Doing my exchange semester at Dartmouth College

Written on December 1st , 2018 by Dulanga Jayawardena

📝 Overview

During my exchange at Dartmouth College, I had the opportunity to study topics at the intersection of health technology, materials science, and engineering design. Being at Dartmouth allowed me to learn alongside some of the brightest minds in the world, while gaining hands-on experience working in advanced labs equipped with state-of-the-art tools.

My coursework combined both the technical and human aspects of engineering — with a strong focus on designing technology to improve health, safety, and real-world outcomes. I worked tirelessly on multiple design projects during my time ehere.

🔬 Academic Highlights

Studied Health Technology — focusing on the strategy, evaluation, and deployment of healthcare solutions, and hearing from the foremost experts in the healthcare field.
Completed Engineering Design courses — building prototypes and working on multidisciplinary projects that combined user-centered design with technical problem solving.
Gained practical lab experience in materials engineering, including working with varied manufacturing processes and testing equipment.

🏛️ South House Activities

Beyond academics, I actively participated in Dartmouth’s South House Residential Community Executive Committee, contributing to campus life through student-led events to help build the community and get students involved in campus life.

🎒 LitPak Backpack

While at Dartmouth, I also worked on design and development of the LitPak Backpack — a safety-focused wearable project that integrated LED lighting, conductive thread, and reflective materials to improve nighttime pedestrian visibility.

Conducted iterative user testing and material studies to optimize both usability and safety performance.
Developed working prototypes using embedded electronics, sensors, and stitched circuit designs.
Worked in cross-functional teams blending design, engineering, and real-world testing.

Full write-up on LitPak Backpack here

🌎 Global Perspective

My exchange semester at Dartmouth gave me invaluable exposure to international academic environments, cutting-edge lab experiences, and interdisciplinary collaboration — all of which continue to influence my approach to problem-solving and product design today.