Employee Spotlight: Josh Hogan
Senior process engineer and Boston Scientific STEM Council member
What is your role?
As a process development engineer, I develop processes and equipment to manufacture medical devices. Whether it is a stent saving someone’s life after a heart attack or allowing someone to stop taking Warfarin, I take great pride in knowing that the products we make at Boston Scientific help people. In fact, my father has a Boston Scientific stent.
Have you always been interested in STEM?
From a very young age, I was interested in how things worked – I was always taking things apart and putting them back together. I received my first LEGO set at age three and spent a lot of time trying to make bigger and better creations with more capabilities. I can definitely see how those interests led me to STEM and getting an Aerospace Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota.
Tell us about your work with the Boston Scientific STEM Council
The STEM Council has provided many awesome opportunities for me to share my interest in STEM while developing my professional skills. I am currently a member of the External Events Committee, which organizes Boston Scientific sponsorship and involvement in local events. We also work with several local museums and STEM organizations to sponsor, plan and provide educational activities for the community. Leading volunteer events has given me the chance to enhance my leadership and communication skills. Organizing events has allowed me to hone my communication skills.
Why is STEM important?
Our everyday lives are filled with problem solving opportunities and STEM provides us with the necessary tools to tackle those issues. Finding a way to make something easier to use, or faster, or lighter, or more efficient are all examples of what STEM can help us achieve. STEM provides me with opportunities – opportunities to try new things, work with different technologies, test out different processes and work with new people. Each opportunity allows me to learn more about how things work and how to be a better problem solver.
What advice do you have for people entering STEM careers?
When confronted with a problem, no matter how insurmountable it may seem, don’t be afraid to use good judgment and try to solve it. If the solution works, fantastic – find a way to make it better or move on to the next hurdle.
