Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Day 5: Touring the Parkmore Medtronic facility in Galway and the Cliffs of Moher

Today we toured the Parkmore Medtronic facility in Galway, Ireland. We had a presentation by Mike Conerney who works as a research and development engineer in the Structural Heart Group, which touched on Medtronic as a company and the responsibilities of their location in Ireland.
Today we toured the Parkmore Medtronic facility in Galway, Ireland. We had a presentation by Mike Conerney who works as a research and development engineer in the Structural Heart Group, which touched on Medtronic as a company and the responsibilities of their location in Ireland. Next, we heard from Peter Glynn, a research and development engineer who discussed a “Day in the Life” of an engineer. This presentation was beneficial for student engineers as it outlined his pathway to becoming a biomedical engineer and the start to his Medtronic career.


After this, we took a tour of the research and development facility which featured a hybrid catheter lab, a 3-D printing prototyping lab, and a test method development area. We then were able to experience four Medtronic devices on the EU market today, including the Micra pacemaker, Trans Aortic Val (TAV), Synergy hypertension treatment, and the Resolute Onyx drug eluting stent. This was an incredible experience for students as we were able to have hands-on experience with the devices, as physicians would.

We were also able to see competitor’s products and developments on current devices. This experience was enjoyed by all, many questions were asked during the question and answer session showing genuine interest in Medtronic.

Following this tour, we were off to the Cliffs of Moher. After an hour-and-a-half venture, we finally made it to the national treasure. We were welcomed to the cliffs with a bright sunny day, although it was a wee bit windy. While some of us didn’t have the appropriate gear, the scenery was more than enough to compensate. The cliffs were breathtaking, the water, a crystal blue. We stayed for about two hours, enjoying the sunshine and views.


A quick stop to the gift shop showed us family surname origins as well as a quick history on the Irish Potato Famine. We grabbed a quick bite to eat before we gathered for a group photo around the Cliffs of Moher sign. The only thing that we would have wished was to have “Moher” time!!



-- Taycia B.