For Ryan Clark (BME '20), it is an extraordinary opportunity. As a Beckman Scholar, this University of Virginia fourth-year student has funding to conduct a 15-month, independent research project that could lead to better treatment for triple negative breast cancer, a form of breast cancer that is highly metastatic and therefore difficult to treat. “I am really excited and fortunate to be working on a project I have designed by myself from the ground up,†Clark said. Clark is working in Professor of Biomedical Engineering Richard Price's lab, where he is investigating the potential of focused ultrasound to stimulate an immune response to this form of cancer. “This is a highly prestigious award, both for Ryan and for the University,†Price, the director of UVA's Beckman Scholars Program, said. UVA is among a small group of universities nationwide funded by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation to award Beckman Scholarships. In 2019, the foundation awarded $1.7 million through these universities to 68 undergraduate scholars.