In the early 1980s, while working at the University of Arizona (UArizona) as a pathologist, Dr. Thomas Grogan first imagined an instrument that would improve the way cancer is diagnosed globally. His work at the university ultimately led to the creation of what is now Roche Diagnostic Solutions (RDS) in Tucson, Ariz., a global leader in cancer diagnostics.
That strong connection continues today with educational partnerships between RDS and the University of Arizona. Among them is the UArizona College of Engineering’s Craig M. Berge Design Day, which is the culmination of a year-long senior capstone project where seniors work in teams with professionals to solve engineering challenges.
Engineering students were trained on how to handle real-world scenarios and given tasks outside of their educational skill-sets, which is common in the professional world. Best Overall Design was among the prizes awarded to students involved in RDS projects this year.
Projects included capacitive volume sensing, authentication with facial recognition, personalized lab notifications, physical use interface for digital pathology, slide randomizing and an automated iButton placement device.
Organizing and completing the six RDS Design Day projects was a group effort of more than 40 colleagues led by Ben Blehm, Staff Systems Engineer. The teams were sponsored by Roche employees from Hardware and Systems Development, Tissue Research and Early Development, Operations and Assay and Reagent Development.
Additional support was provided by Legal as well as machine shop team members, who built parts for the teams.