Lunde, the daughter of an electrical engineer, physicist and radiologist, grew up in Elmhurst, Illinois.[1] She graduated from York Community High School in 1955.[2] After high school, she earned a bachelor's and master's degree in physics at Northwestern University in 1957 and 1959, respectively.[2][3] After graduation, Lunde was hired at MIT, working on the design of guidance systems for the minuteman missile.[2] Also while at MIT, she developed and later patented a digital accelerometer.[3] In 1961, she started working as an engineer at the Goddard Space Flight Center[4] where helped develop a more simple jet propellant system for use in space.[1] She also worked as project manager on the Reliable Earth Sensor.[3] Early in her career, Lunde recalls that she was often the only woman at scientific conferences.[1]
Lunde moved to Ames, Iowa where she helped build a radio station and where she also started studying at Iowa State University.[3] The radio station, KLFM, co-owned with her husband Paul, was built and maintained by Lunde.[5] Later in 1970, she became the second woman to graduate from Iowa State with a doctorate in physics.[3][6] Lunde was also the first woman to become a professional electrical engineer in Iowa.[6] Lunde also worked as an assistant professor at Iowa State.[5] In the 1980s, another job emerged from her work in radio, when Lunde started creating underwear to protect wearers from electromagnetic radiation.[7] She called the company Silver Lining.[8]
Lunde started working as an aerospace technologist for the FAA in 2003 as a Training Specialist.[3][9] She retired in 2013 and moved to Minneapolis.[3] In 2015, she was honored with a Richard S. Alberg Distinguished Science and Technology Professional Award.[3][10]
