Circuitwise today hosted a visit today from a group of aspiring and inspiring undergraduates from three different universities. Organised by FLEDGE Innovation Labs, the students were studying either biomedical or electrical engineering. The 23 students came from the University of Newcastle, Macquarie University, and Sydney University.
The group were on an educational day trip that took in Circuitwise’s neighbour Resmed. The purpose of the visit was to better understand the electronics manufacturing process. After a tour of the factory floor, a presentation was given covering every step of the manufacturing process, with tips on how to optimise electronic designs for manufacture.
What we found inspiring about this group of young engineers was the wide range of questions that clearly showed an astute understanding of the complexities of the medical device industry.
The CEO of FLEDGE, Gary Jones, said It was very rewarding to see our tour fully booked,
and admired the effort made by all the students to attend a day-long event, particularly those who travelled from Newcastle.
Gary said “the students asked a lot of great questions about manufacturing, quality management, costs and customers, which reinforces our view that students who think holistically enjoy significantly better employment prospects.
“One student has already approached FLEDGE for an internship position, and we're planning to put something in place for them over summer break, with a possibility of further work in 2020,” Gary said.
“We found a job for another student, helping to design PCBs for a social-impact project, and of course we hope the PCBs will be assembled at Circuitwise.”
FLEDGE is an incubator that specialises in Medical devices, relating to diagnosis and treatment of disease/injury, as well as the monitoring and management of health. FLEDGE operates as a profit-recycling social enterprise and one of its core values is to support the next generation of technology leaders and innovators.
Gary said: “We sponsor a number of student societies involved in innovation and medicine, mainly through our internship programmes and mentorship of student projects.
“We also believe there’s no substitute for practical experience when it comes to promoting innovation. It’s important for students to have the first-hand experience of how things are actually made, and to establish relationships with the best manufacturers and service providers in the industry.”