Matthew Minnett, the recipient of The Peter Kohler Engineering Scholarship:

“My dream is to grow human organs in the lab”

Dec 21st, 2023
By Nataliia Bon

The scholarship is awarded annually to one student enrolled in the Memorial University Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science Co-operative Education Program. The Peter Kohler Engineering Scholarship was established through a generous gift from Peter Kohler. This scholarship is valued at $50,000 per student and is awarded in the amount of $10,000 per year for five years.

Engineering impact on the medical industry

Matthew graduated from Waterford Valley High School located in St John’s. “Through Waterford Valley High School’s Deep Learning and Mentoring Initiative, I was able to connect with Polyunity and witness firsthand the impact engineers can have on the medical industry,’’ he said.

No wonder why Matthew chose Mechanical Engineering with a focus on biomedical. Both of his parents work in health care fields. His mother is a nurse and his father is employed by his grandfather who runs a Denture Clinic. Unfortunately, recently Matthew has lost his grandfather due to surgery complications. Grandfather’s passing has been devastating for the family as he was the heart and soul of the business.

The misfortunes don’t end there. Matthew’s mother has Crohn’s Disease, and his father is a diabetic. Obviously, the cost of his supplies to maintain his health are very expensive. Hearing stories on how they can make a difference in the healthcare sector really inspired Matthew and made him want to pursue biomedical engineering. Taking that aspect of making peoples life better and with his interest in Math and Science, all together molded his choices and desires to study this field.

“The motivation to study Engineering started when I was a child. I was really obsessed how things work, how the world worked.  When I was a child, I used to get small screwdriver kits and take a part remotes. And when I started my school, I took a favouriting to Math and Science. And then I choose Engineering and Applied Science Faculty due to their co-op program and how flexible and nice that is”.

Big dream – to help people

Matthew is dreaming to do some research on artificial organs, work with transplants and organ donors, be able to grow different organs in a lab. So everyone around the world can have an access to this type of health care.

Mr. Minnett says that the scholarship means a lot to him. He plans to focus and live university life to the full extend, without having to worry about the financial challenges that University may bring. “I would like to thank, Peter Kohler, people specifically that helped me get this scholarship, as it is life changing for me. The decision had to be made if I was going to attend university or not, and this now allows me to confirm my attendance, and for this I am forever grateful”, he said. Matthew still recalls that delighted moment when he found out he won a scholarship. He was in physics lab and he stepped out for a second. Immediately, he called his parents, who were crying on the phone. No doubt, it was life changing for all his family.

I heard different student’s plan on using the scholarship, however Matthew’s reply has pleasantly surprised me: “ I plan on using the scholarship to further my education to the highest regard, my goal is to work towards a doctorate degree in mechanical engineering with a biomedical focus”.

We wish your Engineering dream come true, Matthew! You have a noble dream of helping people!