Knowing the History of Orthopaedics Benefits Grace Students

If you know your history, then you already know why Warsaw, Indiana is known as the Orthopaedic Capital of the World. For everybody else, a trip back to 1895 is needed. That’s when Revra DePuy founded DePuy Manufacturing out of hotel room. He wanted to manufacture fiber splints, customized to fit patients. This would replace the wooden splints that were still being used.

By doing so, he started the very first orthopaedic manufacturing business in the world. Hiring a salesman by the name of Justin Zimmer, who would later start his own splint manufacturing company, cemented Warsaw as the Orthopaedic Capital of the World.

Although it came much later, the proximity Grace College shares with all of the orthopaedic companies allow it to connect in many ways. Located in Winona Lake, nestled right next to Warsaw, Grace College students and faculty are a stone’s throw from all of the companies. “With the concentration of orthopaedic and manufacturing companies in our county and state, engineering college graduates are much sought-after,” said Dr. John Lillis, provost of Grace College.

Meet Dr. Fred Wentorf

Ready to launch in the fall of 2018, Grace now offers three engineering majors; Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Management, and Design Engineering Technology. Grace’s engineering program promotes the application of science and technology. It does so by preparing graduates for the practice of engineering and engineering technology at the professional level. Engineering is approached as a commitment to service with applications in areas as diverse as healthcare, manufacturing, and the environment.

The man who gets to lead this exciting new program is Dr. Fred Wentorf. He will serve as Department of Engineering Chair and assistant professor of engineering. Coming to Grace from Zimmer Biomet, Wentorf holds a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering.

Combining a Christian perspective with practical application, Dr. Wentorf is developing an advisory board and finalizing the new engineering curriculum. “It’s extremely important to me that our advisory board – comprised mostly of industry leaders – will help guide our program now and long into the future to ensure that the education we provide is relevant and sought-after by employers,” he said.

Thankful for the proximity of the orthopaedic companies to Grace’s campus, both in actual distance and working relationships, Dr. Wentorf is very excited about the engineering program. But his excitement is not limited to the world of orthopaedics. The fact is that engineering degrees offer a great deal of flexibility in post-college options.

Grace Engineering Programs

The degree in Mechanical Engineering offers a wide array of experience in design, as well as building and testing machines that are used in every area of our lives. The Mechanical Engineering Management degree offers all that, with the added bonus of courses designed to help you become a leader in the field. If helping solve a wider variety of systemic societal issues, then the Design Engineering Technology program has all that is needed. Taking concepts to fruition, these students from Grace will have industry leading software incorporated into their coursework.

Being adjacent to the Orthopaedic Capital of the World is an enormous benefit of studying at Grace College. With access to websites like thinkortho.net*, Grace students have a first-hand opportunity at the plethora of opportunities available at local companies. Their wide range of need, from engineering, research, and development, to marketing, finance, and business, make this an ideal location to go from being trained in your field to being hired in it.

A recent example of this connection is Polly Teevan. She is the North America Director for Hip and Shoulder Marketing at DePuy Synthes Companies. Her career at DePuy began as an internship while she studied at Grace College. Polly, a Business Administration major from 2001, recalls, “I graduated on Saturday and started my career on Monday.”

In an age where the future is continually touted as being now, students seeking careers in the field of engineering know the necessity of the kinds of professional levels of resources as found at Grace College. If you’re ready to take the next step towards that future, click below to learn more.

^*Information gathered from https://thinkortho.net/opportunities/