Julia (DeBelly) Carlquist has always had a passion for helping people. Since math and science were her favorite classes while growing up, a biomedical engineering major was a natural fit.
“Biomedical engineering was the perfect match for me to be able to apply my math and science knowledge in a way that could benefit another human being,” the 2017 Trine University graduate said.
She also wanted the opportunity to play golf, and went on to a career at Trine that included All-American Scholar and second team All-MIAA honors.
“Academics and golf were important to me, and I wanted to find a school that would allow me to do both,” she said. “The Trine faculty was very understanding and worked with me to ensure all of my coursework was completed prior to missing any class for golf tournaments.”
“In addition, I loved the atmosphere Trine had. At Trine, you were an actual person and not just another number,” she said. “The staff knew your name and wanted to help you succeed.”
She got a job with Zimmer Biomet right after graduation, working in the Sports Medicine department as a product development engineer. She recently transitioned to New Product Development for the Extremities department, where she primarily works with devices to help in recovery from hand, elbow and shoulder surgery.
“Because of Trine, I have the confidence to propose solutions to my team members and am able to easily explain how I reached my conclusions.”- Julia (DeBelly) Carlquist
“When we are assigned a new project, I am responsible for working with my team members to complete all documentation associated to the design history file,” she said. Her work includes formally documenting the new device's needs and requirements, consulting with surgeons, assessing the risk of the device, and completing physical testing.
She said some of the most useful skills she gained from the biomedical engineering major at Trine were learning how to problem solve and support her conclusions.
“The program's curriculum teaches you how to take a problem and break it down into its various components, and determine applicable solutions that were required to be supported by work,” she said. “This thought process is beneficial for a biomedical engineer, because we are tasked with solving the problems that arise in the biomedical industry.”
“Because of Trine, I have the confidence to propose solutions to my team members and am able to easily explain how I reached my conclusions.”
