{"487401":{"#nid":"487401","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Part Expo, Part Job Interview","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003ETwice every year at the Georgia Institute of Technology, senior engineering students showcase their skills and ingenuity at Capstone Design Expos.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003ESuccessful completion of Capstone Design is a graduation requirement for engineering students and the expos (at the end of fall and spring semesters) at McCamish Pavillion is a chance to show their work to judges, family, friends and anyone else interested in cool new things, and the people who make them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EThe atmosphere is electric, a carnival of science and technology, a living classroom where dozens of student teams compete for cash prizes and the consideration of attendees like Valorie Kimbrell.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cThis is a great opportunity to meet students, to see them talk about their research, see how well they communicate, learn about their involvement in the project,\u201d says Kimbrell, who has been attending Georgia Tech expos for the past several years as the principal talent acquisition specialist for Medtronic, one of the top medical technology companies in the world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EAn expo is not unlike a pro football combine, where players exhibit their skills in front of coaches, general managers and scouts. So the expo serves as a potential recruiting trip for Kimbrell, who is based in Memphis, headquarters of Medtronic\u2019s spinal business unit and a hub of the country\u2019s orthopedic device industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EA big part of the expo buzz comes from students in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME), who help fill the arena with prototypes of products and solutions designed to improve the human condition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EKimbrell says she has been interested in the talent coming out of BME. Medtronic has hired several BME graduates over the past several years, including at least one this year, following the fall Capstone Design Expo in December. Those career opportunities are an essential part of the expos, as James Rains sees it.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cOver the past few years we\u2019ve been trying to encourage companies to see the value in this event, so we\u2019ve invited them,\u201d says Rains, professor of practice and director of BME Capstone program, who sometimes thinks of the expo as a \u201creverse career fair.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cCompany representatives can see the students in action, whereas normally they would be sitting in a conference room, just talking about a project,\u201d Rains says. \u201cAt the expo, the prototype is right there and the students are talking you through the process, explaining the rationale and the engineering analysis. It\u2019s much more relevant than what you\u2019d experience in a traditional interview.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EAt least 12 medical companies checked out BME teams at the fall expo, according to Rains. Some, like Medtronic, were there to identify talent and in some cases, hire people, like recent grad Scott Renner, whose Capstone team, Biospeal, developed an improvement for a standard biopsy gun, eliminating the risk of post-procedure bleeding and other complications.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EKimbrell considers the expo as, \u201csomething like a mini interview. In that setting they have great energy, a lot of passion for what they\u2019ve just completed. You\u2019re seeing them at their best. And sometimes, you find great talent that aligns with what your business needs are.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECONTACT:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/node\/jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003EBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"BME grads grab industry interest at Capstone Design Expo"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EBME grads grab industry interest at Capstone Design Expo\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME grads grab industry interest at Capstone Design Expo"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2016-01-18 00:46:32","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:24","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-01-17T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2016-01-17T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"487391":{"id":"487391","type":"image","title":"Capstone Presentation","body":null,"created":"1453233601","gmt_created":"2016-01-19 20:00:01","changed":"1475895242","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:02","alt":"Capstone Presentation","file":{"fid":"204347","name":"capstone_presentation_2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/capstone_presentation_2_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/capstone_presentation_2_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3313144,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/capstone_presentation_2_0.jpg?itok=tiGs_Szi"}},"487381":{"id":"487381","type":"image","title":"Valorie Kimbrell","body":null,"created":"1453233601","gmt_created":"2016-01-19 20:00:01","changed":"1475895242","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:54:02","alt":"Valorie Kimbrell","file":{"fid":"204346","name":"valorie_headshot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/valorie_headshot_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/valorie_headshot_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2001057,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/valorie_headshot_0.jpg?itok=-6pG7jJn"}}},"media_ids":["487391","487381"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"9835","name":"capstone design"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/node\/jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003EBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}