During a long and distinguished career, Jerry Lynch contributed many years of valuable service to the profession of industrial hygiene. Lynch served in a number of leadership roles, including serving as AIHA president, American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygiene chair and an American Industrial Hygiene Foundation trustee. He was also a member of the International Association of Occupational Health and the British Occupational Hygiene Society.
Lynch made contributions to the profession’s scientific knowledge base as well, publishing over 30 articles on air sampling, industrial ventilation, exposure analysis, and other industrial hygiene subjects. He authored the chapter on “Prevention and Mitigation of Accidental Chemical Releases” in the classic reference work, The Occupational Environment—Its Evaluation, Control, and Management. He also co-authored the Handbook of Health Hazard Control in the Chemical Process Industry (Wiley 1994).
Beginning his career in the U.S. Air Force as a sanitary and industrial hygiene engineer, Lynch later joined the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, ascending to the role of director of the division of physical sciences and engineering before leaving to join Exxon Chemical Company as a manager of industrial hygiene. Lynch retired from Exxon Chemical in 1996 as Senior Environmental Health Scientist. He attended the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, earning a bachelors degree. He also earned graduate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Lynch was a Certified Industrial Hygienist, a Certified Safety Professional, and a professional engineer.
In recognition of his lifetime achievements and contributions, Lynch received the AIHA Cummings Award, the Academy of Industrial Hygiene’s Smyth Award, the U.S. Public Health Service Commendation and Meritorious Service Medals, and the AIHA Fellow designation.
Scholarship Eligibility Criteria
In awarding the Jerry Lynch Memorial Scholarship, all students meeting the AIHF general scholarship criteria are eligible.
Current and Past Recipients
2023 - 2024
Annika Khan, University of California, Berkeley
2022 - 2023
Yi-Hsuan Chen, University of California, Los Angeles
2021 - 2022
Seunghyeon Yang, University of Alabama at Birmingham
2020 - 2021
Shelley Stephan, University of Washington
2019 - 2020
Carter M. Focht, University of Iowa
2018 - 2019
Lisa Xiong, University of Toronto
2017 - 2018
Shivangi Patel, University of Toronto
Amanda S. Hebert, Montana Tech of the University of Montana
2016 - 2017
Colleen A. Brents, Colorado State University
Candice L. Burton, Montana Tech of the University of Montana
2015 - 2016
Adam Lucas, Montana Tech of the University of Montana
2014 - 2015
Suman Dhal, University of Toronto
2013 - 2014
Adewale A. Eniade, University of British Columbia
2012 - 2013
Travis H. Jones, University of Utah
2001 - 2012
Stephanie C. Griffin, University of Arizona
2010 - 2011
Susan Thompson, University of Oklahoma
2009 - 2010
Josh Schaffer, Colorado State University
2008 - 2009
Chirag A. Patel, University of Illinois at Chicago
2007 - 2008
Imelda S. Y. Wong, University of British Columbia
2006 - 2007
Zulma Machillanda-Hahn, University of California, Berkeley
2005 - 2006
Rena Saito, Colorado State University