Something that ESTEEM students hear all the time is “get out of the building”. This highlights the entrepreneurial importance of gaining real world experience and validation which cannot be attained within the walls of a classroom. Well, getting out of the building is exactly what Kate Bussey and Evan Doney plan to do with their fall break. The two ESTEEM students are traveling to Europe to speak at one of Europe’s largest 3D-printing conferences, engage in professional development, and spread the ESTEEM message. They are grateful to have their travels supported by a Nanovic Institute Professional Development Grant as well as the ESTEEM program.
Kate and Evan have been invited to speak at 3DP-Europe in Brussels, Belgium about their educational experience at Notre Dame, emphasizing the impact of the startup culture and 3D-printing, among a prestigious lineup of 3D-printing industry experts. Their speech, titled How 3D-Printing Startups Have Impacted Our Education, is open to an audience of over 200 industry delegates.
Kate is evaluating the commercialization potential of 3D printed patient specific airway stents for Custom Orthopaedic Solutions, a startup of Cleveland Clinic Innovations. She is excited to use this opportunity to learn more about the regulations surrounding 3D-printing used for medical purposes in Europe as compared to that in the United States. Her industry sponsor has voiced an interest in perhaps bringing their technology to market in Europe prior to implementation back in the states. Additionally, this is Kate’s first time traveling to Europe, an incredible opportunity in it of itself for which she is ecstatic.
Evan is serving as the co-founder and product manager for Biomedical Constructs, featuring technology invented in a Notre Dame laboratory using 3D-printing techniques. He looks to gain valuable insight into the industry and the state of the art technologies used in medical 3D-Printing.
The second day of the conference, Kate and Evan will present at a booth on the show floor open to the public with an expected attendance of 3,000. This provides an excellent opportunity to further share their 3D-printing educational experiences in addition to recruiting future ESTEEM students and potential industry sponsors. After the conference Katherine and Evan will spend the remainder of the week traveling to Germany and the Netherlands to visit some of the most important 3D-printing hubs in the world to gain even further insight on the globally expanding 3D-printing movement.
This is a phenomenal opportunity that will significantly benefit Kate and Evan’s education, professional, and personal development. Follow their travels on the ESTEEM Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!