¡Pura Vida!
My internship company – Establishment Labs
Hi everyone, I started my RDI (Research, Development, Innovation) internship at Establishment Labs earlier this week. I’ve worked on bio-related research and medical devices projects at school in the past, but this is my first experience working at a MedTech company! I am part of the sustaining team, focusing on maintaining post-launch products. It’s a shift from my previous focus on early phases of a design cycle to later design stages, considering redesigns and retirements.
In my first week, I had a few onboarding trainings, learning more about the company, the RDI department, my sustaining team, gaining knowledge about implants, breast cancer, and capsular contraction. I’ve also noticed regional variations in product marketing based on beauty standards. It’s interesting to witness social factors being considered in product design and marketing in the MedTech industry.
Additionally, I was introduced to three projects I will be working on during my internship and was fortunate to be invited to a meeting with a supplier to explore options for a product redesign. In my past school projects, since we only needed one or two physical prototypes, we searched online to find the cheapest materials with the highest quality within our budgets. However, I learned that, with mass production, companies engage with various manufacturers to explore material durability and cost options and receive samples to work on prototypes.
After work on Friday, Dr. Wettergreen treated us to dinner and introduced us to Guaba (ice cream) beans. They have a long, hard core with sweet, frizzy pulps, tasting similar to coconut. However, I’m honestly not a big fan of its fuzzy texture. It was still a good experience to try something new.
Guaba, aka ice cream beans
Duolingo work-in-progress update: I am on Section 1, Unit 3. This week, I learned how to speak numbers from 1 to 10, and I can finally tell the Uber driver the pin in Spanish now. However, I’m still struggling to understand the Spanish menu and order it by myself in Spanish. Later today, I am going on a one-day trip to Poás Volcano National Park, having lunch at Freddo Fresas, and touring at Hacienda Alsacia Starbucks Coffee Farm with other Rice students and another intern from Establishment Labs. I’m going to get prepared and will share some traveling pictures next week.