Motorola or ...

In February 2009, a group of seven young female students were invited to Motorola’s premises in the Netherlands to experience the excitement of working with a leading wireless technology company.

The “Shadowing Day” started in Motorola’s Hardware Laboratories and involved a demonstration of mobile devices and wireless communication. Firstly, Motorola engineers explained the concept of radio signal transmissions. The students were then invited to visit a Shielded Room and were surprised to learn that once inside, they were isolated from any radio waves, and as a consequence no mobile phone calls could be made or received

Additionally, the students were shown an anechoic chamber. It can be compared to an 'infinite' space for radio waves, since the walls of this room act as a radio signal absorber stopping any transmission of energy back to the phone.

The day continued with a demonstration of the ongoing miniaturization of electronic devices (e.g. cellular phone, MP3 player) and how the various sizes of electronic components are getting smaller and smaller. The participants looked through a microscope at the electronic components which are used in a mobile phone. Also some larger development platforms were shown that ultimately are sized down to small circuits, which are then integrated into a cellular phone.

At the end of the day, the students shared their impressions of the day. Loukie Wilhelmy van Hasselt appreciated that “Shadowing Day contributed to a better insight into the business of IT “. Similarly Camille Goetz said ”All presentations contributed to a better awareness of the whole business”.