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Texas Tech University is now home to the first on-campus drilling rig thanks in part to donations and contributions from university alumni. The mission of the full-scale, fully operational modern drilling rig is to serve as an educational tool for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the university's petroleum engineering program. The drilling rig was "built to give our students hands-on experience in the oil field under a controlled environment where we have total safety," said Marshall Watson, department chair for the university's Bob L. Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering, in a release. At an event that was years in the making, the 140-ft, Raider red-and white-painted mast of the National 610E 750-hp SCR drilling rig was raised on 6 January at the university's East Campus Oilfield Technology Center (OTC) located in Lubbock, Texas. "OTC is designed to be a hands-on facility available to all students at both undergraduate and graduate levels. This rig is just the latest addition to the equipment available," Texas Tech instructor Denny Bullard said.