Biotech Students Visit Medtronic in Santa Rosa

Ms. Swarner & Ms. Brooks had the opportunity to take 13 students to the STEM day at Medtronic in Santa Rosa on November 16th.  They started off their day at Medtronic with a light breakfast as their guide Renee Lawson explained what their day would look like.  Next, they had a brief presentation by an engineer about the future outlook for STEM careers, pay and types of degrees, and careers within the STEM field. 

Next they were split up into small groups to meet with researchers and engineers about products that they are either working on or have experience with.  The students rotated through each of the following groups and participated in demonstrations, and Q&A sessions with engineers and scientists: coronary stents, aortic stents, renal denervation and heart valves.  

Next, they toured labs within the facility. This tour included the chemistry lab, 3D printing lab, materials lab and a room where students dissected a heart with scientists.  In the chemistry lab, they had the opportunity to participate in an analysis of caffeine, and used their math and a little calculus as the samples were run through a high pressure liquid chromatography. In the 3D printing lab they saw large scale models of stents that were being produced and used in marketing and advertising. Their third stop was the materials lab where they learned about metallurgy and alloys and participated in a demo that showed the memory of metals used in the stents.  The last lab experience was dissecting a pig heart with scientists and learning about parts, function and pathologies of the heart.

The day concluded with a hosted lunch with scientists and engineers, which included an informal Q&A session.  The host, Renee Lawson, introduced the high school students to an internship program and encouraged all students to apply! It was an amazing experience and day for all!