{"686880":{"#nid":"686880","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Mastering Environmental Engineering for the Future ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAntonia Kopp had planned to become a high school math teacher, but an AP environmental science class set her on a new path that led her to Georgia Tech, where she will become a Double Jacket after graduating with her master\u2019s degree in environmental engineering.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMath was always Kopp\u2019s favorite subject, so even as she sought to learn more about the natural world and how humans interact with it, she wanted to find a program that blended her fascination with numbers and science.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThat\u2019s what propelled Georgia Tech\u2019s environmental engineering program to the top of my list when I was looking at schools,\u201d the Macon, Georgia, native said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter earning her bachelor\u2019s degree in May 2024, she started her full-time job with Freese and Nichols\u2019 Transmission and Utilities group, designing pipelines and pump stations to convey water and wastewater in and out of metro Atlanta. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThree months later, she returned to Tech to pursue a master\u2019s degree part-time, hoping to gain a deeper understanding of water and wastewater treatment systems and how to develop resilient urban infrastructure. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen there\u2019s a water main break or a boil water notice is issued, you realize how reliant we are on our water and how lucky we are that when we turn on the taps, we trust what comes out. It would bring the city to a halt without reliable, high-quality water. Using the knowledge I\u2019ve gained at Tech, I want to make sure that continues to be the case,\u201d she said. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKopp says that Tech\u2019s location in Midtown provides on-the-job education, allowing students to study the challenges and strains on aging infrastructure. As Atlanta\u2019s and other cities\u2019 water pipes reach the end of their life cycles, Kopp believes technology will play an increasingly important role in developing new systems for the next generation. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPart of my job is taking lessons learned from the past and applying them to improve systems in the future. Technological advancements help us to plan our infrastructure for the present and allow us to account for population growth, climate change, and other factors to ensure these systems last for decades to come,\u201d she said. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith her master\u2019s degree in hand, Kopp intends to work toward earning her Professional Engineer license, allowing her to sign and seal engineering designs.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKopp wasn\u2019t the first Yellow Jacket in her family. Her brother graduated from Tech with a bachelor\u2019s degree and a master\u2019s degree in civil engineering in 2022 and 2023, but she is proud to be the first woman in her family to earn a STEM degree.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Antonia Kopp knows that clean water is vital for cities, and she wants to use her degree to ensure that Atlanta\u2019s water system flows as it should.  "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAntonia Kopp knows that clean water is vital for cities, and she wants to use her degree to ensure that Atlanta\u2019s water system flows as it should. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Antonia Kopp knows that clean water is vital for cities, and she wants to use her degree to ensure that Atlanta\u2019s water system flows as it should.  "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2025-12-12 11:04:36","changed_gmt":"2025-12-12 11:21:34","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-12-12T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-12-12T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678833":{"id":"678833","type":"video","title":"Antonia Kopp Pulls Double Duty to Become a Double Jacket","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThis new Double Jacket found harmony working a fulltime job as en Environmental Engineer, while obtaining her masters.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1765538437","gmt_created":"2025-12-12 11:20:37","changed":"1765538437","gmt_changed":"2025-12-12 11:20:37","video":{"youtube_id":"l00lW5-f6WI","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=l00lW5-f6WI"}},"678832":{"id":"678832","type":"image","title":"Antonia Kopp","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAntonia Kopp on a site visit. Submitted photo.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1765537865","gmt_created":"2025-12-12 11:11:05","changed":"1765537865","gmt_changed":"2025-12-12 11:11:05","alt":"Antonia Kopp","file":{"fid":"262921","name":"Site-visit-10.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/12\/Site-visit-10.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/12\/Site-visit-10.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":616388,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/12\/12\/Site-visit-10.jpg?itok=O6jNSeaR"}}},"media_ids":["678833","678832"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"193157","name":"Student Honors and Achievements"}],"keywords":[{"id":"40171","name":"fall commencement"},{"id":"1922","name":"environmental engineering"},{"id":"17331","name":"water infrastructure"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}