Ryan Beck performs tests for his research

This senior chemistry and biology major from Elk Grove Village, Ill., is making some career decisions as he’s making a difference in the medical field.

Last summer, Ryan conducted research that could reduce stress on the body during an operation and help speed up recovery. Working with Dr. Paul Wischmeyer, he grew cultures of cells and conducted a variety of tests to investigate how the amino acid threonine provides protection to cells.

This spring at the 38th annual Critical Care Congress in Nashville, Ryan presented the results of this study to nearly 6,000 medical professionals from around the world. He was invited to make a presentation after his abstract was named a research citation finalist for the conference.

Ryan says presenting his work and learning from other experts in the field of critical care medicine was unbelievably insightful. For that, he credits Valparaiso. “I think that my success is a reflection of both the content of the science curriculum and the quality of the science faculty here,” Ryan says.

Several Valparaiso students have worked with Dr. Wischmeyer and each research assistant has gone on to medical or dental school or a Ph.D. program. Now it’s Ryan’s turn. “The professors try to make what we learn in the classroom relevant to things that we may be doing in the ‘real world,’ and my work this summer reaffirmed by desire to become a physician,” Ryan says.

Ryan Beck is just one Valparaiso student who’s good at living.