Dr. Kwame Awuah-Offei, chair of mining and explosives engineering at Missouri S&T, was recently presented with the Environmental Distinguished Service Award from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME).

“It is a humbling feeling for me to be awarded this honor,” says Awuah-Offei, who is also the Union Pacific/Rocky Mountain Energy Professor at S&T. “My philosophy is that you should do your work and always try to do your best at it. It is wonderful to know that others in the field recognize my contributions.”

Established in 2001, the Environmental Division Distinguished Service Award is awarded each year to one member of SME who has made significant contributions to the organization and its Environmental Division.

Nominees’ reputation in terms of professionalism and accomplishment are also considered.

Awuah-Offei received the award at the annual Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration Conference, which was held in Denver, Colorado, earlier this month.

“I was surprised to receive this honor because you never know exactly how you are perceived by others,” he says. “SME is a fantastic organization for the mining industry, so this means a lot to me. It helps to affirm that my hard work educating future industry professionals and researching methods to better the field is being noticed.”

Awuah-Offei has been a member of the society since 2005. He joined the Missouri S&T faculty as an assistant professor in 2007 after earning his Ph.D. in mining engineering at S&T in 2006. He completed some graduate studies at the University of Alberta in Canada before arriving at S&T. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology School of Mines, which is now the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa Ghana.

To learn more about Missouri S&T’s mining and explosives engineering programs, visit mee.mst.edu.

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System and located in Rolla, Missouri, Missouri S&T offers 101 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top 10 universities for return on investment, according to Business Insider. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.