ENGR 100: The Beginnings of Medical Research
Description:
The subject matter for my ENGR 100 section was Materials and Mechanics for the Design of Orthopedic Implants and Medical Devices. I chose that section because the theme complimented my interest in Biomedical Engineering very well. I also thought that choosing an interesting, yet relevant section would help me to learn material I would need to know in future courses. In this course, the class was divided into teams of five. Each team got to pick a medical device to research and make improvements on. We had to learn how to write proposals, memorandums, and make PowerPoint presentations. Each team had to make two presentations on their device focusing on more in-depth aspects of the device and a design recommendation at the end. Each presentation was coupled with a report describing the research. My team submitted our final report to the Landes Prize for Technical Communications contest. We received an honorable mention for our research on the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart. In conjunction with the project, we learned about the mechanics and material properties of different engineering materials and how they can be applied to medical devices.
Skills Gained:
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Teamwork and interpersonal skills
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Writing and presenting works of technical communication as an engineer
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Public speaking
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Research skills
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Time and project management
Lessons Learned/Impact:
This course made me very comfortable working in groups for projects. I learned the value of listening to others’ ideas, and felt more confident in presenting my own ideas. Having the skills to make a proper technical PowerPoint presentation proved beneficial for design reviews in my senior design course. The time management that I learned has really helped me to balance my school work throughout my undergraduate career. This class taught me about the importance of hard work and attention to detail for success. The lessons I learned in my ENGR 100 section prepared me well for future courses, and fueled my interest in medical research and development.
