Trinity Announces an Education Partnership with The Alfred Mann Foundation

Trinity Classical Academy has entered into a creative partnership with the Alfred Mann Foundation to provide students with a unique opportunity to learn about medical device research, design and manufacturing as well as careers in the science, technology, engineering and math field.
Liz Caddow, Trinity’s Founder and Head of School said, “Trinity is always pursuing creative ways to benefit students’ education, and this educational partnership with the Alfred Mann Foundation is the most significant endeavor to date for our students who are pursuing a STEM focused education and career path. At Trinity we have a vibrant humanities curriculum AND an incredible STEM curriculum. Half of Trinity graduates choose to pursue majors at the university level in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and the opportunity to partner with the Alfred Mann Foundation (AMF) gives them a glimpse into the highest level of medical device invention, engineering and development.”
AMF has a facility across the road from Trinity and this educational partnership will introduce students to state-of-the-art specialized equipment and to professionals in the STEM field. They will learn how AMF takes a medical device implant from the idea stage to research and development, clinical study, formation of the patent, financing, all the way to the sale of the intellectual property so that a company can manufacture it and get it to patients.
Mark Chamberlain, Chief Operating Officer at AMF is pleased to begin working with the students of Trinity as he believes the future of groundbreaking medical devices will rest in the hands of these potential scientists and engineers. He said, “We believe that by showing our future engineers and scientists how exciting working on cutting edge medical products can be, they will focus their current and future studies toward these disciplines.”
Dr. Mark Phillips, Trinity’s Chair of Theology and Science, sees a number of advantages of this partnership for Trinity students: (1) to see application of the concepts they have learned at Trinity (2) dialoguing with those in careers manifesting from such education (3) learning about the intercept of non-profit research with for-profit industry.
Trinity seniors who are taking AP and Honors science classes have visited AMF numerous times. Several professionals at AMF were excited to introduce students to their career path. Students heard from an engineer who asked if they liked word problems and pointed out that a job in the STEM field is defined by word problems. He showed a video of a muscle sensor device they developed that will operate a robotic hand intuitively operated by brain stimulus! Professionals shared details about their roles at AMF in clinical study, patents, finance, and IT. AMF is interested in the possibility of having Trinity students be future employees, but the people there are also just enthusiastic about sharing what they do with young people who might share their passion. Due to the complexity and the technical challenges in building and developing implantable medical devices, potential employees will require a solid background in all areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
When asked what he thought about the students who visited, Mr. Chamberlain said, “The students were great; they asked excellent questions and were very interested in understanding more about our Foundation and the technology.”
Students found the staff at Alfred Mann Foundation to be kind, enthusiastic and passionate about what they do. Senior Andrew Dever said, “My favorite part was getting to see their work spaces and all the neat tools they get to use every day. One thing I learned was how long the patent process takes – the technology takes years to develop and get patented! I have a lot of respect for what they are doing there.”
Alfred Mann Foundation (www.aemf.org) has been in business since 1985 and has patents on over 200 technologies. They own the “intellectual property.” They research, develop and patent a technology with a plan to license or sell the rights to products so they can be sold commercially to benefit patients.
Some of the products AMF has developed include pacemakers, cochlear implants, insulin pumps, implantable pain pump, inhalable insulin, muscle sensors for a prosthetic hand, stents, and hip and knee replacements. Their facility includes a prototype lab, a clean room, Scanning Electron Microscope, microelectronic machine shop, 3D printer, and specialized X-ray machines to view the insides of implants after they are explanted to see if they functioned correctly.
Trinity students are sure to benefit from this educational partnership. Teachers and students alike are appreciative of the opportunity to visit AMF and learn from very enthusiastic and innovative professionals in their field.

photos by Wally Caddow