Isaac Madill, 2026 mining engineering graduate from the University of Kentucky Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, was named a 2026 recipient of the Maurice A. Clay Award by UK’s Nu Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa. The Maurice A. Clay Award recognizes one outstanding graduating senior from each academic college at the University of Kentucky. Recipients are selected by college leadership based on leadership, scholastic achievement, conspicuous attainment and service to the college.
Fatemeh Hamedi, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been awarded a $4,200 Optics and Photonics Scholarship by the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), the international society for optics and photonics.
Michael Renfro, Ph.D., will serve as interim dean of the Pigman College of Engineering, effective June 1. Renfro joined UK in 2015 as a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and served as chair of the department until 2023. He currently serves as the associate dean for faculty affairs and facilities.
Mattie Brock, a chemical engineering doctoral student in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, won first place in the student research poster competition at the American Filtration and Separation Society (AFS) FILTON in Pittsburgh. AFS FILTON, held annually, is the leading conference for filtration and separations professionals and brings together experts from industry and academia to explore solutions and innovations that shape the future of the field.
When NASA’s Artemis II mission sent four astronauts on a path around the moon — farther from Earth than any humans have traveled in decades — the world watched in awe. Yet, one of the most critical parts of the journey remained invisible. For a team of faculty, staff and students in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering at University of Kentucky, that unseen work is their expertise.
The Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering is proud to announce 1,085 engineering and computer science students included on the University of Kentucky Spring 2026 Dean's List. Students are eligible for the Dean’s List by meeting these requirements during the fall or spring semester:
Yu, professor in the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering in the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, is the recipient of the 2026 Albert D. and Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize, awarded for outstanding contributions to original research and scholarship.
Markey Research Day also features annual awards, including the Markey Women Strong Distinguished Research Award. Presented by the Markey Cancer Foundation, the $100,000 prize is split between two researchers whose groundbreaking work addresses the cancer burden among women. This year’s award was given to Denise Fabian, M.D., UK College of Medicine, and Ni Su, Ph.D., UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering.
Sophomore Mwajuma Alexandre is one of six University of Kentucky undergraduates selected for the Sustainability Summer Research Fellowship, a program that supports student-led projects that advance sustainable practices and community impact through research.
