UCSB RESEARCHER WILL TAKE PART IN PRESTIGIOUS SYMPOSIUM

Anna Stefanopoulou, assistant professor of mechanical and environmental engineering, at the University of California, Santa Barbara will be among 78 of the country's leading minds who will take part in the National Academy of Engineering's fifth annual symposium.

Frontiers of Engineering , which begins Oct. 14 in Irvine, Calif., is a three-day meeting that brings together some of the nation's outstanding engineers (ages 30-45) from industry, academia and government to discuss pioneering technical work and leading-edge research in various engineering fields and industry sectors. Participation is by invitation following a competitive nomination and selection process.

Stefanopoulou joined the UC Santa Barbara faculty in 1998. She holds a diploma in naval architecture and marine engineering from the National Technical University of Athens.

She earned two master's degrees, one in naval architecture and marine engineering and the other in electrical engineering and computer science, from the

University of Michigan. While there, she also earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science.

Before turning to teaching, Stefanopoulou worked as a naval architect at the National Technical University of Athens and the University of Michigan. She designed optimal propulsion systems for medium-range fishery vessels and investigated applications of fuzzy logic in a vessel path controller and marine engine control.

She also worked at the Ford Research Laboratories, where she investigated the impact of multivariable controller structures on advanced technology automotive engines.

Stefanopoulou is vice-chair of the transportation panel of the Dynamic Systems and Control Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In 1997, she received a National Science Foundation Career Award, a multi-year grant given to promising, young researchers.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the same congressional charter that created the prestigious National Academy of Sciences in 1863. Its role is to advise the federal government, upon request and without fee, on questions of science and technology.

The group sponsors engineering studies and other activities designed to assess and meet national needs; encourages engineering education and research; explores means for promoting cooperation in engineering in the United States and abroad; and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Today, the NAE has 2,509 members around the world.

EDITORS: A J-peg image of Anna Stefanopoulou is available upon request.