May 13, 2022
A donation from Ripple, a leading provider of enterprise blockchain and crypto solutions, will establish a Ripple Blockchain Collaboratory at the University of Wyoming, which will foster innovation in blockchain, cryptocurrency and cybersecurity to help transform the finance and technology sectors.
“Given the caliber of its leadership and research programs, the University of Wyoming is uniquely positioned to help promote and accelerate the development of blockchain technology and real-world use cases such as digital currencies for central banks, NFTs and carbon credit markets,” says Lauren Weymouth, Director of University Partnerships at Ripple. “We are thrilled to welcome the University of Wyoming to our academic blockchain research initiative and look forward to working alongside faculty and students to create a more robust and valuable global blockchain ecosystem for all.”
The Ripple Blockchain Collaboratory will be based at the UW Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation, the College of Engineering and Applied Science, and the College of Law. This funding will support UW undergraduate and graduate students interested in blockchain, cryptocurrency, and cybersecurity as they further their education and launch their careers, ensuring a skilled workforce for Wyoming’s technological future. Additionally, UW will operate an XRPL validator on campus, which will perform the vital job of verifying transactions.
“We thank the Ripple Foundation, which has consistently supported higher blockchain education efforts around the world,” said Steven Lupien, director of the Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation at UW. “Their generous donation will fund blockchain education, cybersecurity, blockchain applications in energy, and legal research. Additionally, by joining our blockchain advisory board, they will help shape educational programs and university projects for years to come.
“This generous support from Ripple will greatly enhance our ability to advance in these technology areas that are so important to Wyoming’s economy, to our college research, and to the interests of our students,” said Cameron Wright, Dean of the College of Engineering. and applied sciences.
The College of Engineering and Applied Science and College of Law Entrepreneurship and Business Law Internship offerings will engage students in active learning opportunities that include class projects, case studies, research and studies on real applications and regulatory frameworks. In recent years, the Wyoming Legislature has passed dozens of laws that establish a favorable business environment for digital assets, paving the way for future Wyoming lawyers to practice in innovative fields that strengthen Wyoming’s economy.
“As the global economy becomes increasingly digital and fast-paced, innovations such as blockchain and cryptocurrencies are increasingly becoming the norm rather than the exception,” says Klint Alexander, Dean of the Faculty of straight. “It’s important that the law keep up with these changes, and Wyoming has become a global epicenter for the development of rules and regulations in this increasingly important space.”
This funding will also advance blockchain research in the area of sustainability. For example, UW’s Mike Borowczak and Soheil Saraji, assistant professors in the computer science and petroleum engineering departments, respectively, are leading researchers on energy tokenization, which is a carbon credit ecosystem using smart contracts that run on blockchain technology. Energy tokenization would normalize carbon markets and increase transparency, accessibility, and liquidity. It would also involve all stakeholders, including the energy industry, project auditors, liquidity providers, non-governmental organizations, concerned citizens and governments.
This gift follows recent approval by the UW Board of Trustees to launch the School of Computing, which will be a hub of computing leadership and activity at UW and across the state. .
