Reflections from the outgoing chair: The Overloaded Bubble

The Mineral & Metallurgical Processing Division (MPD) is one of SME’s most respected and active divisions, with a storied history and more than 2,200 members, each of whom count on the division for networking opportunities and career advancement. The industry continues to face challenges on several fronts — grades, workforce, technology, cost, regulatory — and the MPD is uniquely positioned to be a voice for those in the mineral processing and metallurgy field. I distinctly recall my first MPD Unit Committee Meeting in 2011 … being in a large room with more than 50 professionals and students, and soon finding my “people” among the MPD Flotation Unit Committee. In the years since, the MPD Unit Committee Meeting has expanded to more than 85 people. Without a doubt, the interactions with folks in these meetings and technical sessions have had a profound effect on my knowledge and understanding of the field and shaped my career and standing in the community. In this group I found equal measures of support and criticism, all of which helped tremendously in my development. I encourage all MPD members to seek mentorship and guidance here. After contributing to technical sessions as a presenter and chair, serving as unit committee chair, judging posters and scholarship applications and putting together symposia at multiple conferences, I was nominated to serve on the executive committee. I recognized immediately that these folks were equally serious about bashing miners and geologists as they were about serving the mineral and metallurgical processing community. One of the hallmarks of the group’s functioning was collective decision-making; every departure from precedent was discussed thoroughly, every nomination was deliberated carefully to balance the interests of operators, vendors and academics. This past year has been no different. One of the division’s important mandates is to nurture the next generation of mineral processors and metallurgists. To this end, I am proud to announce that we took action to increase the total scholarship amount awarded by 20 percent while still staying below our spending limits. Under Jim Wickens’ able guidance we made modest but long-due improvements to the MPD bylaws and handbook; these offered much-needed clarity and strengthened our governance structure. Under Kimberly Mills’ steadfast leadership, the MPD hosted a very successful international conference for SME (Extraction 2025), and the MPD Calendar, whose survival was in question as late as last year, is once again filled. The MINEXCHANGE 2026 SME Annual Conference & Expo received a record number of submissions for the MPD technical program, and thanks to Aaron Noble’s efforts we have made a few thoughtful changes to the MPD programming schedule to accommodate an additional session. The executive committee’s focus on engagement and targeting younger membership has paid off with a number of submissions for the MPD Elevator Pitch Contest, held annually in the fall; a large group expected at the annual MPD coffee break in January; and substantial additions to our volunteer list, thanks to Zachery Zanetell and Nick Gow. I express my gratitude to the entire committee for the work they have done this year, and Jaeheon Lee for his wise guidance. A word of thanks to the past chairs I have served under — you have been tremendous role models and set us up for the success we are seeing today. Finally, many thanks to Chee Theng, our super MPD liaison, and all SME staff for the division’s enduring success. To the students and young professionals taking their first steps in this industry: You will get to work on many exciting challenges and make a major impact. Don’t second-guess yourself. And be willing to serve selflessly in any capacity for the MPD, and it will contribute to your growth in ways you cannot yet see. Serving on the MPD Executive Committee has been a great honor and privilege, one that neither I nor the 77 chairs before me took lightly. Each of us strived for the betterment of the minerals processing community, and this is rooted in our passion for the industry and the value it brings to society. Let us never forget this as we broaden our horizons to embrace both new technologies and new ways of working to address the industry’s many pressing challenges.

Reflections from the outgoing chair: The Overloaded Bubble

Authored by: Tarun Bhambhani

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