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ConocoPhillips donates $500,000 for energy research facility

January 5, 2016

Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902

UAF photo by Todd Paris. Scott Jepsen, vice president external affairs for ConocoPhillips Alaska, presents a $500,000 donation to former UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers in July 2015.
UAF photo by Todd Paris. Scott Jepsen, vice president external affairs for ConocoPhillips Alaska, presents a $500,000 donation to former UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers in July 2015.

A $500,000 donation from ConocoPhillips Alaska will help complete the fourth floor of the new engineering building at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The fourth floor is slated to house the UAF Alaska Center for Energy and Power, which develops and tests alternative energy systems in Alaska.

This gift brings the company’s total donations to UAF to more than $2.2 million. Since 2000, ConocoPhillips has donated more than $35 million to the statewide University of Alaska system.

“ConocoPhillips has a long history of supporting education programs in Alaska,” said Joe Marushack, president of ConocoPhillips Alaska. “We greatly value the close relationship we have with UAF, and, with this donation, we look forward to helping ACEP focus on energy solutions for the state.”

The completion of the fourth floor of the building is one of UAF’s centennial initiatives. This initiative aims to raise $6.5 million to complete the space, which will accommodate the center’s multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to research. The center is part of the UAF College of Engineering and Mines.

To date, the university has raised more than $1 million through the initiative. In fall 2014, Usibelli Coal Mine gave the first gift of $500,000.

UAF has been educating engineering students since its inception nearly a century ago. ConocoPhillips has a longtime association with the College of Engineering and Mines. The company has provided internships and full-time employment to many UAF graduates. In addition, ConocoPhillips has provided funding for research on energy-related issues.

"This gift from ConocoPhillips Alaska will help ensure that the Alaska Center for Energy and Power has the modern facilities it needs to continue its work solving Alaska’s energy challenges and preparing the next generation of engineers for our state,” said UAF interim Chancellor Mike Powers.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Natalie Lowman, ConocoPhillips Alaska, at 907- 263-4153 or N.M.Lowman@conocophillips.com.