Former Wyoming Governor Freudenthal to Speak at UW Oct. 23

Former Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal will speak at the University of Wyoming as part of the School of Energy Resources’ (SER) Distinguished Speaker Series Friday, Oct. 23.

Freudenthal will speak from noon-1 p.m. in the atrium of the Engineering Education and Research Building, with welcome remarks provided by SER Executive Director Pete Obermueller and UW President Shane Reeves.

The free lunch presentation is open to all students, members of the campus community and the public.

SER was created in 2006 under Senate File 0037. The Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development Interim Committee sponsored and advanced the bill as a collective, institutional measure. Freudenthal signed it into law March 13, 2006.

The special presentation is the culminating event of the 20th anniversary festivities for SER, where Freudenthal will address the vision, the creation and the impacts that SER has had since its inception.

Freudenthal served as Wyoming’s 31st governor from 2003-2011. A native of Thermopolis, he earned his law degree from UW after studying economics. Before his tenure as governor, Freudenthal built a distinguished legal career, serving as the U.S. attorney for the District of Wyoming from 1994-2001. As governor, he focused on energy policy, economic growth and fiscal management, presiding over significant growth in the state’s trust funds and budget surpluses. Following his public service, he has continued to practice law, advise on natural resource policy and teach at UW.

“Two decades ago, Wyoming lawmakers made a visionary investment in the state’s future by establishing the School of Energy Resources,” says SER Director of Outreach Christine Reed. “Welcoming Gov. Freudenthal to commemorate this 20-year milestone allows us to reflect on how far we’ve come. Thanks to that legislative foresight, SER has grown into a powerhouse for energy research and economic growth that continues to serve Wyoming every day, and we are excited to celebrate with our campus and statewide community.”

Attendees also will have the opportunity to see the expansive growth of energy research across campus through guided facility and lab tours along UW’s STEM corridor from 1-3 p.m. In a choose-your-own-adventure schedule, attendees can visit the Energy Innovation Center, 3D Visualization Center, Multidisciplinary Advanced Stimulation Laboratory, Drilling and Completions Simulation Facility, and the Geological Museum.

The presentation only will be offered in an in-person format. For more information, email Reed at christine.reed@uwyo.edu.

UW SER Research Highlights Coal Char’s Potential to Support Carrot Production and Soil Health

A research initiative at the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources (SER) that explores novel uses for Wyoming coal has hit a tangible milestone: harvesting large carrots using coal char as a soil amendment.

The ongoing study, titled “Carrot yield enhancement using coal char as a soil amendment in Wyoming soil,” is evaluating how pyrolyzed coal (coal char) influences root crop production and soil physical properties in both greenhouse and field environments.

Funded by the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, the project is led by Resham Thapa, an associate research professional in SER’s Center for Carbon Capture and Conversion (CCCC). The initiative is designed to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops.

Thapa recently completed the project’s first-year major field harvest, yielding large carrots that highlight the potential benefits of the soil treatment.

“The goal of this project is to develop scientifically based, practical measures for using pyrolyzed coal in agroecosystems,” Thapa says. “By applying coal char as a soil amendment, we hope to enhance soil health and significantly boost yields for specialty crops, such as carrots and radishes. The carrots we harvested are showing improvements in size, while fully retaining their optimal flavor profile and moisture content.”

The field trial is being conducted at the James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center, a UW Agricultural Experiment Station facility located in Lingle. Over a three-year period, the project aims to provide actionable insights for farmers, agricultural producers and industry stakeholders across the region.

The trial builds upon a broader suite of UW soil amendment projects that have explored coal char across diverse applications, including land reclamation, field monitoring in dryland environments and traditional agriculture. A growing body of scientific publications and data resulting from these studies continues to support the significant soil-enhancement benefits of coal char, from improving soil physical properties and soil moisture retention to boosting crop performance.

Beyond its benefits for agricultural productivity, the research holds broader economic implications for the state. Developing agricultural applications for coal char creates a potentially high-volume market for Wyoming coal, supporting economic diversification and opening new avenues for employment within the state’s energy and agricultural sectors.

“Collaborating closely with the College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Life Sciences on these test projects allows us to combine expertise in energy technology and soil science to deliver real-world solutions,” says CCCC Director Trina Igelsrud Pfeiffer. “This initiative directly bridges Wyoming’s two largest economic sectors — energy and agriculture. By finding high-value agricultural applications for coal products, we can enhance crop productivity for local producers while simultaneously opening new markets for our state’s energy resources.”

Results from the ongoing greenhouse and field trials will continue to be collected and analyzed throughout the remainder of the study.

UW Study Reveals Key Insights for Building Nationwide Hydrogen Pipeline Infrastructure

A new University of Wyoming study, published in the journal Nature Communications, offers a comprehensive evaluation of the performance, economic and environmental trade-offs required to build nationwide hydrogen pipeline networks.

The study, titled “Pipeline Infrastructure for Hydrogen Transport in the United States,” was led by Haibo Zhai, the Roy and Caryl Cline Distinguished Chair in Engineering, a Wyoming Excellence Chair, and a professor in the UW College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Ayush Singh, a postdoctoral research fellow in Zhai’s research group, was the paper’s lead author. Other co-authors include Eugene Holubnyak, director of the Hydrogen Energy Research Center in the UW School of Energy Resources (SER), and Curtis Biggs, UW-E4 director in UW’s Office of Industry and Strategic Partnerships.

The research addresses a key deficiency in existing infrastructure models, which have significantly underestimated construction-related material and labor costs when compared with historical U.S. data. To address this discrepancy, the research team developed integrated performance, economic and life-cycle emissions models to analyze both dedicated, new pipelines and repurposed natural gas pipelines.

“As the United States accelerates efforts to expand its clean energy endeavors, establishing a reliable and cost-effective hydrogen transport network remains a critical hurdle,” Zhai says. “By integrating real historical data with life-cycle emissions and engineering performance, our framework gives decision-makers a clearer, multidimensional view of what it will actually take to build dedicated or repurposed transport networks.”

The authors found that the levelized cost of transporting hydrogen through dedicated pipelines varies widely based on location, capacity and distance, with similar variations seen in repurposed natural gas systems. Although leveraging existing natural gas infrastructure can substantially lower up-front capital expenditures, the authors noted it may involve complex trade-offs regarding long-term costs and life-cycle emissions.

“Understanding cost and emissions trade-offs is essential as Wyoming builds out its hydrogen economy,” Holubnyak says. “These integrated models give us the data needed to guide investment and reduce project risk.”

The authors concluded that integrated pipeline models and multi-criteria analysis provide a more accurate framework to guide engineering design, strategic planning and investment decisions for building nationwide hydrogen transport infrastructure. The pipeline models have been incorporated into Integrated Environmental Control Model Version 14, a computer-based tool for energy systems modeling and analysis. To support research, education and workforce development in the energy domain, Zhai’s research group plans to release the newly upgraded tool to the public soon.

The research was supported by the Wyoming Innovation Partnership initiative and SER as part of the Hydrogen Phase II initiative to advance hydrogen production and transportation in Wyoming.

“This study is a good example of how the Hydrogen Energy Research Center and our partners across campus turn state investment through the Hydrogen Phase II initiative into practical tools for industry and decision-makers,” Holubnyak says.

To read the full article, visit www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78402-2.

UW SER Begins Work on $6 Million NSF EPSCoR Grant with University of Alaska on Sustainable Critical Mineral Recovery

The University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources (SER) has begun work as a subawardee on a major grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in collaboration with the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) to explore transformative bioprocessing and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven frameworks for sustainable critical mineral recovery.

^{University of Wyoming lead Tyler Brown, minerals program manager, SER’s Center for Economic Geology Research}

Funded under the EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) Infrastructure Improvement Program, the $6 million grant project establishes a smart bio-refinery framework with AI-enabled microbial recovery systems to address the nation’s reliance on foreign sources of rare earth elements.

The interdisciplinary research collaboration will integrate microbiology, mineralogy, AI and process engineering to advance critical mineral recovery. The project aims to strengthen U.S. economic and national security through reduced dependence on foreign sources of critical minerals.

Additional partners on the project include the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Montana Technical University.

The UW portion of the project will be led by Tyler Brown, program manager of the minerals team inside SER’s Center for Economic Geology Research. He will primarily be tasked with the characterization, economic analysis and workforce training components of the project.

“We have worked diligently to establish ourselves as the go-to authority in critical mineral characterization, and we are deeply grateful for our robust partnerships with premier institutions,” Brown says. “Our team brings years of specialized experience in characterizing unconventional coal feedstocks, paired with deep expertise in economic analysis, workforce development and social sciences. Supported by strong stakeholder commitment, we are uniquely positioned to advance these vital technologies toward commercialization as their viability is proven.”

The project lead at UAA will use a proprietary bioleaching process to extract critical minerals from diverse feedstocks. By integrating pre- and post-optimization data directly into a machine learning feedback loop, the researchers aim to engineer tailored extraction solutions for varied regional materials. In collaboration with the partner institutions in Alaska and Montana, the team combines regional feedstock research with cutting-edge engineering and AI capabilities.

“This is a unique situation in which each team is bringing a strength to the table to contribute to a holistic approach for critical mineral recovery,” Brown says. “Regional partnerships and pooling expertise across state lines and academic institutions will ultimately allow us to build a resilient, homegrown framework for critical mineral recovery that directly strengthens domestic energy independence.”

The four-year project is one of eight receiving a combined $39.9 million through NSF’s EPSCoR  Infrastructure Improvement Program: Focused EPSCoR Collaborations.

UW Students Participate in SER’s Second Field Course on Natural Hydrogen Exploration

Building on the success of its inaugural offering, the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources (SER) recently hosted its second summer field course dedicated to natural geologic hydrogen exploration.

^{University of Wyoming students Gisella Mena Teran (left), Taiye Idahor and Fred Gyasse take samples in the field during UW’s School of Energy Resources’ summer field course dedicated to natural geologic hydrogen exploration Aug. 22-28. (Sara Buckhold Photo)}

The hybrid course, which took place Aug. 22-28, provided students with hands-on training in combining foundational geoscience with cutting-edge machine learning techniques to identify and analyze natural hydrogen occurrences.

The course forms a key educational pillar of the broader Wyoming Geohydrogen Exploration Initiative led by SER’s Hydrogen Energy Research Center (H2ERC), supported in collaboration with industry partner Hestia Energy Corp. and matched through a Wyoming artificial intelligence (AI) state matching appropriation.

The project aims to establish robust models for natural hydrogen formation, migration and trapping across Wyoming’s unique geological basins.

“We are excited to build on the foundation laid during last year’s inaugural course,” says Sarah Buckhold, H2ERC assistant research professional and leader of the course. “Geologic hydrogen represents a promising frontier in clean energy. By equipping students with a digital-first approach that combines physical field observation with machine learning models, they are, hopefully, leaving the course fluent in both traditional structural geology and the data science methods needed to process complex geophysical signals in the field.”

The one-credit course was co-led alongside Stuart Farris, Hestia Energy co-founder and chief technology officer. Farris also is an SER adjunct professor.

The curriculum blended intensive classroom instruction with a six-day immersive field experience. Participants explored how to pair traditional field methods, such as geologic mapping and advanced continuous subsurface sensing, with data-driven analytics and AI to map and evaluate potential natural hydrogen reservoirs.

Throughout the week, seven UW students gained direct experience learning how to recognize tracking markers for how hydrogen behaves over a specific geological region and to strategically measure data over those features.

“Field opportunities like this are invaluable for our students, giving them the chance to translate complex classroom concepts directly into real-world applications,” Buckhold says. “Simultaneously, this practical coursework directly advances crucial energy research and supports Wyoming’s broader economic and industry goals by developing real solutions right here in our state’s unique geologic basins.”

Dawn Wellman of Savannah River National Laboratory to Present at UW Oct. 7

Dawn Wellman, senior fellow for critical minerals and materials at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), will speak at the University of Wyoming as part of the School of Energy Resources’ (SER) Distinguished Speaker Series Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Wellman will speak from noon-1 p.m. in the UW Energy Innovation Center’s Encana Auditorium. The free lunch presentation is open to all students, members of the campus community and the public.

Her talk is titled “Beyond Extraction: Understanding Critical Mineral Challenges for Resilient Supply Chains” and will offer an insider’s perspective on how cutting-edge research is turning into commercial reality.

In addition to her role at SRNL, Wellman is the science integration lead for the DOE’s Critical Materials Innovation Hub (CMI Hub) to break down the science, economics and real-world deployment of mineral extraction.

She previously managed strategic programs and partnerships for Copper R&D at Rio Tinto, where she directed the company’s North American critical mineral co-production strategy from copper and served on the CMI Industry Council. Her background includes over two decades at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, culminating in her role as director of the Earth Systems Science Division, as well as service as chief scientist for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Innovation and Development within environmental management.

“The School of Energy Resources has a robust history of meaningful partnerships with national laboratories, collaborating on high-impact projects that drive energy innovation,” says Christine Reed, SER director of outreach. “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Wellman from Savannah River National Laboratory. This marks the first time we’ve hosted a leader from SRNL as part of our Distinguished Speakers Series, and our critical minerals team, along with research partners across campus, are eager to connect and explore new opportunities for collaboration.”

A livestream of the lunchtime presentation can be viewed at https://uwyo.zoom.us/j/96992218550.

For more information, email Reed at christine.reed@uwyo.edu.

UW School of Energy Resources to Host Energy Roadshow in Gillette Nov. 4

The community is invited to explore the future of local energy innovation at an upcoming University of Wyoming Energy Roadshow public outreach event Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 5:30 p.m. at the Campbell County Public Library in Gillette.

Organized to highlight the progress and next steps for the Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC) Enhancement Project, this interactive session will offer Campbell County residents an inside look at cutting-edge carbon capture research and energy projects taking place right in their backyard.

The event will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with a 30-minute presentation covering key updates on the ITC Enhancement Project and its role in strengthening Wyoming’s energy economy. Immediately following the presentation, attendees are invited to stay for a casual, interactive “Connect, Learn and Engage” open house session.

The capital improvement project focuses on expanding the capability and infrastructure of the Wyoming ITC, located adjacent to Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Dry Fork Station. These enhancements will scale up testing capacities for advanced carbon capture, utilization and sequestration technologies, allowing larger-scale industrial technology demonstrations. Beyond emissions management, these capture technologies can provide captured carbon dioxide to support enhanced oil recovery initiatives and unlock stranded oil and gas resources across the region, creating new opportunities for economic growth and long-term energy leadership.

During the open house, community members can speak directly with representatives and project leaders from the Wyoming ITC while discovering other ongoing energy and infrastructure initiatives across Campbell County. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, share feedback and learn how these technological enhancements impact the local community and economy.

People who wish to submit questions in advance of the meeting or sign up to receive ongoing project updates and news can do so by visiting here. Presubmitting questions will help ensure top community interests and inquiries are addressed during the live presentation.

Admission is free and open to the public, and complimentary pizza and soft drinks will be provided for all attendees. A recording of the presentations will be made available at a later date for those unable to attend.

About the Wyoming Integrated Test Center

The Wyoming Integrated Test Center is a world-class test facility located at Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Dry Fork Station near Gillette. Designed to provide space for researchers and technology developers to test carbon capture, utilization and sequestration technologies using actual coal-fired flue gas, the ITC serves as a global hub for advancing energy solutions and economic diversification in energy-producing regions.

UW Wind Energy Research Center and Airloom Energy Inc. Complete Space Force STTR Phase I Award

The University of Wyoming’s Wind Energy Research Center (WERC), along with Airloom Energy Inc., recently completed a U.S. Space Force Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project to evaluate the feasibility of a low-profile wind energy system tailored for deployment at Space Force installations.

Managed by SpaceWERX, the Space Force STTR program awards competitive grants to startups and small businesses developing technologies with commercial and defense applications that strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base.

The project, “Wing Energy for Resilient Basing and Assured Access to Space,” paired Airloom’s innovative wind turbine technology with WERC’s wind modeling expertise to address a fundamental technical gap in assessing wind energy potential at low altitudes.

Neal Rickner, Chief Executive Officer of Airloom Energy, served as the principal investigator with lead UW partner Michael Stoellinger, an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering and Co-director of WERC.

“Conventional wind turbines are often unsuitable for military bases due to their significant height, radar interference, and complex logistics,” says Rickner. “Airloom’s system replaces towered turbines with a track-mounted design that operates at approximately 25 meters above ground. The system is modular, transportable by standard trucks, and can be installed without heavy-lift equipment, making it uniquely compatible with the operational needs of defense installations.”

The UW side of the project focused on optimizing airflow mechanics and wind modeling.

“Providing reliable, independent power to military installations requires rethinking both turbine design and how we model wind resources,” says Stoellinger. “We were thrilled to partner with Airloom on this Space Force initiative. By combining their low-profile turbine technology with our high-fidelity wind modeling, we are developing the precise siting tools needed to rapidly deploy resilient, secure energy solutions for defense bases.”

Under the direction of Stoellinger and UW Professor Jonathan Naughton, WERC is a faculty-led Center of Excellence supported by the School of Energy Resources in collaboration with the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. It is dedicated to improving wind energy technology and its applications in Wyoming.

The Phase I objective was to produce a tool and siting methodology that enables the rapid evaluation of base-specific deployment feasibility, and to define a clear Phase II pathway for field demonstration.

For more information on WERC, visit https://www.uwyo.edu/ser/research/centers-of-excellence/wind-energy-research/index.html.

About Airloom Energy, Inc.

Headquartered in Laramie, Wyoming, Airloom Energy is transforming the renewable energy landscape with a low-cost, low-profile wind generation system. By utilizing vertical airfoils that travel along a modular, ground-based track, Airloom’s novel architecture dramatically cuts total mass, manufacturing complexity, and transportation overhead compared to traditional wind turbines. Backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Lowercarbon Capital, Airloom is unlocking low-cost, resilient clean power worldwide. Learn more at airloom.energy.

About SpaceWERX

As the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force and a division of AFWERX, SpaceWERX partners with small businesses, startups and nontraditional vendors to accelerate the development and transition of commercial space technologies to solve challenges facing Guardians. SpaceWERX strengthens the defense industrial base and delivers capabilities at speed and scale in a contested domain. Headquartered in Los Angeles, SpaceWERX identifies and transitions dual-use technologies across the commercial space ecosystem to meet operational needs. In partnership with Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office, SpaceWERX bridges innovation and acquisition to speed capability adoption. In fiscal year 2025, SpaceWERX awarded more than 300 contracts totaling $510 million. For more information, visit spacewerx.us.

About AFRL

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the Department of the Air Force’s primary scientific research and development center and one of six centers within Air Force Materiel Command. AFRL leads the discovery, development and delivery of technologies for air, space and the multidomain. With a workforce spanning seven mission areas at more than 40 locations worldwide, AFRL conducts research ranging from basic science to advanced technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.

UW Researchers Enhance Understanding of Hydrocarbon Phase Behavior in Mowry Shale Nanopores

Research recently conducted at the University of Wyoming’s Phase Behavior of Nanoconfined Fluids Lab provides new insight into how hydrocarbons behave when confined within shale nanopores. The work aims to improve understanding and prediction of fluid phase behavior in unconventional reservoirs.

The paper, titled “Phase Transition and Pore Criticality in a Natural Nanoporous Medium: Adsorption-Desorption and Calorimetry Experimentation and Equation-of-State Representation,” investigates the phase behavior of propane confined in Mowry Shale using adsorption-desorption measurements, differential scanning calorimetry and thermodynamic equation-of-state representation. The paper was published Sept. 23 in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, a leading journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Funded under the competitive Mowry Shale proposal opportunity through the School of Energy Resources (SER), the study was written by Ephraim Kakra Owusu-Banahene, a Ph.D. candidate in UW’s Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering, along with Morteza Dejam, an associate professor in UW’s Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering, School of Computing and Hydrologic Science Interdisciplinary Program, and Hertanto Adidharma, a professor emeritus in UW’s Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering.

“Shale formations contain extremely small pores, often only a few nanometers in size. Fluids confined within these pores behave differently from the same fluids in larger, unrestricted environments,” Owusu-Banahene says. “These confinement effects alter important properties, such as phase transition temperatures and pressures, making conventional descriptions of bulk fluid behavior potentially inadequate for fluids stored in unconventional reservoirs. While several works have looked at phase behavior and criticality in synthetic nanopores, transitioning findings to shale samples remained challenging for a variety of reasons.”

During its research, the team combined adsorption-desorption measurements, differential scanning calorimetry and thermodynamic modeling to investigate propane phase behavior in Mowry Shale. The two experimental methods showed closely agreeing capillary evaporation conditions, after which the three-line approach was used to determine the pore critical point.

Unlike results commonly reported for pure fluids in synthetic nanoporous materials, the pore critical point of propane in Mowry Shale exceeds the bulk critical conditions. The finding shows that natural shale can exhibit phase behavior that differs from idealized synthetic systems and highlights the importance of directly studying confined fluids in natural porous media.

“While the energy sector continues to diversify, oil and gas will remain an important part of Wyoming’s energy landscape for years to come, making it essential to improve our understanding of unconventional resources, such as Mowry Shale,” says Tim Fischer, oil and gas program manager in SER’s Center for Economic Geology Research, and lead of the Mowry Shale Project. “By studying how hydrocarbons behave within its nanoscale pore structure, this work can contribute to better characterization of the formation and, ultimately, to more informed approaches to evaluating and developing shale resources in Wyoming and beyond.”

The findings provide a foundation for further investigation of confined fluid behavior in shale and other natural nanoporous materials, where complex pore structures, mineralogy and surface properties may influence phase behavior.

To read the full paper, go to https://doi.org/10.1039/d6cp02502a.

UW SER 3D Visualization Center Launches Service Center, Adds Advanced Hyperspectral Facility

The 3D Visualization Center at the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources (SER) has launched a dedicated service center, marking a major milestone in its expansion as a regional hub for spatial data, advanced image capture and software development.

^{James Amato, an associate research professional in UW’s School of Energy Resources, looks at a core sample under the mounted hyperspectral scanner in UW’s 3D Visualization Center.}

This new structure makes the center’s advanced technological capabilities broadly accessible to researchers across the university, external academic institutions and private industry partners.

Alongside this organizational transition, the center has completed construction of a state-of-the-art darkroom facility designed specifically for its mounted hyperspectral camera. The specialized environment enables year-round, high-resolution spectral scanning of geological core samples, eliminating the seasonal constraints of winter months and inclement weather.

“Formalizing the service center model represents a significant step forward in our mission to deliver decision-ready spatial data and advanced digital models,” says Kyle Summerfield, program manager of the 3D Visualization Center. “The completion of the darkroom allows hyperspectral data capture to continue outside of the field season and enables us to perform critical core and sample analysis in addition to airborne and tripod-mounted data acquisition. Our standardized service framework ensures that academic and industry partners alike can easily access our team’s specialized expertise.”

The center’s integrated service offerings cover the entire pipeline from physical data acquisition to interactive software deployment. The comprehensive suite of capabilities includes geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, software development and 3D modeling, alongside expert consulting and training. The center’s newly established hyperspectral remote sensing program introduces a new, cutting-edge technology that is gaining strong interest from private industry, particularly in the mining and energy sectors, positioning the center for new applied research and service opportunities.

The center also offers strategic consulting and hands-on training to help organizations design scale, and maintain their own GIS, remote sensing and immersive visualization programs.

“The specialized expertise and technological capabilities housed within the 3D Visualization Center are extraordinarily niche — we are one of only a handful of entities nationwide with this level of integrated spatial, imaging and software resources under one roof,” says SER Executive Director Pete Obermueller. “We are thrilled to launch this service center structure, enabling us to advance innovation across the University of Wyoming and sister academic institutions, while offering crucial capabilities to industry partners to reduce uncertainty and risk in mineral exploration and extraction.”

To ensure broad access, the center has instituted a tiered rate structure serving three distinct client groups that is available on the website. Organizations interested in partnering with the center, exploring rates or scoping research projects can contact the SER 3D Visualization Center directly at uw3dviz.com.