EduceLab

08/07/2026

You know you've made an impact when your research appears in an SAT test question! University of Kentucky Pigman College of Engineering

07/31/2026

A vast library thought to have belonged to Julius Caesar’s father-in-law was rediscovered in 1750. Since then, the finest scholars of every era have tried to read its scrolls and largely failed. Until now https://econ.st/3R1FFxL

07/31/2026

Announcing the release of our NEH-funded virtual exhibit on the American Revolution fortification site of Butts Hill in Rhode Island. Three of our NSF-REU alumni and two of our current graduate students were involved in initial work in 2024 on site and with the analysis leading to the 2025 field work and resulting paper in Heritage.

The American Continental Army initially built an artillery emplacement, or battery, in what was then known as Windmill Hill at the start of the revolution. British forces occupied the area following the 1776 Declaration of Independence. George Washington, as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Arm...

07/11/2026

11/18/2025

How can twenty-first century technology help us better understand an eighteenth-century battlefield?

A collaborative team from the University of Kentucky of Kentucky's EduceLab, Stonehill College, and the Battle of Rhode Island Association used advanced, non-destructive remote sensing to study Butts Hill Fort in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. This Revolutionary War fortification played a critical role in military strategy during the 1778 campaign.

Using the EduceLab MOBILE van to bring field instruments to the site, the researchers conducted surveys with LiDAR and ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Their results show subsurface features that may represent the remains of British barracks—structures potentially preserved just centimeters below the ground surface.

This work was supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities through the Celebrate America initiative, demonstrating how modern technology can inform preservation, interpretation, and public history.

📘 Full study in Heritage: https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8100430

🎓 Field school and site documentation: https://battleofrhodeisland.org/archaeological-field-school-at-butts-hill-fort/

📰 UK announcement: https://anthropology.as.uky.edu/ultra-modern-technology-allows-uk-researchers-probe-site-revolutionary-war-fort

📸Credit: Battle of Rhode Island Association, Keppeler et al.

09/15/2025

The latest episode of 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝘼𝙧𝙚 dives into one of the most extraordinary stories in heritage science: the race to read the Herculaneum scrolls.

Led by Prof. William Seales, Director of EduceLab, shares how AI, advanced imaging, and years of persistence are finally revealing texts lost since the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. What was once considered unreadable is now becoming accessible, thanks to the Vesuvius Challenge and groundbreaking interdisciplinary collaboration.

This is a must-listen for anyone interested in ancient history, digital humanities, or the power of innovation to unlock the past.

🎧 Listen here: https://shows.acast.com/where-the-wild-thoughts-are/episodes/herculaneum-scrolls-cracking-the-impossible
🎙️ Hosted by: Jo Marchant | Featuring Prof. Brent Seales



University of Kentucky Pigman College of Engineering University of Kentucky

Jo Marchant meets Brent Seales

07/30/2025

📜 Major Grant Awarded!
Brent Seales, Heritage Science Chair in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering at the University of Kentucky, has been awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant as part of an international team working to unlock the secrets of the Herculaneum scrolls.

💶 The $13.5 million (€11.5 million) grant will fund “UnLost: Uncovering Lost Knowledge from the Ancient Library of Herculaneum” — a bold interdisciplinary project led by experts in papyrology and computer science from around the world.

“This Synergy Grant gives us the resources and partnership structure we need to pursue what was once thought impossible — a full-scale recovery of the lost library of Herculaneum,” said Dr. Seales. “I’m honored to be part of a project that will rewrite what we know about the ancient world.”

Seales is collaborating with leading scholars in Germany and Italy, including:
🇩🇪 Vincent Christlein – Senior Researcher & Head of the Computer Vision Group at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg ()
🇮🇹 Federica Grazia Nicolardi – Associate Professor of Papyrology at Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II ()

🔍 A thrilling step forward in heritage science and ancient knowledge recovery!

Read more here: https://uknow.uky.edu/research/uk-s-brent-seales-global-team-secures-europe-s-top-research-grant-digitally-decode

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

06/26/2025

Professor Brent Seales was featured today on CBS News This Morning!

Artificial intelligence is helping to solve an ancient mystery from the Roman Empire. It involves scrolls from a library that was buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. CBS News' Chris Livesay reports.

06/09/2025

🔬 EduceLab Soft Opening | A Gateway to the Future of Heritage Science 🏛️

We’re excited to share a major milestone—the soft opening of EduceLab at the University of Kentucky! As Kentucky’s first heritage science lab, EduceLab is designed to be a hub for innovation, combining cutting-edge research and technology to help preserve and better understand the stories, objects, and cultures that shape our world.

At the soft opening, we welcomed researchers, students, and partners to see how will serve as a collaborative space for 3D scanning, digital preservation, materials analysis, and so much more.

🎥 Check out this short video capturing highlights from the event and the vision behind EduceLab.

📖 Want to learn more? Read the full article from the University of Kentucky Pigman College of Engineering here:
🔗 https://engr.uky.edu/news/educelab-unveiled-uks-gateway-next-generation-heritage-science

A heartfelt thank you to the National Science Foundation (NSF)( ), the National Endowment for the Humanities ( ), and our generous University of Kentucky donors. Your support made this lab possible—and your investment in heritage science will have an impact for generations to come.

05/26/2025

✨Welcome to EduceLab – Where Science Meets Cultural Heritage✨

Hi friends! 👋 We’re so excited to officially launch the EduceLab page — your new go-to spot for cutting-edge heritage science research!

Based at the University of Kentucky's College of Engineering, EduceLab is a research lab that uses high-tech tools to study, protect, and better understand cultural heritage objects. From ancient manuscripts to historical buildings, we work with museums, archaeologists, and communities to uncover the stories behind the artifacts that shape our world.

📌 Our mission is to push the boundaries of heritage science research, develop new methodologies, and collaborate with cultural institutions, researchers, and communities across Kentucky and beyond.

📸 Follow us for behind-the-scenes views into the lab, updates on current projects, tech spotlights, fieldwork adventures, and research breakthroughs.

👉 Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and our LinkedIn company page for more content and community updates!

Thanks for joining us—we’re just getting started! 💙