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.
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.
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.
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.
On April 28, the University of Kentucky Pigman College of Engineering hosted its first ever Capstone Design Showcase in the Gatton Student Center. The event showcased 56 Capstone projects from over 200 students from seven engineering disciplines. Featured disciplines were biomedical engineering, biosystems and agricultural engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, engineering technology and materials engineering.
Initiated in 1992, the Hall of Distinction recognizes and honors UK Engineering alumni for exemplary professional accomplishments, outstanding character and an ongoing commitment to community service. Every member of the Hall of Distinction is honored with a plaque in the lobby of the Ralph G. Anderson Mechanical Engineering Building. All members and extended bios are listed here.
B.S. in chemical engineering, 1981 Mary Shelman is a globally recognized thought leader, author and speaker in agribusiness, AgTech and food system trends. A first-generation college student, Shelman earned her Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Kentucky in 1981, after completing her first two years of college at Elizabethtown Community College. In 1987, she went on to graduate from Harvard Business School with an MBA.
Born and educated in Fayette County, Kentucky, Samuel M. Cassidy received his Bachelor of Science in metallurgical engineering in 1925. After graduation, he accepted a position with Allen and Garcia Company, consulting and construction engineers, in Chicago, Illinois, where he received valuable experience in the field of coal mining. While employed at Allen and Garcia, he completed the requirements for a masters degree in mining engineering (’28). In 1946, he became president of Consolidation Coal Company (KY) in Jenkins, Kentucky.
S. J. “Sam” Whalen, a native of Frankfort, Kentucky, served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. Following his discharge in 1945, he entered the University of Kentucky , receiving his Bachelor of Science in metallurgical engineering in 1949. He was employed as a research engineer by Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio prior to entering Ohio State University, where he received his masters degree in metallurgical engineering in 1951.
