Sept. 8, 2007 -- BP America, the nation's largest producer of oil and gas, has
donated a gift of $5 million to the University of Wyoming that will support
programs within the UW School of Energy Resources (SER).
The
announcement was made during a media conference prior to the UW Cowboys/Utah
State University football game Saturday. Making the presentation were BP America
Chairman and President Bob Malone, Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, UW President
Tom Buchanan, former Wyoming Sen. and UW alumnus Alan Simpson, and nearly 400 BP
employees and family members.
BP America's gift will be matched by
Wyoming's state endowment fund.
SER programs to be funded by the gift
are: $1 million to improve the UW Petroleum Engineering Rock and Fluids
Properties Laboratory through a remodeling of the facility and acquisition of
new equipment; $2 million each to fund wind energy research programs within the
UW College of Engineering and Applied Science, and to support the SER
construction.
"This gift provides a remarkable opportunity to expand our
efforts to become a world leader in energy teaching, research and outreach,"
Buchanan says. "It creates a corporate partnership that goes beyond traditional
energy research to include support to develop alternative sources such as wind
energy. We look forward to a long-term partnership with BP that will continue to
provide research and learning opportunities for our students and faculty."
The SER is designed to focus UW research on energy through the
university's land-grant mission of teaching, research, and service. It calls for
the addition, during a three-year period, of 12 new nationally- or
internationally-renowned faculty members with energy expertise, funded by
legislative appropriations. Each would be expected to teach undergraduate and
graduate students in addition to conducting research and service.
For
more information about the SER, visit the UW Web site at www.uwyo.edu/ser.
Malone says BP America's gift will help UW make a "very real contribution" to
meeting America energy needs.
"Oil and natural gas -- a lot of it found
right here in Wyoming -- will continue to play a critically important role in
meeting today's growing energy demands," he says. "Our contributions to the
School of Energy Resources and the Rock and Fluids Lab will help the University
of Wyoming remain a leader in energy education and research in the Rocky
Mountain region. Our support of wind research will help develop the technologies
and infrastructure to deliver tomorrow's clean power."
BP America has
nearly 300 employees in Wyoming who work at its natural gas operations
throughout the state, primarily along the Rawlins to Pinedale corridor. BP
operates more than 2,000 wells in the state. In 2006, BP was Wyoming's third
largest producer of natural gas and the fifth largest producer of oil, according
to the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
Photo
Gov. Dave Freudenthal and UW School of
Energy Resources Director Mark Northam discuss a $5 million gift from BP
America.
