Bingham Research Center Hosts Celebratory Open House

VERNAL, Utah — The Bingham Research Center at Utah State University Uintah Basin hosted an open house on Aug. 28 to celebrate its accomplishments and to thank donors for their contributions.

The open house hosted several guests, including a state senator, representatives of the Bingham Family Foundation, local county and school board members, as well as many other representatives from the community, industry, environmental organizations and other government entities.

Attendees of the open house enjoyed meet-and-greets with USU faculty and staff, a tour of labs and the center’s emissions measurement equipment, as well as remarks from several USU officials, including Senior Associate Vice President for USU Uintah Basin James Y. Taylor; Devin Wiser, vice president for Government and External Relations; and Anna McEntire, associate director of the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air, among others.

“This open house was a great time to catch up and strengthen existing partnerships,” said Seth Lyman, director of the Bingham Research Center. “Many of the attendees expressed their gratitude to USU for hosting this event and shared how helpful the Bingham Center has been to the community and the state. They also enjoyed seeing the inner workings of our facility and were excited to see and learn how our team often builds our own measurement and analysis equipment.”

During the 2023 legislative session, the Utah Legislature renewed and increased funding for the Bingham Research Center, increasing funding by $150,000 annually. Through private donations as well as state and local funding, the center and its staff are dedicated to energy and environmental research that affects Utah and many regions of the world.

Funding from the Utah Legislature, as well as funds from Uintah County’s Special Service District #1 and other sources, allows the Bingham Center to investigate the causes of the Uintah Basin’s unique wintertime air quality problems. Their findings are used by regulatory agencies, the local oil and gas industry, and others as they work to improve air quality in the region.

The goal of the Bingham Research Center is to diagnose problems related to the environment, air quality and energy, and to look for solutions that will make the Uintah Basin and Utah more healthy and economically prosperous. The center’s research would not be possible without the generous contributions from its many partnerships and private donors.

For more information on the Bingham Research Center, visit www.usu.edu/binghamresearch.

Operating campuses in Vernal and Roosevelt for more than 50 years, Utah State University Uintah Basin gives students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university, all in the backdrop of the outdoor oasis that is the Uinta Mountains and Ashley National Forest. With degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees and more than 125 programs available, as well as access to the renowned Bingham Research Center, USU Uintah Basin offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at uintahbasin.usu.edu.