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 press event "Reading the Unreadable: Recovering Lost Ancient Texts from Herculaneum" will take place on the 25th of June 2026, from 9.30 am to 11.30 am (Central European Summer Time), in the Reading Room of the "Vittorio Emanuele III" National Library of Naples. The event is part of the International Conference supported by the Vesuvius Challenge "The Eternal Library | The Herculaneum Papyri through the Centuries and the Digital Future".
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:
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.
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.
