CHEYENNE - Marathon Oil Corp., a Houston-based global energy company, announced Tuesday it will donate $1 million to the University of Wyoming for energy education and research programs.

The state will match the donation with another $1 million for the university.

The funding will be used to support student scholarships and internships, bring in industry speakers, and establish an annual four-week applied field geophysical course held in the Rocky Mountain region.

Money will also be used to create the Marathon Interdisciplinary Fossil Fuel Research Laboratory, a research facility in the new UW School of Energy Resources.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal said at a press conference the donation was a three-way partnership that signified Marathon Oil and the state's long history of working together.

Wyoming is the largest coal-producing state in the nation. It is also a major supplier of natural gas.

Steve Guidry, regional vice president of Marathon Oil, said he hopes the donation will go toward building up Wyoming's economy.

UW President Tom Buchanan said, "We're going to be the pipeline for the workforce of tomorrow."