Talent Spotlight on Amanda Woodcock, BioEngineer
Talent Spotlight is a regular feature profiling the employees of Product Creation Studio. See the Talent Spotlight archive for more interviews.
What led you to a career in product development?
I didn’t know anything about product development or even that companies like Product Creation Studio existed. I discovered product development as a career path when I attended a wine tasting event hosted by the WBBA (now Life Science Washington), during my senior year as a Bioengineering student at UW.
It was there that I met some of the team at Product Creation Studio and eventually, I was invited to tour the office space and learn more about the company. When I visited, I immediately knew that these were my people and I wanted to design products for a living.
What excites you most about your job?
I love being in the trenches, brainstorming and coming up with solutions to the most difficult problems.
Describe your most rewarding work experience to date.
The first time I witnessed a medical device prototype I had been working on for months being used on a patient. I was terrified, but it felt awesome to see something I had put so much of my heart into in operation, and so cool to see it actually work too!
Where is the best place you’ve traveled to and why?
Just before I started at Product Creation Studio, I traveled to South Africa’s rural Nkomazi region where I taught health sciences and mathematics at a small, education-centered non-profit called Imagine Scholar.
The experience offered a deep perspective that, only living in a one room school for a month with students so passionate about learning, could do. During my stay I had the opportunity to visit the local hospital and the experience deeply impacted my interest in improving the health care industry at a global level.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?
Outside of work I like to dance lindy hop! I am a member of a Seattle dance team called Rain City Rhythm as well as a board member of Savoy Swing Club, a non-profit that spreads the love of swing dancing and swing-era jazz music by running dances and events in the area. I also like exploring other forms of movement, and have recently started doing aerial hoop.
I also like to spend time with my 3D printer. I am currently working on turning my Rostock Max V2 into a color-mixing, RGB printer using a Diamond Hot End. For Christmas, I 3D printed gifts for my friends, rather than buying things.