What city is known as “the orthopedic capital of the world”?

Would you believe it is Warsaw, Ind., population: 13,559? Where? You might ask. North-central Indiana, approximately 40 miles from Fort Wayne, the second largest city in the state (population: 255,000), is where.

The DePuy Manufacturing Company, which existed independently for over 100 years before being acquired by Johnson & Johnson, was founded in Warsaw in 1895 with a focus on orthopedic devices. Rival businesses eventually settled in the area, giving Warsaw its unlikely title. One such company is Biomet, home to University of Kentucky biomedical engineering alumnus Gautam Gupta.

Gupta is an applications manager in the Advanced Process Technology group at Biomet, where he has been since March 2007.

“My role is to find new technology platforms that can be used to design and manufacture devices more efficiently and cost effectively,” he says. “Traditional manufacturing processes sometimes limit our ability to push the envelope with new implant designs, so I try to find technologies that allow us to literally turn dreams into reality.”

While writing his dissertation and working with Center for Biomedical Engineering director David Puleo on various research products, a position at Biomet became available. Recognizing Biomet as among the world’s leaders in the orthopedic device industry, Gupta saw the position as a great opportunity to utilize his education on a world class stage.

“When I first joined Biomet, I worked on applying Hydroxyapatite coatings to orthopedic devices, which improves implant fixation to host bone. It was an exciting project and was a great way for me to apply what I had learned at UK into solving real life problems,” he recalls.

Gupta came to the Center for Biomedical Engineering because of his interest in bone tissue engineering. As a student, he designed sophisticated ceramic scaffolds for bone regeneration, optimizing material properties to enhance performance. Looking back, he believes what he learned as a biomedical engineering student prepared him for his future career.

“Often, students think that what they learn in school is not applicable in the real world,” says Gupta. “That wasn’t the case for me at all. What I learned at UK has helped me design better orthopedic implants, which improves the quality of life for patients. In the end, that is what excites me about my work—making a difference in people’s lives. Every day, I am developing new technologies that have the potential to positively impact so many individuals.

While Gupta enjoys his work at Biomet, he has bigger plans for his future—starting his own biotechnology company. To prepare, he is earning an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

“As I have moved forward in my career, I have become more involved with the business side of manufacturing orthopedic devices. I am working toward the MBA to improve my understanding of fundamental principles that businesses around the world use to function and thrive. When I run my own business, I want to have a holistic perspective of the fundamentals that businesses use to create structures around technologies,” he explains.

Because Gupta believes orthopedic devices is a field often overlooked, he encourages future graduates to consider the burgeoning opportunities available.

“This is a great field for engineering graduates, especially mechanical engineers,” Gupta emphasizes. “The orthopedic device industry is growing, and as people live longer, stay physically active and implants become more affordable, the demand for orthopedic devices will only increase worldwide.

UK Athletics summarized Derek’s impressive football accomplishments in their news release about the upcoming inductions.

“[Derek Abney] is arguably the greatest kick returner in college football history after setting seven NCAA records, 11 SEC records and 14 school records for kick returns and all-purpose yardage. Abney was named a first-team All-America as a junior, second-team All-America as a senior and a three-year first-team All-SEC performer, becoming only the fourth player in school history to accomplish that feat. The talented star was the first player in NCAA history to accumulate 2,000 receiving yards, 2,000 kickoff return yards and 1,000 punt return yards. In all, Abney returned eight kicks for touchdowns during his career (six punts, two kickoffs), while he ended his UK career ranked second in three statistical categories: receptions (197), receiving yards (2,339) and touchdowns receiving (18). Abney’s NFL career ended because of injury.”

Although injuries prevented Derek from pursuing a professional football career, he has excelled as a civil engineer. In December 2011, he began working for Kinder Morgan, an energy infrastructure company, as their Southeast Region engineer/project manager. He is in charge of two significant projects: repairing Kinder Morgan’s North Charleston Dock as well as their Wilmington Terminal Dock. He passed his professional engineer’s exam this past April.

Congratulations to Derek on being honored for his football accomplishments as well as his successful engineering career!

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David Ratterman is a Life Member of the UK Alumni Association, and has been active in the Greater Louisville UK Alumni Club for the past 25 years. He has served three terms on the UK Alumni Association Board of Directors, and has participated in a variety of leadership positions with the association, most notably championing the goal of diversity. He has chaired the Diversity/Group Development, Communications and Great Teacher/Scholarships committees. He currently is chairman of the Nominating for Board Committee and is serving on the Diversity Task Force.

Ratterman has been an active member of the University of Kentucky Advocacy Network since the group’s inception. He has been involved with student recruitment, special events and diversity activities all while serving on the Greater Louisville UK Alumni Club Board of Directors. Additionally, he is a UK Fellow.
 

An accomplished construction law attorney, he is a partner with Stites and Harbison PLLC. He serves on a variety of professional committees and organizations, including as secretary and general counsel to the American Institute of Steel Construction. He is also a retired U.S. Navy commander, and a member of the Louisville Rotary Club and the Cathedral of the Assumption.  Ratterman received a bachelor’s degree from UK in mechanical engineering in 1968 and did graduate work at UK in 1970. He also holds degrees from the University of Louisville and the University of Dayton.    

D. Ralph Young, BSEE ’53, was the speaker on behalf of scholarship donors. He created the D. Ralph and Janice Young Engineering Scholarship in 2009. The student speaker was Neil Bradford Horsley, a freshman from Lexington majoring in chemical engineering. Horsley is the recipient this year of the Robert B. and Helen P. Jewell Foundation Scholarship, established in 1986 by Robert B. and Helen P. Jewell.

We wish to thank the many donors and students who joined us for this special event. The David K. Blythe Recognition Society was established in 2005 to express the College of Engineering’s appreciation to its many alumni and friends who so generously support undergraduate scholarships. Dean Blythe was chosen as the namesake for this society because of his passion for undergraduate education and students. He was known for his advocacy for students, assisting them with everything from finances to resume writing. He was a founder of the Engineering Alumni Association and worked tirelessly for the College for over 40 years.

Dr. Drake is a University of Kentucky Fellow and a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (1974), the University of Kentucky Hall of Distinguished Alumni (1979), and honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1980).

For more on Dr. Drake, visit http://www.engr.uky.edu/alumni/hod/drake.php

This award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated outstanding adherence to the ideals of Tau Beta Pi and fostering a spirit of liberal culture in society on the local, national, and international scales.

Dr. Baker’s was recognized for his achievements that “exemplify the diverse contributions that engineers make to society, and they demonstrate your breadth of interest, unselfish activity, and true spirit of integrity and excellence in engineering.”

“I am very pleased to be advised of my selection as the 2010 Tau Beta Phi Outstanding Alumnus, said Baker.  “It is a great honor that I accept with humility and I value highly the criteria on which the award is based.”

Dr. Baker will be presented with the award at the 2010 Tau Beta Pi Convention in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania in October.  A 2011 Tau Beta Pi Distinguished Alumnus Scholarship of $2,000 will be presented in his honor to a student to be selected by the Tau Beta Pi Fellowship Board.

For more on Dr. Baker, go to http://www.engr.uky.edu/alumni/hod/baker.php