Published Friday, July 21st, 2017
Shea Lundeby '08 holds a bachelor's degree in business management from WSC as well as an associate's degree in electromechanics from Metropolitan Community College.
Shea Lundeby is a 2008 Wayne State College graduate currently working as a nuclear magnetic resonance engineer in the radiology department at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from WSC and an associate’s degree in electromechanics from Metropolitan Community College (2015). After graduating, Lundeby gained exposure to business practices, skilled trade, and professional contacts, and now finds himself in his own lab designing and building devices that aid in the research and development of everything from cancer to knee and elbow cartilage.
Lundeby has been designing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coils for researching health-related issues. Different types of coils varying in shape and size are needed depending on the patient/specimen and what exactly is being sought in the creation of the image.
Traditionally, these units were handmade and assembled or purchased from a manufacturer at costs ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. Lundeby has been working to introduce additive manufacturing or 3-D printing to this process, greatly reducing the time and material cost in the manufacturing process.
“A 3-D printed coil assembled at the UNMC campus can be completed for as little as $600,” Lundeby said. “The best part about the 3-D prints is that once a design is approved, you can turn the printer on and go home, and when you show up the next day, it’s sitting on your desk!”
Lundeby has also been working with Berkshire Hathaway Media at the Freedom Center in Omaha for two and a half years as a manufacturing electronics specialist, which has given him a great understanding of mechanized systems and automation controls and introduced him to intelligent skilled tradesmen.
Just recently, Lundeby and his colleagues have begun consulting under Doctored Manufacturing in Omaha. They will be focusing on using 3-D AutoCAD and printing to assist in both device prototyping and design, as well as OEM part manufacturing and replication for industries ranging from agriculture to health care and everything in between. He is also working with NE3D and Children’s Hospital and is pursuing his MBA degree.
“Wayne State provided me with not only an education but an understanding of why the pursuit of higher education is vital to personal growth,” Lundeby said. “WSC is an ideal college, and for that I am thankful to have achieved my first degree with this institution.”