Like most young college students, Ryan left the comfort of home to settle into his new academic community. As a military dependent, Ryan notes that the transition to college “felt just like another move.”Since his father, Colonel Chris Patterson, has served with the United States Air Force for nearly 25 years, Ryan is very comfortable accepting challenges and adapting to change.

“As a military child, my education was rather choppy because of constantly moving and switching schools. Also, it’s very challenging to have to pick-up and leave friends and make new ones on a regular basis. That said, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. These experiences have served me well while settling in at college,” says Ryan.

And settled in he has! Ryan has always had a deep passion for learning and his love of science led him to laboratory research. He explains, “In lab research, you are always on the forefront of scientific knowledge, constantly looking for, and discovering, things that no one else has ever seen before.” Ryan adds that his particular field “deals specifically with the individual neuron and the molecules it uses to communicate.”

during his research, Ryan captured this image of a neuron in the visual cortex of a mouse

Ryan expounds on his interest in memory research saying, “The exact details of where and how memory works are only just being understood. Somehow your brain can distinguish between all your memories even though they appear to be identical chemically and electrically. If we can understand these fine details of how memory works, we may be able to develop a cure for diseases like Alzheimer’s.”

As he enters the final semester of his freshman year, Ryan is applying for a study abroad at Oxford University. The challenging program only accepts a few students each year, but Ryan’s academic record speaks for itself and he is confident about his chances. “If I get accepted, I will spend a year at St. Anne’s College, a division of Oxford, studying Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biophysical Chemistry, Spectroscopy, and Statistics,” says Ryan.

Although Ryan is most notably a scientifically minded, detail oriented student, he does step away from the lab on occasion. Music has always been an enjoyable outlet for Ryan and he reports, “Music continues to be a way to relax and relive stress when all of my academic work catches up with me.” He plays the bass clarinet in the Homewood campus Wind Ensemble and continues to hone his solo piano skills. Ryan also remains devoted to his Catholic faith and serves as a Eucharistic minister, lector, and alter server at Saint Phillips and James Church.

ThanksUSA wishes nothing but the best for Ryan on his continued academic journey. Perhaps, during our lifetime, his research will lead to better treatment for, or the eradication of, devastating neurological diseases. We close this week’s blog with a note of gratitude from Ryan:

“The Paladin Capital Group/ThanksUSA Scholarship provided part of the financial support that I needed to attend Johns Hopkins. This has allowed me to realize my dream of studying and researching at a world-class medical facility and has set me on the way to becoming a doctor.”

Sun Yat-sen (Wikimedia Commons)

Welcome back Treasure Hunters! The purpose of this blog is to help you complete TH7 so if you’re having difficulty with a specific clue, please let me know so we can address it here. Don’t be afraid to ask for some additional hints…we want everyone to complete the hunt and be eligible for prizes. This week we’ll continue with some helpful hints for completing TH7 Chapter 1, Taiwan: 

9. Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the nationalist party, summarized his political philosophy to make China a prosperous country in the Three Principles of the People. The components of this philosophy are Minzu (nationalism), Minquan (democracy) and Minsheng (socialism). This ideology is said to be heavily influenced by a speech by an American President?

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When approaching this clue, I think it’s important to establish a time reference. Sun Yat-sen was born in 1866 and first presented Three Principles of the People in the early 1900′s. Given this time period, we must be looking for a famous speech given by a U.S. President prior to 1900. Yes, that still leaves 25 possible U.S. Presidents, but not all of them made such memorable speeches! Here are a few hints to help you solve this clue:

** The last line of this speech can most easily be seen as the influence of Three Principles of the People

** The speech was given during the dedication of a cemetery

** The presenter of this speech was assassinated one year before Sun Yat-sen’s birth

** Most American elementary school children can recite at least part of this famous speech

I think this is a great clue for students to research and learn from. Once you’ve answered this question, challenge yourself! Discover the influences to that speech or try to recite as much of it as you can from memory. We know you want to get through TH7, but we want you to take the time to enjoy, and learn from, the clues.

Since the first TH7 deadline for schools and youth groups is approaching, we’ll look at one final (and very fun) clue from Chapter 1, Taiwan:

14.  “Google Doodles” on the Google search engine have shown key developments since 1998; portraying world events, celebrating big birthdays and decorating for holidays. On July 19, 2011 Google published a doodle to honor Xu Beihong’s 116^th birthday. Beihong was a famous oil painting or shuimohua artist who combined brush and ink techniques to create his well-known works of art. What was the main focus of his Google Doodle? (Hint: it is one of his most famous pieces of art!)

Although you’re likely to find the answer to this clue on your own, I wanted to share the Google Doodles catalog with you. You can click here or copy this link: http://www.google.com/doodles/finder/2012/All%20doodles to search Google’s entire collection of Doodles. Have fun and Good Hunting!