DOE visits UK to explore mining innovation, workforce development
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 9, 2026) — The University of Kentucky’s role in shaping the future of mining and energy innovation drew leaders from the U.S. Energy Department to campus this week.
Assistant Energy Secretary Audrey Robertson visited UK as part of an initiative to partner with the country’s premier mining institutions to improve workforce development.
“The Commonwealth has spent generations educating people who can make the most of our vast mineral resources,” Robertson said. “It was my honor to talk to Kentucky students about PROSPECT — a program that can put them on a path to technically demanding, well-paid careers while supplying America with the professionals it urgently needs to reindustrialize.”
UK’s Department of Mining Engineering — housed in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering — is nationally recognized for its innovative research enterprise and efforts to develop the workforce needed to support the nation’s growing demand for critical minerals and energy technologies.
That work includes UK’s participation in the Energy Department’s “Building the Mine of the Future: A Real-World Proving Ground for Autonomous Operations, Connected Systems & SI-Driven Mining Innovation.” As previously announced on UKNow, the nearly $25 million project will create a national testing ground for new mining technologies in both underground and surface environments.
Additionally, the Energy Department’s $100 million investment in mining education through the PROSPECT Program (Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies) aims to recruit more students and modernize critical minerals education with emerging technologies like automation, super intelligence (SI), advanced manufacturing, data science, systems engineering and more.
“Kentucky has a long history of powering our nation, and UK is helping shape what comes next,” said Mike Renfro, Pigman Engineering interim dean. “Through our research and education, we’re developing solutions to some of the mining industry’s most complex challenges, while preparing the skilled workforce needed to strengthen America’s domestic energy and critical mineral supply chains.”
The visit brought together Energy Department officials, university leadership, faculty and students for a day-long tour highlighting UK’s strengths in mining engineering and applied energy research.
The day began with an overview of UK’s Experimental Mine — a unique educational and research facility that provides students and researchers with hands-on experience in blasting and explosives, rock mechanics, ventilation and mine safety.
Another highlight of the visit included a luncheon and roundtable discussion between Robertson and mining engineering students, who shared their academic experiences, research interests and career aspirations.
Robertson also toured mining engineering laboratories, where faculty and students demonstrated research focused on rock mechanics, ventilation, mine safety, automation, mineral processing, and technologies designed to improve the efficiency and sustainability of mining operations.
The visit concluded at the UK Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), which has been at the forefront of efforts to identify and recover critical minerals and rare earth elements from domestic resources — supporting national efforts to strengthen supply chains.
Critical minerals and rare earth elements are vital for manufacturing the modern technologies that power energy infrastructure, defense systems, automobiles and consumer electronics.
Researchers shared how collaborations among CAER, federal and industry partners are helping advance technologies that support both economic growth and energy resilience.
“UK is uniquely positioned to contribute solutions to some of the nation's most pressing energy challenges,” said Zach Agioutantis, Ph.D., department chair. “Through research, education and partnership, we are creating opportunities for students, while developing technologies that can have a lasting impact on Kentucky and the nation.”
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and healthcare. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.