The University of Kentucky’s role in shaping the future of mining and energy innovation drew leaders from the U.S. Energy Department to campus this week. Assistant Energy Secretary Audrey Robertson visited UK as part of an initiative to partner with the country’s premier mining institutions to improve workforce development.
Every year, birds migrate north and gather in a single location in the Arctic, and a team of University of Kentucky researchers is collaborating with Alaska Native communities to study how diseases spread and evolve in this gathering before they reach human populations. Scott Berry, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering with a joint appointment in biomedical engineering, recently returned from a research trip to the northernmost community in the United States: Utqiaġvik, Alaska
Imagine a mining operation where workers, equipment and data are connected seamlessly — creating a safer, smarter and more efficient future for the industry. Now, researchers at the University of Kentucky will help advance that vision.
Have you ever wondered, what happens when a spacecraft plunges through a planet’s atmosphere? Dan Fries knows it encounters searing temperatures, powerful shock waves and chemically reactive gases — conditions that can push even the most advanced heat shields to their limits.
As the United States pushes to accelerate innovation, researchers from the University of Kentucky will play a leading role in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission.
As greenhouse agriculture continues to expand to meet growing food demands, researchers at the University of Kentucky are developing new technologies to produce healthier crops more efficiently, while also reducing the time and labor required to grow them. Biyun Xie, Ph.D., associate professor in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is the principal investigator on a nearly $1.2 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant to develop an autonomous robotic system that could transform how greenhouse-grown tomatoes are monitored and evaluated.
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 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:
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.
