Faculty members in the Department of Mining Engineering are at the forefront of next-generation mining technology and applications. Through funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Alpha Foundation and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, researchers are making advances in rare earth element recovery, autonomous underground mining systems that improve safety and mitigate damage from underground coal mine explosions.
PEOs & SOs
View program educational objectives (PEOs) and Student Outcomes (SOs).
Due to their unique chemical properties, REEs are essential components of technologies spanning a range of applications, including electronics, computer and communication systems, transportation, health care and national defense. The demand for REEs has grown significantly in recent years, stimulating an interest in economically feasible approaches for domestic REE recovery.
Zach Agioutantis, Mining Engineering Foundation Professor and chair in the Department of Mining Engineering, is a 2026 University of Kentucky Alumni Association Great Teacher Award recipient.
Congratulations to the University of Kentucky Norwood Student Chapter of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME)! For the 9th time, the UK SME chapter won the Minerals Education Coalition (MEC) Student Chapter Outreach Award. In addition, the chapter won the SME Outstanding Student Chapter Award for the 8th time.
The University of Kentucky placed third at the 28th Annual Carlson Senior Mine Design Competition. The national competition invites students from accredited mining engineering universities to submit their capstone projects to compete with other universities on the best overall mine design.
Daykin Schnell, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mining Engineering, recently finished in the top three of the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America and Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME), Pittsburgh Section's Short Presentation Contest for his presentation, "Full-scale and small-scale modeling and testing of underground methane explosions."
Congratulations to Department of Mining Engineering seniors, Baylor Mattingly, Waylon Martin, Andrew Minckley and Tyler Stephens, who won third place in the 2025 David D. Eyer Senior Capstone Design Project Award competition.
Thanks to the generous support of Stanley and Karen Pigman and Kentucky’s Research Challenge Trust Fund (RCTF), engineering researchers are receiving additional annual funding to enhance the research priorities and programs of the Pigman College of Engineering.
Established in 2024, the Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Endowment supports faculty, research, graduate students, facilities and research infrastructure in the Pigman College of Engineering. This year, the endowment made $235,000 in funds available for distribution.
