoundation.org/smef-golf-tournaments.
For educators and SME members interested in providing resources to local teachers, MEC is partnering with the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) for the 2026 Earth Science Week Toolkit, Critical Minerals for a Thriving Society, which contains a wealth of resources to support Earth Science Week (October 11-17). The Toolkit is free and available for just the cost of USPS domestic shipping and handling, $9.75 for the first toolkit and $2.75 for each additional.
For more information on the SME Foundation, its critical initiatives, and to donate, visit smefoundation.org.
