Dr. Courtney Young’s paper recognized by Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME), featured in Mining Engineering

Dr. Courtney Young has received the latest in a long string of accolades from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME).

On June 20, Young, the Lewis S. Prater Distinguished Professor in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department at Montana Tech, was notified that he had won the 2023 SME Mineral & Metallurgical Processing Division (MPD) Unit Committee Best Presentation award from this year’s MINEXCHANGE 2023 SME Annual Conference & Expo for his presentation “History of Flotation Through the First Chemicals and Early Machines.”

“I am flabbergasted at these honors,” Dr. Young said.  “I was raised by my mom and dad to always put your best foot forward; anything less is unacceptable. Instilling this philosophy into students is primary.  Being honored like this is wonderful but it really is secondary. Don’t get me wrong: recognition for hard work is wonderful but it is never the goal.  I am blessed to work at Montana Tech to teach and do research in Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. That in itself is an honor.”

Dr. Young has also been named the Director of the SME Board for 2024-2027. He is featured in the July 2023 issue of Mining Engineering.

Dr. Young earned his Mineral Processing Engineering from Montana Tech in 1984, M.S. in Mining and Minerals Engineering from Virginia Tech in 1988, and Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering from U of Utah in 1994. He has been a member of Montana Tech’s faculty since 1993.

Dr. Young specializes in mineral processing and extractive metallurgy include mineral analysis and characterization, flotation, physical separations, leaching, cyanide, uranium, base and precious metal processing, and adsorption.

He has received five previous awards and honors from SME, including the President’s Citation in 2009 and 2015, and the Antoine M. Gaudin Award in 2020. He was named a Henry Krumb Lecturer in 2021, and a Distinguished Member/Fellow in 2017. Dr. Young has been an SME member since 1982.