Department News

UK Engineering - Paducah Campus recognizes its largest first-year class

Sep 30, 2025

This fall semester, the University of Kentucky Pigman College of Engineering - Paducah Campus welcomed 54 incoming first-year students — the largest first-year class in program history. The Paducah Campus, which offers bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and computer engineering technology, was established 27 years ago to develop and retain engineering talent in the Western Kentucky region.

Since its establishment in 1965, the Hall of Distinguished Alumni has celebrated graduates whose professional achievements and community service exemplify the impact of a UK education.

5 engineering alumni inducted into 2025 UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni

Sep 9, 2025

On Sept. 12, the University of Kentucky will induct 20 alumni into the 2025 Hall of Distinguished Alumni, including five Pigman College of Engineering alumni. The alumni will be honored for their meaningful contributions to the Commonwealth, nation and the world.

TEK announces 2025-26 Faculty Fellows cohort

Jennifer Osterhage

Sep 8, 2025

The University of Kentucky’s Office of Transdisciplinary Educational approaches to advance Kentucky (TEK) has announced the TEK Faculty Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year. A critical mission of TEK is the development of new transdisciplinary courses and the reimagining of existing courses to emphasize one or more essential employability skills. To accomplish this, TEK is leveraging the expertise of a new cohort of TEK Faculty Fellows.

UK Engineering receives record number of NSF CAREER awards

Aug 20, 2025

Six Pigman College of Engineering faculty members received National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) awards, the Foundation's prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty, in the 2025 funding cycle. This year, the Pigman College of Engineering recorded its highest number of NSF CAREER awardees in the 30-year history of the program. In addition, the college boasted a 75% success rate for CAREER awards in the 2025 funding cycle.

Alexandra Paterson is an assistant professor of joint materials engineering with a joint appointment in electrical engineering in the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering.

Paterson earns 2 prestigious national awards for research, innovation

Lindsay Travis

Aug 15, 2025

Alexandra F. Paterson’s research paves the way for more reliable and innovative technologies that could benefit health care, manufacturing and everyday life. For her work, she has earned two prestigious national awards for early-career faculty: the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award.

Lamas and students honored with Society of Women Engineers – Brazil awards

Jul 31, 2025

Recently, Gisella Lamas, Ph.D., lecturer in the Department of Chemical and Material Engineering, and a group of undergraduate students from the Pigman College of Engineering - Paducah Campus, led by Abby Teddleton, were recognized with awards from the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) – Brazil.

SEC engineering leadership comes to the Commonwealth

Eric Sanders

Jul 24, 2025

Engineering education leaders from across the Southeastern Conference (SEC) gathered at the University of Kentucky for the annual SEC Engineering Leadership Meeting. The meeting welcomed more than 100 participants, including engineering deans, associate deans, department chairs and other higher educational leaders.

Gloved hand in lab with tray of chemicals

20 Pigman College of Engineering researchers among top 2% of world’s most-cited

Jul 3, 2025

The University of Kentucky is well-represented on a list of the most-cited researchers in the world. In a database compiled by Stanford University in a partnership with Elsevier, 136 current UK scientists and scholars appear among the top 2% of the most-cited researchers across 22 disciplines. Of those 136 scientists and scholars, 20 are UK Pigman College of Engineering faculty.

Empowering future engineers: Chwatko celebrated as 2025 ‘Great Teacher’

Jun 5, 2025

Malgorzata “Gosia” Chwatko, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, is one of the distinguished Great Teacher Award recipients who strives to help her students discover their passions.

2025 Pigman College of Engineering Faculty Awards

May 5, 2025

The annual Pigman College of Engineering Faculty Awards ceremony was held on May 1 at Malone's Prime and Events. Awards were given in the areas of research, service and graduate studies.