The Vesuvius Challenge, co-founded by Brent Seales, professor of computer science, has achieved a historic breakthrough in the recovery of the Herculaneum scrolls — revealing new texts, titles and authors unknown to history and ushering in a new era for the study of the ancient world. At the Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli Vittorio Emanuele III — with Mount Vesuvius rising in the distance — lead researchers, collaborators and distinguished guests gathered to mark the milestone decades in the making.
Scott Berry, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, has been honored as a 2026-27 University Research Professor.
The largest-ever Wildcat Pulling Team recently returned from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) International Quarter Scale Tractor Student Design Competition in Bloomington, Illinois. The University of Kentucky has been participating in the competition for 25 years.
The Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Endowment has announced the 17 researchers in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering awarded for fiscal year 2027. Established in 2024, the Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Endowment’s purpose is to advance research in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering through three strategic priorities:
The Halcomb Family Endowed Fellowship in Medicine and Engineering was awarded to two graduate students in the Stanley and Pigman College of Engineering to incentivize the development of patient-centered clinical solutions that advance health care and improve patient outcomes.
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.
