Where does jewelry design meet thermal engineering?
Dell, of course.
It can be easy to see tech giants through the lens of their most popular products. However, when it comes to Dell, there’s a lot more going on than you might realize. Dell employs thousands of people all over the world who work on projects affecting everything from how we watch movies and play games to how we should handle e-waste and treat veterans with PTSD.
Here are five things you never would have guessed Dell employees are doing every day.
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1. Turning Computer Chips Into Cufflinks
It might seem weird that a company that builds so many computers would be involved in tearing them apart. But that’s just what Dell’s doing with their gold (and other precious metals) recycling program.
Gold mining can be extremely damaging to the environment and electronics are one of the biggest customers for the business. Dell alone uses roughly 7,000 pounds of gold in its products every year. That’s where the geniuses behind the Dell recycling program (see #4) come in.
According to their experts, there’s more gold in a ton of motherboards than there is in a ton of gold ore. Re-harvesting this gold so it can be put back into use ends up creating 99 percent less pollution than normal mining. It also leads to some very interesting outcomes.
For example, take the Dell x Nikki Reed partnership. It uses Dell-recycled gold to make rings, earrings, and cufflinks designed by the former Twilight star and environmental activist.
What better way to put your environmental science or engineering experience to use than to save the environment and make cool jewelry?
2. Becoming A VR Guru
Gary Radburn is the director of Commercial AR/VR at Dell, or, as he is more commonly known, the VR Guru.
Radburn works with Dell’s team to make sure that their computers are powerful enough to handle the demands of 21st century Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. This includes Dell-made VR tech that’s used to treat war veterans with PTSD, showcase the impact of climate change on the environment, and—of course—play/watch the next generation of VR games and movies.
3. Combining Art + Activism
Storytelling can be a powerful way of getting your message out. And Dell’s message is that our society needs to take more responsibility for the impacts of technology. One such story Dell told was through the work of “artivist” Benjamin Von Wong.
Known for his work on viral videos and photography, Von Wong took advantage of Dell’s superb electronics recycling program (see #4) in order to create beautiful sculptures and images depicting the relationship of human beings to technology.
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And that’s just one example. Dell employees collaborate with other artists and ambassadors, including the actor Adrian Grenier and world-class sailboat racers, to promote Dell’s message of sustainability, ethics, and user-friendly tech.
4. Taking Out The World’s Biggest Trash Problem
Computers, printers, screens, and everything in between are the most important pieces of technology in the world. So, it’s no wonder that when an innovation is made or a new model is released, we want to get our hands on it. However, that means a lot of electronics equipment is turned into trash or e-waste.
Dell has the largest e-waste recycling program in the world. This initiative includes not only the type of artistic endeavors above but also the reuse of materials in newer models of computers, printers, and other gadgets. Joining this team at Dell means contributing to a cleaner, more efficient world.
5. Using Mars Rover Parts To Make Cooler Laptops
Whether or not the phrase “thermal engineering” gets you going, it’s hard not to be amazed by the tech behind Dell’s latest round of XPS notebooks.
Engineers at Dell took the same Gore liner that’s used on actual spacecraft like the Mars Rover—in addition to jackets and sneakers—in order to make the literal coolest laptops on the market (temperature and otherwise). The material in question has, according to Dell, the lowest conductivity known to man. As Forbes put it, “So many companies are always abusing the phrase ‘space age technology.’ Well, Dell’s definitely backing it up.”
Want to work for a company that is constantly pushing the boundaries of technology, innovation, and science? Dell is hiring on WayUp, so check out their open positions and apply!
