In this episode of Energy Frontier: The Wyoming Landscape, our guest host Selena Gerace, Program Manager of the Energy Engagement, Leadership, and Careers Program, sits down with Dr. Dawn Wellman, Senior Fellow for Critical Minerals and Materials at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and 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. Drawing on her experience across national laboratories and global mining leadership, Dr. Wellman offers an insider’s perspective on how cutting-edge research is turning into commercial reality.

In this episode of Energy Frontier: The Wyoming Landscape, our guest host, Selena Gerace, Program Manager of the Energy Engagement, Leadership and Careers Program at the School of Energy Resources, sits down with industry veteran and UW alumnus Doug Brooks, a member of the Industry Advisory Board for the University of Wyoming’s Professional Land Management (PLM) program. Drawing from over 40 years of executive leadership across major E&P companies—including Marathon, Yates Petroleum, Oasis Petroleum, and Chord Energy—Doug breaks down the evolving role of the modern land professional.

In this episode of Energy Frontier: The Wyoming Landscape, Dr. Erin Phillips, Director of Cross Cutting Programs at the School of Energy Resources, sits down with Dave Green, Project Engineer at Western Fuels Wyoming’s Dry Fork Mine and 1991 University of Wyoming Geology alumnus. With over 35 years of experience in Powder River Basin surface mining, Dave shares insights into coal geology, reserve planning, and the day-to-day balance between high-volume pit operations and environmental compliance.

In this episode of Energy Frontier: The Wyoming Landscape, Dr. Erin Phillips, Director of Cross Cutting Programs at the School of Energy Resources, visits with Pete Obermueller, the newly appointed Executive Director of the School of Energy Resources. Listeners will remember Pete from his time as the head of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW), where he was a fierce advocate for the state's oil and gas sector. Now, he is bringing his deep background in private industry advocacy and public policy to the academic and research arena and sharing his vision for the future.

In this episode of Energy Frontier: The Wyoming Landscape, Dr. Erin Phillips, Acting Senior Director of Research at the School of Energy Resources, sits down with triple-degree University of Wyoming alumnus Paul Bonifas, Director of Business Development at Rare Element Resources. While Wyoming is historically recognized as a traditional energy powerhouse, the state is becoming a crucial hub for the nation's critical mineral supply chain. Throughout the conversation, Paul details Rare Element Resources' efforts to advance North America’s premier rare earth elements deposit at the Bear Lodge project near Sundance and highlights the crucial separation and refining testing underway at their Upton demonstration plant.

In this episode of Energy Frontier: The Wyoming Landscape, Dr. Erin Phillips, Acting Senior Director of Research at the School of Energy Resources, sits down with University of Wyoming professors Dr. Brian Leonard (Department of Chemistry) and Dr. Bryan Leonard (School of Energy Resources / Haub School) to explore the intersection of hard science and institutional policy.

In this episode of Energy Frontier: The Wyoming Landscape, Dr. Erin Phillips, Acting Senior Director of Research at the School of Energy Resources, visits with Kyle Summerfield to trace the remarkable decade-long evolution of the University of Wyoming’s 3D Visualization Center. From its early days, housed within a massive, room-sized 3D CAVE, to its modern-day reality as a lean, agile, and state-certified University Service Center, Kyle shares how his team has completely transformed the way researchers, students, and industries interact with complex spatial data.