Assistant Professor Catherine Schuman has been selected to speak at the 2025 Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, a signature activity of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) that brings together engineers who are performing exceptional research and technical work in a variety of disciplines.

Schuman is one of 74 highly accomplished, early-career engineers invited to the symposium, which will be held September 14–17 at the University of Pennsylvania. Participants selected to take part are nominated by fellow engineers or organizations.

This year’s symposium will explore four themes: advances in neural engineering, next-generation computing/quantum computing, fusion energy, and sustainable aerial mobility.

Schuman is one of only 14 engineers chosen by the organizing committee as a speaker. She will be presenting on “Opportunities for Co-Design from Materials to Applications for Emerging Computing Paradigms.”

Schuman will be discussing how emerging computing paradigms such as neuromorphic, quantum, and probabilistic computing offer opportunities to see performance improvements over conventional computing platforms. These computing platforms are often implemented with novel devices and materials, which can further improve performance metrics such as energy efficiency, size, speed, and resiliency.

The mission of the NAE is to advance the welfare and prosperity of the nation by providing independent advice on matters involving engineering and technology and by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and public appreciation of engineering.

Since the program’s inception in 1995, more than 5,000 early-career engineers have taken part in the symposium.

Contact

Rhiannon Potkey (rpotkey@utk.edu)