Alumni spotlight #3: Glynn Gallaway (2019 cohort)

Originally by DeEtte Starr

Glynn Gallaway, a GEARE mechanical engineering student graduating in May 2020, will work in Germany at the Institute of Multiphase Processes (IMP), part of the Hannover Medical School in collaboration with Leibniz Universität Hannover. With the Fulbright grant, she will conduct tissue engineering research starting January 1, 2021.

Gallaway, from Fairview, Texas, spent the summer of 2019 as a visiting student researcher at Leibniz University Hannover with the Purdue Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education (GEARE) program. GEARE is Purdue’s premier international work experience program, and she was part of the first Purdue Mechanical Engineering GEARE cohort to study at Leibniz. That summer she developed tissue-engineered membranes in order to mimic native tissues of the human body.

“GEARE was one of the reasons I came to Purdue because it was a unique opportunity to develop new skills on the adventure of a lifetime,” said Gallaway. “GEARE was an incredibly challenging experience that led to a lot of personal growth. The biggest thing I learned was how to be confident, independent, and flexible in the face of adversity.”

During that summer with GEARE, Gallaway participated in an internship with the Hannover Medical School, one of the world’s top transplant centers where over 400 organ transplants are performed each year. She worked on medical devices and their real-life applications. Now her Fulbright grant will allow her to travel back to Germany to continue developing her knowledge and skills with the IMP.

“I chose to continue at IMP for my Fulbright grant because of my preformed relationship with them and their commitment to global development,” she explained. “Fulbright will provide me funding and support for my time in Germany.”

She plans to take some German refresher classes and maybe a technical German class, and will sit in on some of the classes the IMP teaches. After her time in Germany, Gallaway plans to attend graduate school for an advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on biomechanics or bioengineering.

The Fulbright scholarship is the oldest global scholarship program in the U.S. and one of the most prestigious global scholarships in the world. More than 10,000 students apply each year. Fulbright students meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country.

The Fulbright Program is devoted to increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Fulbright alumni include 59 Nobel Laureates, 82 Pulitzer Prize winners, 72 MacArthur Fellows, 16 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, and thousands of leaders across the private, public and non-profit sectors. The United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs oversees Fulbright Program operations throughout the world.