Innovation By Design

A leader in the worldwide orthopedic medical technology market, Stryker continually strives to develop and refine innovative technologies and products that help health-care professionals perform their jobs more efficiently while enhancing patient care. In its search for fresh, creative ideas and talent, Stryker participates as an industry sponsor in the Multidisciplinary Design Program (MDP) at the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering. A multidisciplinary team of students, including many from engineering, is currently working with the company to develop a versatile, powered lifting device that can be used by emergency responders to move sick or injured individuals safely. 

“The MDP has been a great way for Stryker to raise its profile on campus and gain early access to strong engineering talent,” says Shaelie Lambarth, Stryker’s global university relations manager. “MDP teams work on projects of real value and solve relevant problems.” Stryker, with worldwide headquarters in Kalamazoo, Mich., also recruits MDP students for summer internships, allowing the company to cultivate good working relationships with future employees.

In addition to Stryker, other corporations, nonprofits and government agencies have been attracted to the MDP, which is open to undergraduate students campus-wide. Students from the Ross School of Business, School of Information, School of Art and Design, and other academic units have come together on projects to formulate innovative solutions for these sponsors. Harris Communications, for example, has asked one MDP project team to create a GPS-based pet containment system, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Labs has challenged another team to develop Smart Boots for military personnel that help predict and prevent leg fractures. Navistar, Habitat for Humanity and the University of Michigan Hospital System were also active MDP sponsors in the past year.

“Through their participation, sponsoring partners gain exposure for their company or organization on campus, generate support for their brand upstream in the undergraduate experience and achieve significant contact with students before senior-year recruitment begins,” says Gail Hohner, MDP managing director. “Students benefit by working in multidisciplinary teams on real-world problems with real-world complexities while earning academic credit. This experience is comparable to what they will face in the first year of their work careers.”

Prospective sponsors are welcome to submit project ideas to the MDP and participate in the annual Project Fair in late September. After the fair, the MDP staff and College of Engineering faculty mentors match students with sponsoring companies on yearlong projects, running from January through December. There is a $15,000 program fee for sponsors to cover the cost of faculty time, materials, facilities and student travel.     

More information: Contact Gail Hohner, managing director of the Multidisciplinary Design program, at ghohner@umich.edu or 734.763.7421 or visit www.engin.umich.edu/multidisciplinarydesign.