Presentations by world-renowned scientists and industry leaders are among the activities scheduled as part of the grand opening of the Hess Digital Rock Physics Laboratory at the University of Wyoming Friday, Sept. 20.

The state-of-the-art research facility is located on the third floor of UW’s new Energy Innovation Center (EIC). It includes unique imaging instruments capable of mapping pore space and pore fluid occupancy in rock samples, and other porous materials, over a wide range of scales and resolutions, with applications including oil and gas recovery from unconventional and conventional reservoirs.

Among those scheduled to speak at the event, which begins at 7:45 a.m. in the EIC’s Encana Auditorium, are UW President Bob Sternberg, UW Vice President for Research and Economic Development Bill Gern, and UW School of Energy Resources Director Mark Northam. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 8:15 a.m., followed by a tour of the lab.

The day’s keynote speaker is Greg Hill, Hess Corporation’s executive vice president and president of worldwide exploration and production. The UW alumnus, who serves on the UW Foundation Board of Directors and as a member of the Governor’s Energy, Engineering, STEM Integration Task Force, will speak at 11:45 a.m. in the EIC’s BP Collaboration Center. Hess, a leading global independent energy company primarily engaged in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas, donated $4.4 million for the lab's construction.

“We’re extremely grateful for all who have contributed to the development of this lab, which is the world’s most innovative for advanced reservoir characterization,” says Mohammad Piri, UW School of Energy Resources associate professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, who heads the lab. “We believe this will be a game changer for multidisciplinary flow in porous media research on campus, with implications for the state of Wyoming, the country and the world.”

Piri is among those scheduled to give technical presentations during the daylong grand opening. Other researchers who will speak are from the Imperial College of London, the University of Southern California, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie in France, Princeton University, Stanford University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

For a complete schedule and other information about the grand opening, go online to http://www.uwyo.edu/ser/conferences/upcoming-events/hess-ceremony.html. Seating is extremely limited, and advanced registration is a must.