Great Lakes Neurotechnologies offers 'crash course in biomedical engineering' for HS students
Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies (GLNT), which develops biomedical technologies for research, education, and medical communities, wants to introduce high school students to the many careers available in biomedical engineering. So the company is hosting a “Crash Course in Biomedical Engineering” on Wednesday, April 1st from 4 pm to 6:30 pm at its Valley View Offices.
“We recognize that biomedical engineering is just a huge area of growth, it’s just booming,” says Lori Grimm, marketing manager for GLNT. “It’s a vast field and people may not know just what it’s about, so we’re launching this course to give people an idea.”
GLNT researchers and engineers will lead discussions in a five areas: medical device development; biomedical research; software programming; product manufacturing; and biomedical career paths. While targeted at high school seniors, the event of open to all high school students. Students will also have the chance to talk to the speakers.
"We want to educate seniors in biomedical engineering to inspire them to move on and explore careers in the field,” says Grim. “Lots of kids hear ‘biomedical engineering’ and it sounds intimidating. But actually, it’s s really exciting field.”
Grim admits the motivation is somewhat “selfish” on GLNT’s part, as the hope is that the event will attract students to the field and in turn bring more qualified applicants to the Cleveland area. “Some areas, like research, we don’t have much of a problem,” says Grim, adding that GLNT just hired four new researchers. “But software engineers, that’s a little bit tougher.”
The program is also part of GLNT’s ongoing mission to give back to the community and educate students on STEM subjects. Additionally, the company gives away two $1,000 scholarships annually to Northeast Ohio high school seniors planning on studying biomedical engineering in college.
The Crash Course event is free, but registration is required by March 23. Contact Sara Rini to register or for more information. The application deadline for the scholarships is April 30.
