Ethan Copple’s journey as a graduate student at Oregon State University is a testament to the power of transdisciplinary thinking and global engagement. As a master’s student and doctoral candidate supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, he carved out a unique niche at the intersection of engineering, anthropology, and humanitarian research.
A dual passion for engineering and anthropology
Copple’s fascination with combining technical and human-centered approaches began as an undergraduate at Kansas State University. Initially drawn to mechanical engineering, Copple soon realized his passion lay in understanding human systems and stories. Encouraged by a professor who recognized his rare ability to bridge the humanities and technical domains, Copple shifted to industrial engineering while deepening his engagement with anthropology. He ultimately earned a bachelor’s degree in both fields.
“Both disciplines focus on human problems and systems,” Copple said. “I’ve always been interested in combining these two approaches to do something more holistic.”
This dual perspective became the foundation for his graduate work at OSU. Seeking a program that would allow him to pursue applied anthropology alongside engineering, Copple reached out to Shaozeng Zhang, associate professor of anthropology, and Javier Calvo-Amodio, associate professor of industrial engineering. Their openness to collaboration and their proactive support convinced Copple to pursue dual master’s degrees.
Innovative research on healthcare delivery in Argentina
Copple’s research centers on healthcare delivery in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina—a region characterized by both urban density and rural expanses. Supported by the Evans Family Humanitarian Fellowship and the mentorship of Nordica MacCarty, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Copple embarked on a multi-year, multi-site ethnography, conducting over 230 interviews with patients and healthcare providers across diverse cities and towns within the province.
“I was interested in the broad question, ‘How can the healthcare system be improved?’” Copple said. “And the best way to answer open-ended questions like this is to talk to people.”
His fieldwork has not been limited to academic inquiry; Copple has built personal relationships with local providers, sharing his findings and even seeing his thesis summary laminated and circulated among nursing directors in Buenos Aires.
Seeing patterns in healthcare narratives
What sets Copple’s work apart is his methodological innovation. He integrates qualitative coding of health narratives with quantitative network analysis, using systems science to identify patterns and points of intervention within complex healthcare systems. For example, he discovered that inflation-driven unemployment often led to the loss of health insurance and the digitization of medical records, a recurring theme with significant implications for patient care.
“Although everybody’s health narrative is unique, we start to see patterns,” Copple said. “When we have patterns, we can make networks. And once we have a network, we can do math.”
By mapping these connections, Copple developed structural complexity metrics to guide administrators toward effective interventions—demonstrating how systems thinking can break down disciplinary silos and produce actionable insights.
“If something is not very complex but it’s connected to a lot of things, that’s a good point to intervene because it’ll likely impact things positively,” he said.
Copple’s approach is both deeply philosophical and practical. He draws on the work of Thomas Kuhn and systems science to bridge the paradigms of anthropology and engineering, ensuring that his research is methodologically sound and relevant to real-world problems. His commitment to holistic problem-solving is reflected in his writings and portfolio, where he explores topics ranging from supply chain resilience to reindustrialization and the human dimensions of industrial strategy.
During his master’s program, Copple was awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, which enabled him to continue his research and pursue his doctorate without interruption.
Leadership and next steps
Outside the classroom and lab, Copple has embraced opportunities for leadership and community engagement. He has served as Vice President of the Alpha Pi Mu Industrial Engineering Society at Oregon State and has been active in mentoring undergraduates and participating in professional organizations.
Copple defended his dissertation in September. He plans to take a break from academia to pursue positions in the reindustrialization space, such as hard-tech start-up companies, or possibly to found his own consulting company.
“I’ve been concentrated on developing knowledge from the philosophy side,” Copple said. “I’d like to get some experience developing knowledge from the practical side, too.”
