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UK researcher develops safety system to help self-driving vehicles and drones work together

As self-driving vehicles and drones become more common, a University of Kentucky researcher is working to ensure these technologies can communicate and coordinate reliably in real time. Yang Xiao, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science in the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, received the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award with $534,264 over five years for his work.

2026 Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Scholars announced

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. 

UK Pigman Engineering researcher awarded NSF grant to harness AI aimed at detecting calf illness

Simone Silvestri, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Computer Science in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, is part of a research team that has been awarded a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to answer that very question.