I believe the education I received through the Technology program at Purdue provided me with a practical engineering advantage that enabled me to quickly progress along in my career path. I believe the Purdue program excels at bridging the gap between theoretical and practical engineering.
Donald Malackowski
Electrical Engineering Technology '88
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Donald Malackowski

Electrical Engineering Technology '88
Vice President-Advanced Technology Development for Stryker Instruments

Don Malackowski’s parents made sure he had access to “a never- ending supply of spare parts and components” with which to build and invent things. That hands-on environment, he says, helped him choose the College of Technology for his electrical engineering education.

As vice president of Stryker Instruments’ Advanced Technology Group, Malackowski and his team are responsible for developing technology platforms and architectures for integration into Stryker’s wide range of medical products. He has been honored four times by his employer with the Shaping the Future Award. He has been granted 15 patents, and he has another 22 pending with the U.S.Patent Office.

Prior to joining Stryker, Malackowski was vice president for engineering at UTEC and a development engineer at Radian Research.

While his professional focus has become more management-oriented, Malackowski still likes to keep at least one hands-on project active on the side to keep current with technology. He also enjoys returning to the Purdue campus for the annual presentation of the Stryker Award for outstanding senior project in ECET,an award modeled after the Faculty Award he won as a student in 1988.

“The award taught me that hard work and dedication,coupled with a desire to be the best, will be recognized,” he says. He strives to provide that motivation and recognition to maintain a successful and competitive team.

Malackowski and his wife, Lori, live in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with their three sons.

This was originally written for the Distinguished Technology Alumni Awards in 2009.