University of Houston President Renu Khator will welcome energy industry leaders and others to a June 29 dedication ceremony for the new home of the university’s nascent petroleum engineering program.
The petroleum engineering program, which debuted an undergraduate degree program in fall 2009, relocated to Building 9A in the UH Energy Research Park (ERP) this spring semester.
The renovated building houses several teaching laboratories, classrooms and offices. The popular bachelor’s degree option already has grown to an estimated 100 students, with the first graduates planned for spring 2013.
Joining Khator at the dedication ceremony will be officials from ConocoPhillips, a strong supporter of the petroleum engineering program and the ERP. Additionally, officials from The Madison Charitable Foundation, Devon Energy Corp., Marathon Oil Corp., Southwestern Energy Co., the Society of Petroleum Engineers-Gulf Coast Section and El Paso Corp. plan to attend the event.
UH has identified energy as a key strategic focus for faculty research and teaching and the UH Cullen College of Engineering's petroleum engineering program is a major component of that mission. It is the first academic program to be housed in the ERP, which is comprised of 74 acres with 15 buildings and 19 acres of developable land.
It’s expected that the ERP will house additional UH academic and research programs as well as administrative offices and third-party energy-related tenants. The Texas Diesel Testing and Research Center already is located in the ERP.
PETROLEUM ENGINEERING BUILDING CEREMONY:
| Who: University of Houston President Renu Khator | |
| What: Dedication Ceremony for UH Petroleum Engineering Building | |
| When: 9 a.m., June 29 | |
| Where: Building 9A in the UH Energy Research Park. This building is not on the main campus. For directions to the ERP, go to: http://www.uh.edu/campus_map/buildings/UBP.php | |
| Note: There will be a special announcement of significance at the ceremony regarding ConocoPhillips. There also will be a tour of the facility after the ceremony. Media wishing to cover the event should contact Mike Emery at pemery@uh.edu or 713-743-8186. |