The Society of Women Engineers gathered in the Bissinger Room this past Monday for an evening of “mocktails,” networking, and meaningful dialogue with five female panelists from Stryker, one of the largest manufacturers of medical devices and equipment.
Professional Development Chair Elizabeth Gonzales gave a warm welcome to both the students and panelists in attendance. Many in attendance were female biomedical engineers, but students from other engineering disciplines came out to hear what the panelists had to say regarding topics ranging from job-searching to team dynamics.
The five panelists then introduced themselves, each coming from different backgrounds and fulfilling various roles at Stryker. The first panelist, Erica Corbin, has been working at Stryker for 11 years and is currently a product developer. Corbin has worked on six implant systems and two instrument systems during her time at the company and is still involved in research and development.
The next panelist, Kerry Burino, graduated from Rutgers with her Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and currently serves as a product manager, with over 15 years of prior engineering experience.
Lacey Maiman was a biomedical engineering major and had a co-op with Milwaukee Veteran’s hospital during her undergraduate. After working at a small company called Brain Lab and then St. Jude Medical, she then moved on to Stryker Spine and is currently an associate manager in the reliability engineering department.
Deirdra Jaco came from University of Delaware where she received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Mechancial Engineering. She attained her full-time job at Stryker after contracting with the company for a short period of time.
The final panelist, Nicole Favetta, graduated as a biomedical engineering major from Stevens in 2011 and received her Master’s in Engineering Management in 2012. She works as a project engineer in research and development.
The audience was very active and the panel turned more into a conversation between the audience and the five women on the stage. One student asked how important it is to continue on with a Master’s program when looking for a career in research and development, to which Corbin responded, “For a woman in the technical field, it’s a nice bump. It’s hard for anyone to say no to you.”
Another student in the audience asked, “What kind of opportunities should undergraduates take advantage of to prepare for a full-time position at Stryker?” Maiman responded, “Take advantage of your school’s co-op program.” The rest of the panelists agreed that students should remain active by pursuing co-ops, internships, or research jobs.
The panelists were asked about common misconceptions surrounding the biomedical field. “I thought it was all about working with prosthetics, but after I did an internship, I realized I didn’t like it,” said Maiman. “Just don’t pigeonhole yourself since the biomedical field is really quite large.”
Burino echoed Maiman’s point. “Stryker does so many things [and] there are so many different areas for you to go into.” Favetta explained that the biomedical engineering field is very regulated, which many do not realize. “Sometimes, it can be limiting and it was something I didn’t recognize while in school,” said Favetta.
The audience posed challenging questions for over an hour, until Gonzales signaled for the end of discussion. Those in attendance were then encouraged to mingle with the Stryker representatives while enjoying prepared “mocktails” and mini cupcake creations.
The evening ended with the raffling of two gift baskets and the presentation of flowers to the alumnus, Nicole Favetta. The women from Stryker handed out business cards and encouraged those in attendance to email them if they had any additional questions.
Gonzales was pleased with the outcome of the event. “Networking was the key component to this event and I saw a lot of that happening. Representatives and attendees were sharing business cards, tips, stories, and resumes left and right!” Gonzales said. “Stryker was so pleased that they have graciously offered to return for another event in the upcoming school year. Looking forward, we hope to see both new and familiar faces at SWE events.”
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