We want to help promote materials engineering in our region

The Sheffield City Region has a long and proud history of innovation in materials, and today hosts globally significant facilities at the forefront of both scientific research and advanced materials manufacturing.

It is a great place to learn, develop and operate in an unusually wide-ranging materials community. From polymers to metals, composites to glass and ceramics to electronics there is a huge diversity of materials knowledge hard at work to make the world a better place.

The Sheffield Metallurgical and Engineering Association has a long history of serving both the academic and industrial arenas, providing help to students and early stage professionals and ongoing continual professional development activities for people at all stages in their careers.

Amongst our members we have a huge wealth of experience in the technical, practical and managerial aspects of the materials world. 

It is one of the defining features of the materials community in this region that our meetings are open and welcoming and that advice is freely and frequently offered. We help us all by helping each other.

In collaboration with The Institiute of Materials, Minerals & Mining, we host membership clinics and mentorship for people wishing to join and/or upgrade their professional membership of the IoM3.

We also collaborate with a number of providers to promote STEM, engineering and materials to school age students.

Our lecture programme aims to delivery high quality talks from highly skilled presenters at the top of their respective fields. 

We encourage questions from the audience and networking both before and after the presentations to get the most out of the learning opportunities on offer.

In addition to our regular lecture programme we also run higer profile events such as the Barraclough Lecture and the Celebrity Lecture as well as our annual quiz night, Annual Dinner and a series of works visits, members evenings and host a regional heats for the Young Person's Lecture Competition.

>1500

Combined attendance at our events each year

>£15K

Spent annually to promote personal and professional development

>150 years

Representing the local materials community

Video Resources

Since the pandemic moved us on-line in 2020, we have begun to record our lectures and make them available to a wider audience. This has been so well received that we plan to continue to do this in future, building an on-line materials resource. 

Please click on the icon below to see our full YouTube library

Some example videos

Building the next generation

Click below to see our video

We believe that we have a role to play in helping to develop the future leaders of the materials community.

We try to encourage school age students to think about materials and STEM careers in general through participation in events such as Get Up To Speed, Engineering Extravaganza and The Big Bang.

We also conduct school visits with the 'Materials Discovery Box', and sponsor prizes for excellence in schools and universities.

For apprentices, students and early stage professionals, we award travel and professional development grants.

Our Links

SMEA is affiliated to the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and is one of the largest regional memberships in IOM3. The Association has an extensive programme of activities to keep its members abreast of new innovations in the materials world centred on its lecture programme. It actively encourages the development of young materials scientists through travel bursaries and prizes for academic achievement. In addition it promotes and assists local science based trusts and museums to ensure the history of science in the Sheffield region is developed. The Association extends a warm welcome to non-members to all its events

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