Robert Muerer
Changing Lives.

Muerer with the Discovery ST System

• attended Brookfield East High School, Brookfield, WI
• graduated 1992, BFA Industrial Design
• currently a Senior Designer @ GE Medical Systems

“Regardless of the type of art or design, a creative endeavor requires consistent hard work and dedication.”

Q. What did you want to be when you grew up?

A. An archeologist. To this day, the history of people and things intrigues me.

Q. How did your MIAD education affect where you are today?

A. When I enrolled at MIAD, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. And I remember as a first semester Foundations student being upstairs (in the old St. Paul building), looking at the Industrial Design work -- sketches, models, etc... and at that moment, I knew that was where I needed to go. MIAD gave me a strong foundation from which to start a career path. Also, the overall curriculum provided opportunities for other forms of expression. I particularly enjoyed the writing and drawing classes.

Q. What was the most valuable thing you learned at MIAD?

A. Perseverance -- to keep at it, keep pushing yourself. Don’t give up; the solution is out there and never is there one answer. Be flexible and open to change.

Q. What’s the one thing you would tell a high school student who is considering attending MIAD now that you’ve experienced life after graduation?

A. Be very honest with yourself. Ensure that you have the creative capacity, both talent and mindset. Regardless of the type of art or design, a creative endeavor requires consistent hard work and dedication.

rear view of Discovery ST System, which can diagnose cancer, heart and brain disease

A. Honestly, I’m not completely sure. I am passionately interested in responsible design, which could be termed as Design for Environment, Eco-Design, and Sustainable Design. Buzz words aside, this is common sense design. I am constantly working to develop the knowledge and processes to practice as a designer.

Q. Are there any specific parts of your resume that you’d like to share?

A. When I was two years out of MIAD, I became incorporated as a one designer consultancy. My clients were Johnson Controls and GE Medical Systems, both of which I worked for nearly full-time for over a year and a half -- it was very good experience, and a very long year and a half. Since then, I’ve worked as a Senior Designer at GE Medical Systems as part of a collaborative team with other designers and engineers to create numerous pieces of medical equipment.

Some of those include:

LightSpeed RT CT System

Discovery ST System
This system combines advanced CT and PET (Positron Emission Tomography) into one integrated product for diagnosing and planning treatment of cancer, heart and brain disease.

LOGIQ9 Radiology + VIVID7 Cardiology Premium Ultrasound Systems
As the world’s number one Ultrasound Company, GE Healthcare delivers the latest technological enhancements in image quality, productivity, comfort and workflow. These systems share a common lower console and are customized with specific user interface control panels. Both LOGIQ and VIVID products offer innovative ergonomic features for the sonographer.

Those features include:

• Adjustable 17” flat-panel monitor, that also folds down for clear visibility during transport
• Floating keyboard console to keep everything within arm’s reach
• Voice-activated operation to allow the freedom to perform multiple tasks simultaneously
• Color touch screen and programmable keys for one-touch efficiency

Q. Please define how you saw your major while in school and how that definition has changed over the years.

A. Looking back -- school, then and now, I am fairly pragmatic. I’ve always felt that ideas are just that unless pulled out of your head -- out of 2D and made into real, tangible, useful designs. And often the best ideas are the simplest.

LOGIQ9 Radiology Premium Ultrasound System