text: The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) is a professional association for mining and metallurgy, with over 145,000 members.  The association was founded in 1871 by 22 mining engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and was one of the first national engineering societies in the country.  
  The association's charter is to "advance and disseminate, through the programs of the Member Societies, knowledge of engineering and the arts and sciences involved in the production and use of minerals, metals, energy sources and materials for the benefit of humankind."  
  It is the parent organization of four Member Societies, the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME), The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), the Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST), and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). The organization is currently based in San Ramon, California.