Student Field Trip to the JKU medSPACE
 

Some 80 students enrolled in different majors enjoyed a visit to the JKU’s cutting-edge medSPACE.

Field trip impressions: photo credit: JKU
Field trip impressions: photo credit: JKU

DI Armin Berger Bsc. (Institute of Mechatronic Product Development & Manufacturing) organized a field trip to JKU medSPACE at the MED campus to introduce students majoring in engineering (Medical Engineering, Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, Sustainable Polymer Technology & a Circular Economy) to real-world industry practices. DI Berger elaborated: "Inspiring students is very important to me, along with offering opportunities to take part in activities beyond ‘classroom theory’. I thought that a field trip to the JKU medSPACE would be an ideal opportunity to explore the fascinating world of virtual morphology, an area that involves both technical innovation as well as an understanding of medicine."

Prof. Fellner and members of his team showed the students 3D imaging CT and MRI scans on an 8K quality screen measuring 14 x 7 meters in height. The students also learned more about how medSPACE came about, and why it plays such an important role for students who are studying medicine in Linz.

Advanced technology at the JKU medSPACE takes a very state-of-the-art and illustrative approach, combining virtual anatomy images and live transmissions from the operating room and thereby providing a unique virtual tour of the body to make the human body more "tangible" to students and other interested parties.

Students enjoyed a vivid, inspirational, and entertaining presentation, resulting in very enthusiastic feedback about the excursion: "As a student, it's fascinating to learn more about these ingenious projects at the JKU; things like this can motivate you more during your studies. It was an amazing opportunity." Many students only knew about the JKU medSPACE from media reports, making it all the more exciting to be able to experience the impressive space in person.

DI Berger organized the field trip for first-year students – many of which are in the Medical Engineering program - following the WS preparation course "Maschinenbauliche Grundlagen für Studienanfänger*innen".

School students from the BRG Linz Fadingerstraße school’s radio station also took part in the field trip. The excursion was an opportunity for these soon-to-be high school graduates to learn more about the subject area and spark their interest in perhaps pursuing an engineering degree at the JKU after graduation.