MEDIA ADVISORY

TO:                      News Directors, Education, Political and Natural Resource Reporters

FROM:                 University Relations

SUBJECT:            UAF School of Mineral Engineering Honors Gov. Knowles

DATE & TIME:     Friday, April 6, 2001, 7 p.m.

LOCATION:         Westmark Fairbanks Hotel

The University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Mineral Engineering alumni and faculty have selected Gov. Tony Knowles to be the recipient of the School of Mineral Engineering(SME) Distinguished Service Award for 2001.

UAF Chancellor Marshall Lind will make the presentation of the distinguished service award at SME’s annual banquet at 7 p.m., Friday, April 6, 2001, at the Fairbanks Westmark Hotel. The keynote speaker for the awards banquet will be Ken Konrad, Sr. Vice President, BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. Konrad is the business manager for the gas consortium which includes Phillips Alaska, BP and Exxon. He will be speaking on Alaska natural gas development.

Each year SME alumni sponsor an awards banquet to recognize students, faculty, alumni and other professionals for their contributions to Alaska’s mineral and energy industry. UAF was founded in 1917 as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines as a teaching and research institution. Its aim today, as it was then, is to continue to provide practical applications of research to serve Alaskans and to help diversify the state’s economy.

"The faculty and alumni chose Gov. Knowles because he has provided both the leadership and the tenacious effort to effect the timely development of the natural gas resources and reserves of Alaska," said UAF Professor of Geological Engineering Paul Metz. "The utilization of these resources in an environmentally sound manner will result in the largest positive impact on the state’s economy since the commencement of oil production in Prudhoe Bay."

Knowles will not be able to attend the banquet, but a representative from his office is expected to attend to accept the award.

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CONTACT: Paul Metz, UAF Department of Mining and Geological Engineering at 474-6749 or email: ffpam@uaf.edu or Tom Moyer, Director Fairbanks Office of the Governor at 451-2920.

CJB/063ma/04/04/01