When Grace Lynch was in middle school, she went through a routine screening for scoliosis. The results, however, weren’t so routine: the nurse told her she did, in fact, have a curve in her spine. Lynch tried to pay little attention to it, but it became increasingly problematic. For three years, she worked through physical therapy and wore a back brace in hopes of straightening her spine. In 2018 she had to undergo spinal fusion surgery, and a titanium spine implant was placed in her back to help support her posture.
In addition to studying biology at UMD, Lynch also discovered she had a keen interest in engineering. Lynch smiles for a photo inside a pulp digester during an internship at Sappi.
Though she didn’t realize it at the time, this experience and the synthesis of biology and engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) would eventually lead her to pursue a career in helping to produce implantable medical devices, much like her own.
Lynch was drawn to the UMD because of fond memories from her childhood and to be close to family living in the area. She always knew she was interested in biology, but a course at UMD led her to engineering, too. “ I didn't have any real exposure to engineering in high school, so once I took some of the first courses for biomedical engineering,” Lynch said, “I realized I really liked that.”
Throughout her journey at UMD, Lynch spent a lot of time inside labs, including two years in Professor Huai (Howard) Deng’s lab, researching molecular mechanisms and how they mediate developmental adaptations to environmental changes. She also had the opportunity to participate in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
In her free time, Lynch enjoys hiking and exploring the North Shore, while also trying her best to stay in constant contact with her friends and family.
When she wasn’t conducting research, she was actively involved in an impressive array of organizations and activities, including the Society of Women Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Engineers Without Borders and working as a tour guide with Admissions. She also had the opportunity to work as a judge for the American Indian Science and Education Society.
In her free time, Lynch enjoys hiking and exploring the North Shore, while also trying her best to stay in constant contact with her friends and family.
“I’ve gained so much from my involvement with campus activities and clubs. The networking events hosted by student groups connected me with strangers who are now some of my close friends and colleagues, people I’ll reach out to when I have questions, both professionally and personally,” Lynch said. “These are the people who supported me when I was overwhelmed, built me up when I was low, and celebrated with me when I succeeded.”
Lynch with her father Mike, a fellow Bulldog who graduated from UMD with a degree in chemistry in 1992.
Originally, she had aspirations of going into medicine. “ I wanted to help people,” she said. So, in addition to her academics, Lynch explored opportunities in the medical field. She worked as a lab technician at Essentia as well as a tissue recovery technician for Lion’s Gift of Sight. “I really tested the waters in a lot of different ways.”
While Lynch valued these experiences, she realized that direct patient care and labs weren’t something she wanted to pursue in the future. She thought back to her life experiences and how her own implantable medical device had impacted her life. She began to realize that was what she wanted to go into.
From pacemakers and heart valves, to artificial lenses, and even her own titanium spine, “ all of these devices have touched so many different lives,” she said. “It just felt like the most impactful way for me to use the things that I know I'm good at.”
Lynch will be applying her personal experiences, lab exposure, and studies to work at Olympus, where she will help create future implantable medical devices.
This story was written by UMD student Elizabeth Gonnerman, who is majoring in Communications. Liz works with Alex Messenger in University Marketing & Public Relations.
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