Mastering Environmental Engineering for the Future

Antonia 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's degree in environmental engineering.

Math was always Kopp's 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.

"That's what propelled Georgia Tech's environmental engineering program to the top of my list when I was looking at schools," the Macon, Georgia, native said.

After earning her bachelor's degree in May 2024, she started her full-time job with Freese and Nichols' Transmission and Utilities group, designing pipelines and pump stations to convey water and wastewater in and out of metro Atlanta.

Three months later, she returned to Tech to pursue a master's degree part-time, hoping to gain a deeper understanding of water and wastewater treatment systems and how to develop resilient urban infrastructure.

"When there's 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've gained at Tech, I want to make sure that continues to be the case," she said.

Kopp says that Tech's location in Midtown provides on-the-job education, allowing students to study the challenges and strains on aging infrastructure. As Atlanta's and other cities' 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.

"Part 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," she said.

With her master's degree in hand, Kopp intends to work toward earning her Professional Engineer license, allowing her to sign and seal engineering designs.

Kopp wasn't the first Yellow Jacket in her family. Her brother graduated from Tech with a bachelor's degree and a master's 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.