Stacy Copp Selected to Participate in NAE Symposium
July 17, 2023 - Stacy Copp, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, was chosen by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) as a participant of the Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering 2023 Symposium. The University of Colorado, Boulder, will host the event from Sept. 10-13.
Copp is developing new nanomaterials to control and manipulate light, with an eye toward advancing technologies for bioimaging, sensing and energy efficiency. To create these materials, her group takes a bioinspired approach, using nature's DNA and biomimetic polymers as architectural tools for complex, self-assembling nanomaterials that cannot be made by conventional approaches. “As a materials scientist, I spend most of my time focused on truly fundamental scientific questions that may seem deeply esoteric, but I am also highly motivated to make sure that my science has an impact on improving the lives of people in the future,” she said.
Copp is one of 81 accomplished, early career engineers to receive the opportunity. The participants, from industry, academia and government, were nominated by fellow engineers or organizations. This year’s event will focus on four topics: complex systems in the context of health care; mining and mineral resource production; resilience and security in the information ecosystem; and engineered quantum systems.
According to NAE President John L. Anderson, the symposium helps foster a collaborative spirit in early-career engineers by bringing together a diverse group from different technical areas and work sectors to spark innovation, broaden perspectives on new approaches to engineering problems, and develop long-term relationships that are critical in advancing engineering efforts that are critical to our nation’s future.
“I am thrilled to be able to participate in this opportunity to meet engineers from across disciplines and learn how my group's science can solve critical problems facing our nation and our globe,” said Copp. “My research is inherently cross-disciplinary, and that is why I so deeply value the chance to meet new potential collaborators and take my research in new, unexpected directions.”
