GEARE’s Gallaway returns to Germany as Fulbright Scholar
Glynn Gallaway, a mechanical engineering student graduating in May 2020, will work in Germany at the Institute of Multiphase Processes (IMP), part of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty (similar to the school or college level) at Leibniz Universität Hannover. With the grant, she will conduct tissue engineering research starting in 2021.
This will be Gallaway’s second stint in Germany. In 2019 she worked on medical circulatory support devices at the Hannover Medical School, one of the world’s top transplant centers where over 400 organ transplants are performed each year. She also took classes at Leibniz Uni and interned as a summer researcher at IMP. 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.”
Her summer research experience at IMP was made possible through Purdue’s international work experience program, GEARE, the Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education. She was part of the first Purdue Mechanical Engineering GEARE cohort to study at Leibniz. During her internship 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.”
She hopes 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 program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others' viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think.
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.