About FOE

The Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering program brings together through 2-1/2 day meetings a select group of emerging engineering leaders from industry, academe, and government labs to discuss pioneering technical work and leading edge research in various engineering fields and industry sectors. The goal of the meetings is to introduce these outstanding early career engineers to each other, and through this interaction facilitate collaboration in engineering, the transfer of new techniques and approaches across fields, and establishment of contacts among the next generation of engineering leaders.

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Latest NewsMore News
  • Autonomous Off-road Vehicle for Natural Disaster Relief
    Autonomous Off-road Vehicle for Natural Disaster Relief
    Mon, October 02, 2023
    A group overseen by Chris Paredis (GAFOE 2006) at Clemson University has engineered an off-road reconnaissance and relief vehicle that can navigate all on its own to expedite the delivery of supplies and to gather real-time data for emergency responders.
  • AI That Learns from Physics Laws and Thought Experiments
    AI That Learns from Physics Laws and Thought Experiments
    Thu, September 28, 2023
    FOE alum Aydogan Ozcan at UCLA has engineered an AI model that can reconstruct microscopic images using only random artificial holograms -- synthesized solely from 'imagination' without relying on any real-world experiments, actual sample resemblances, or real data.
  • Microchips to Treat Quadriplegia
    Microchips to Treat Quadriplegia
    Thu, September 21, 2023
    Chad Bouton (USFOE 2011) at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research has engineered an electronic bridge that allows information to flow between a person's paralyzed body and brain to restore movement and sensations in their hand.
  • AI to Treat Hypertension
    AI to Treat Hypertension
    Mon, September 18, 2023
    Ioannis Paschalidis (USFOE 2002) at Boston University has engineered an artificial intelligence program to give clinicians real-time hypertension treatment recommendations based on patient-specific characteristics, like demographics, vital signs, and past medical history.
  • Technology-enabled Water Surveillance and Control
    Technology-enabled Water Surveillance and Control
    Mon, September 11, 2023
    FOE alum Peter Vikesland at Virginia Tech is engineering wireless sensor networks that survey microbial threats to water quality, enable operational control, and provide real-world feedback for public transparency.
All Events
Upcoming Events
  • Upcoming
    Oct 15 2023 - Oct 18 2023
    The 2023 EU-US Frontiers of Engineering symposium will be hosted by Nokia Bell Labs October 15-18 in Murray Hill, New Jersey. Sixty of the most promising early career engineers from the US and EU will meet for an intensive 2-1/2 day symposium to discuss cutting-edge ...
  • Upcoming
    Jun 17 2024 - Jun 20 2024
    The 2024 China-America Frontiers of Engineering symposium will be held in the US. Sixty highly accomplished early-career engineers from China and the United States will meet for an intensive 2 1/2 day symposium on developments at the cutting edge of engineering technology in four ...
    Irvine, California
  • Upcoming
    Sep 11 2024 - Sep 14 2024
    The Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering 2024 Symposium will be at the National Academies' Beckman Center in Irvine, California, September 11-14. About 100 outstanding early career engineers will meet for an intensive 2-1/2 day symposium to discuss cutting-edge ...
    Irvine, California
FOE ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
  • STV
    Senior Associate / Director of Resilience

    My focus is on how cities can enhance system and community resilience through cross-disciplinary, multi-sector, holistic thinking. I assess impacts of multi-hazard and systemic risks, focusing on how to translate systems theory and resilience ...

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  • North Carolina State University
    Goodnight Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Analytics

    My lab collaborates with plant biology, forestry, and agricultural engineering researchers to develop multiscale modeling and analytics approaches that predict the impact of genetic and environmental perturbations on plant response and ...

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  • Carnegie Mellon University
    Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

    My research focuses on helping organizations and people collaborate by sharing data without compromising security or privacy by spanning the algorithmic and theoretical foundations of distributed systems, machine learning, and privacy-enhancing ...

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  • University of Connecticut
    Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

    My research lies in incorporating manufacturing, cost, and geometric constraints in topology and shape optimization for design exploration of structures and material systems with the aim of exploring efficient structures tailored to a specific ...

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  • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    Biotechnology Research Engineer and Group Leader

    My research interests focus on integrating biology and novel engineering platforms using 3D bioprinting techniques and microfluidics. I have broad expertise in biomaterials, tissue engineering, and vascularization strategies.

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  • Boeing
    Aerodynamics Engineer

    My research is broadly focused on aerodynamics, fluid dynamics, and flow control. Specifically, I develop model based design tools for active flow control to exploit cascading effects of this technology in conceptual aircraft design and thermal ...

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Publications More Publications
  • From novel applications of microbes to DEI in engineering to the potential for hydrogen energy, Frontiers of Engineering participants tackle today’s challenging world issues. The winter issue of The Bridge showcases research by early-career engineers as shared at the 2022 US FOE symposium.

  • The NAE typically dedicates the winter issue of The Bridge to papers from The Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering US symposium, held in September each year. Because of the covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 US FOE was rescheduled to February 25–26, 2021. This issue presents a selection of papers from the 2020 and 2021 US FOE meetings.

  • This volume includes 12 papers from the National Academy of Engineering's 2019 US Frontiers of Engineering (US FOE) Symposium held in September 2019. US FOE meetings bring together 100 outstanding early career engineers to exchange information about leading-edge technologies in a range of engineering fields. The 2019 symposium covered four topic areas: Advanced Manufacturing in the Age of Digital Transformation; Engineering the Genome; Self-Driving Cars: Technology and Ethics; and Blockchain Technology. The papers describe leading-edge research on these topics, among others: next-generation robotic locomotion, using CRISPR to combat human disease vectors, the ethics of autonomous vehicles, and blockchain technology. Appendixes include information about contributors, the symposium program, and participants. This is the 25th volume in the US Frontiers of Engineering series.

  • This volume includes 12 papers from the National Academy of Engineering's 2018 US Frontiers of Engineering (US FOE) Symposium held in September 2018. US FOE meetings bring together 100 outstanding engineers (ages 30 to 45) to exchange information about leading-edge technologies in a range of engineering fields. The 2018 symposium covered four topic areas: Quantum Computers: Are We There Yet?, the Role of Engineering in the Face of Conflict and Disaster, Resilient and Reliable Infrastructure, and Theranostics. The papers describe leading-edge research on these topics, among others: quantum computing, combining formal and informal structures in crisis response, infrastructure resilience, and immune theranostics. Appendixes include information about contributors, the symposium program, and participants. This is the 24th volume in the US Frontiers of Engineering series.

FeaturesMore Features
  • Come on Barbie, let’s go party…with this week’s episode of The Circuit News just in time for the recent premiere of the Barbie movie! In partnership with USC Viterbi School of Engineering, NAE's weekly social-forward news show dedicated to promoting engineering to the public highlights engineering stories from academia, industry, government, pop culture, and K-12.
  • FOE alum Kayla Sprenger at CU Boulder is integrating approaches at the crossroads of physics, engineering, and immunology in close synergy with experimentalists and clinicians to develop vaccines for diseases like HIV, break down mixed plastic waste streams into valuable chemicals, and address other challenges in energy and health fields.
  • From novel applications of microbes to DEI in engineering to the potential for hydrogen energy, Frontiers of Engineering participants tackle today’s challenging world issues. The winter issue of The Bridge showcases research by early-career engineers as shared at the 2022 US FOE symposium.
  • In a podcast episode, FOE alum Shirley Meng at Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago discusses the need to engineer different metals and elements that could last longer and charge faster than our current lithium-ion batteries.
  • NAE member Darryll Pines at the University of Maryland Global Campus and Gregory Washington (USFOE 2004) at George Mason University are assembling nonpartisan, data-driven, research-based faculty experts from engineering and other disciplines to educate our communities about gun violence.