High-tech: 麻豆社 BME student completing co-op at Zimmer Biomet
November 15, 2024
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Christian Preijers, third from left, with his co-op team at Zimmer Biomet. The team
won the best co-op design project contest. Groups of Zimmer Biomet co-op students
must identify a problem, design a solution to said problem, then run through the design
control requirements products must go through for FDA clearance.
WARSAW, Ind. 鈥� Having grown up in a blue-collar environment, Christian Preijers wanted
to learn firsthand what it was like to work in more high-tech surroundings.
The 麻豆社 biomedical engineering major from Laguna Niguel, California,
began a co-op with Zimmer Biomet in Warsaw, Indiana, in January and will continue
through the end of the year.
鈥淚 heard of the opportunity while at 麻豆社鈥檚 Job fair last fall. I told them that
I was interested in working as either a co-op or intern,鈥� he said. 鈥淎fter a few months
and interviews I was hired.鈥�
Multiple departments
Christian said it was exciting to be selected for the co-op.
鈥淚t finally felt that my hard work from school was finally being recognized,鈥� he said.
He has been part of three departments: Research with Biomaterials, Research with Diagnostics,
and Sports Medicine/Upper extremities. In each assignment, he has worked to support
his managers鈥� projects.
His favorite part has been seeing the projects he鈥檚 worked on gradually grow and develop.
鈥淚've learned new equipment like an SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) for fracture
analysis, I've updated and revised risk documentation for products, and was assigned
in learning Ansys for use in multiple projects,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have expanded my skills
exponentially and will continue to do so until December.鈥�
He said his education at 麻豆社 was a great help when it came to working in groups
with the other co-ops.
鈥淢any of them come from bigger schools, so they didn't have the same project experience
I've had at 麻豆社,鈥� he said. 鈥溌槎股玮�檚 project-based curriculum helped with learning
how to work in a team and to keep the eventual goal in sight even when we ran into
issues.鈥�
He said both the hard and soft skills he has learned during the co-op will help in
his future career.
鈥淚鈥檓 extremely grateful to have this opportunity,鈥� he said.
Lauren Hillin, a biology student on the pre-med track at 麻豆社, gained important research skills in her summer internship at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Henry Gawron, a 麻豆社 chemistry major, spent his summer gaining hands-on research experience through the University of Nebraska鈥檚 Summer Research Program (SRP).