Missouri University of Science and Technology will hold a public ceremony to dedicate the newly constructed 12,500-square-foot Hasselmann Alumni House during Missouri S&T’s St. Pat’s celebration.

Missouri S&T officials invite all alumni, faculty, staff, students and community members to attend the public dedication ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 14, in the Kinyon-Koeppel Grand Hall of Hasselmann Alumni House, which is located at 1100 N. Pine St. in Rolla.

The Miner Alumni Association will offer tours of the building starting at 9 a.m.

The dedication will recognize donors to the project and will feature remarks from Missouri S&T Chancellor Cheryl B. Schrader and Darlene Ramsay, a 1984 metallurgical engineering graduate of Missouri S&T who serves as assistant vice chancellor of alumni relations and advancement services and executive vice president of the Miner Alumni Association.

The building is named in honor of the late Karl F. Hasselmann, a 1925 mining engineering graduate who was awarded a professional degree in 1945 and an honorary doctorate in 1966, all from Missouri S&T. Hasselmann researched how to use gravitational survey methods to locate offshore oil during his early career and, after founding the Houston-based Salt Dome Oil Corp., began using the methods he developed to identify possible oil pools.

In February 1938, Salt Dome Oil, in partnership with Standard Oil Co. of Texas, discovered one of the first oil pools in the Texas Gulf – a forerunner of the massive offshore developments to come in the Gulf of Mexico and worldwide.

Through a bequest, Hasselmann and his wife, Marjory, provided a significant estate gift to the university in addition to the continued proceeds from mineral rights and oil and gas leases held in a trust. As Missouri S&T’s most generous donors, the Hasselmanns have contributed over $20.4 million to date.

For more information about the dedication ceremony, visit mineralumni.com or call 573-341-7677.