Energy School Will Benefit State, Senate Action on Hathaway

March 6, 2006 - Morris Argyle, assistant professor in the University of Wyoming Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, and Graduate Student Researcher Guoqing Xu, observe a catalytic reactor that produces hydrogen using clean coal technology, as part of a project led by the Western Research Institute and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Wyoming Senate on Thursday voted to create a School of Energy Resources at UW. The school will help the state make better use of its coal and other traditional natural resources such as oil and natural gas, as well as of renewable natural resources, such as wind, bio-fuels and solar energy.

The Wyoming Senate's unanimous vote in favor of beginning the Hathaway Scholarship Program in the fall of 2006 and establishing the School of Energy Resources will build an educational foundation that strengthens Wyoming and its people for years to come, according to University of Wyoming President Tom Buchanan.

"Today's Senate vote in favor of starting the Hathaway Scholarship Program to benefit Wyoming's 2006 graduating seniors will give more Wyoming students an opportunity to earn a college education, expanding in the short run their choice of job opportunities and in the long run their array of career choices," says Buchanan. "It also provides the Wyoming economy with a more skilled and attractive workforce.

"The Senate's vote to create the School of Energy Resource signals an interest in increasing the quality of higher education at the University of Wyoming as well as building opportunities for UW students after graduation," continues Buchanan. "Working with the guidance and support of the University of Wyoming Energy Resources Council established in the bill, UW will recruit some of the nation's and world's top faculty in energy-related disciplines.

"This legislation will give us an opportunity to build one of the finest schools of its kind, providing the best teachers for our students, the best researchers for traditional and renewable energy fields, including bio-fuels, and the best outreach services for the Wyoming economy. With this legislation, we all win."