UW’s SER and Wold Foundation to Host Symposium on Wyoming’s Energy Future Sept. 12

The University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources (SER) and the Wold Foundation will host a joint symposium Thursday, Sept. 12, that focuses on the state's energy future with a specific focus on economic geology.

The "Wyoming's Energy Future" symposium will begin at 10 a.m. in the UW Conference Center. A networking reception and student poster competition will follow from 4-5 p.m. Registration is currently open for the in-person forum, and the day's events and speakers will be recorded and made available on the SER website at a later date.

Examining different topics from an industry perspective as well as an academic perspective, the free event brings together leading experts across the spectrum of energy development and various state stakeholders to collaborate and learn about what comes next for energy in Wyoming.

Given its importance to Wyoming and relevant expertise at SER and across the state, this year's symposium will have an emphasis on Wyoming economic geology opportunities. Gov. Mark Gordon will give the keynote luncheon talk.

"We first launched this biannual conference in 2022 with the Wold Foundation, and it was really well received among our stakeholders and UW community," SER Executive Director Holly Krutka says. "We are incredibly grateful to the Wold Foundation for its steadfast support and appreciate that the Wold family remains hands-on in providing educational opportunities for our students and the broader energy community."

A major tenet of the Wold Foundation is to support education and, specifically, scientific education for Wyoming students. The Wold Foundation also established the John and Jane Wold Centennial Chair in Energy in 1990 as an opportunity for growing instruction in energy-related topics at the university.

Tasked with leading that directive as the John and Jane Wold Centennial Chair in Energy, John Kaszuba, an SER professor of geology and geophysics, says the symposium is meant to promote energy-related research and teaching for the benefit of Wyoming.

"In addition to providing a platform for dialogue on current energy issues in the state, a major objective of the conference is to involve UW students," Kaszuba says. "The interdisciplinary nature of energy overlaps with so many other professions and fields of study, and it is a great way for students in scientific fields to network. It also is a welcoming forum for other students who are curious about the role that energy plays in the state to come and learn."

Students will have the opportunity to display their energy-related poster projects throughout the day to share with conference attendees. The posters will be reviewed by a panel of judges, with the top three posters to be selected for cash prizes from the Wold Foundation.

For more information about the event and poster competition or to register, visit the conference website here.

About the Wold Foundation

Created in 1985 by John and Jane Wold and the Wold family, the Wold Foundation exists to assist, encourage and promote charitable, scientific, literary and educational endeavors. The foundation supports institutions and programs that promote traditional values and free enterprise and gives a preference to projects benefiting Wyoming citizens and the state's youth.