Earth, Energy and Environment Center

Ritchie Hall and Slawson Hall, which together make up the Earth, Energy and Environment Center, welcomed the first class of students this spring. Donors contributed more than half of the $78 million total cost of the project — these include lead gifts made by alumni Scott and Carol Ritchie and the family of the late Don Slawson. 

From the moment you enter the center, the open spaces and transparency from the vast windows illustrate that its overarching goal is collaboration.

The center was built to support the technological needs of modern geology; to create a dedicated space to integrate the earth sciences and petroleum engineering; and to fulfill a regional need for a space where industry, organizations, researchers and students can work together. This facility will take intensive fieldwork to laboratory experimentation and discovery-based science to practical implementation — and will then deliver these discoveries to market.