Aidan George found his way to biomedical engineering through powerlifting.
“I was interested in biology, health and fitness because of the gym,” says George, whose passion for exercise furthered his interest in medicine and longevity. “I had interest in physics and design, so I figured biomedical engineering was a good marriage of the two.”
An Honors College student from Lynn, George joined the UMass Lowell Powerlifting Club during his first year at UMass Lowell.
“I love the sport,” says George, who qualified for the state championship meet during his junior year.
George is minoring in French, a decision that was inspired by a teacher in high school.
“She made me fall in love with the language,” says George, who hopes to become fluent. He used an Immersive Scholars award to study abroad in Bordeaux, France, during the summer after his sophomore year.
The next summer, George landed a systems engineering internship at Werfen North America, a medical equipment manufacturer with offices in Bedford. He worked on hemostasis diagnostic testing equipment.
“I did verification and validation on products, a little bit of risk analysis,” says George, whose father, mechanical engineering alum Christopher George ’94, is a senior mechanical engineer at Werfen.
George has also volunteered at Lowell General Hospital, serving as a patient liaison and stocking the emergency department. A certified emergency medical technician, George continues to use those skills as a member of UMass Lowell Emergency Medical Services.
He also interned as a grant writer with the nonprofit Lowell Youth Leadership Program. While grant writing is outside of his academic comfort zone, George says he loved the experience.
“I like to pursue community service opportunities, because that’s ultimately what I want to do,” he says. “Whatever I end up doing in my career, I want to be able to give back to people.”
Looking ahead, George plans to stay at UMass Lowell for his master’s degree through the Bachelor's-to-Master's program and pursue a career in plastics engineering.
“Plastics mixes very well with the medical field,” says George, who hopes to work in the prosthetics industry.
George has a head start on his career plans, as he serves as president of e-NABLE Lowell, the local student chapter of an international organization that prototypes prosthetics for children.
“We essentially search for someone who has a pain point somewhere and try to prototype a device that’s going to help them out,” says George, who learned about e-NABLE as a first-year student at the engagement fair.
“That was the first thing I joined freshman year,” says George, who hasn’t slowed down since.
“I’ve been given the chance to manifest my density and just pursue a ton of different opportunities at UMass Lowell, which I’m happy with,” he says.
