Coppe welcomes students with a calling for Science and Innovation
Planeta COPPE / Institutional News / News
Date: 20/08/2026

Coppe/UFRJ welcomed some special visitors this week. A group of 49 high school students, selected for their promising abilities in STEM fields. The students, from various schools and regions, were selected in March by AFS, based on their performance in subjects such as mathematics and physics, as well as socioeconomic criteria, and, after a training period focused on interpersonal skills for global leadership, they spent the week visiting leading institutions in research and innovation, such as Coppe, the Military Institute of Engineering (IME), the Mineral Technology Center (Cetem), and Cefet-RJ.
The visit was part of the AFS Global STEM Innovators program, an immersion program at leading science and technology institutions organized by AFS Brazil. The program is funded by BP (formerly British Petroleum) for students focused on local impact, sustainability, and the development of global skills.

The group, led by AFS Admissions Coordinator Thais Grigorovski, was welcomed by Cleide Lima, Director for Science Outreach, who introduced Coppe to the students and spoke about the institution’s teaching and research activities, as well as its collaboration with the private sector in the search for technological solutions to the challenges faced by society.
Afterwards, Erick Alencar and the monitors of Espaço Coppe took the visitors to Coppe’s Exposition Area, the MagLev-Cobra, the Control and Automation Laboratory (Lead), and the Biomechanics Laboratory.
About the AFS
AFS is an international, nonprofit nongovernmental organization that promotes cultural exchange programs. The initials AFS originally stand for American Field Service, the name of the former volunteer ambulance service during World War I and World War II, whose drivers decided to create a network for peace through global education.
Learn more about the organization on the AFS website.
