NOTE: This is an ISU Foundation article originally appearing in the Fall 2023 issue of their online publication, forward, and is written by Susan Flansburg. Photo by Ryan Riley.
As a child, Kaylee Herrig was intensely curious. Building LEGO® creations and participating in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) projects throughout elementary school, “I was intrigued by the potential application of engineering concepts to real life,” she says.
Kaylee set out early on her engineering journey, encouraged by the confident women in STEM fields whom she admired. But it was an “aha” moment in seventh grade that solidified her path — a news story about a man receiving an artificial hand.
“I realized you could apply the fundamentals of engineering to solve the problem of a lost limb,” she says. “When I learned I could study this in college, I thought, this is the way I can help the world.”
Now a junior at Iowa State, Kaylee is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering with a biomedical engineering minor. Her passion extends from the classroom to the bionics lab of Karri Haen, teaching professor in genetics, development, and cell biology.
“Working in the lab to translate thoughts into motion excites me in a way I wasn’t expecting,” Kaylee says of her work with myoelectric software. “People need this.”
With disease and trauma causing limb loss worldwide, the need for prosthetics is high. Kaylee, who was awarded multiple scholarships, including the Roderick Seward, Flossie Ratcliffe, and Helen M. Galloway Foundation Mechanical Engineering Expendable Scholarship, is already making an impact.
“I went to Ecuador for two weeks to work with a nonprofit and build prosthetics for individuals who can’t afford them, which is about 95 percent of the people who need them,” she says. “The experience was shocking. It will impact how I see the world for the rest of my life.”
On campus, Kaylee is president of the Biomedical Engineering Society. She plans to share her experiences in Ecuador with club members and explore a service-learning partnership between Iowa State and the nonprofit prosthetics organization.
“It’s why I wanted to be president,” Kaylee says. “To elevate Iowa State’s BME status and visibility — and help everyone understand the importance of this work.”