Students in the Program < Click to go back

Ryan Biehl, Michigan Tech, Environmental Engineering

Born in Sault Saint Marie, Ontario, Ryan Biehl calls Paradise, Michigan his (favorite) home.  As a child his wonderful family referred to him as Beans Canuck in recognition of his love for the magical fruit and his dual citizenship. He never lost his love for cold, snowy winters, and has come full circle to embrace beans once again as his favorite food group.  He grew up surrounded by a beautiful landscape and family and friends who enjoyed the outdoors and helped give him an appreciation for the natural environment.  During high school Ryan became interested in pursuing a degree in engineering, as he saw it as a way to really ‘make a difference’ in the world.  He chose Michigan Tech, drawn by its respected engineering programs and many opportunities for outdoor adventures. 
At MTU, Ryan did do quite a bit of hiking, skiing, and biking, but in the end, a whole different class of adventures dominated his experience. After choosing Environmental Engineering as his major, Ryan found opportunities to travel to Mexico for study abroad and Bolivia for International Senior Design. He realized that his engineering degree and Spanish Minor allowed him to not only help the environment, but also improve the health and well-being of others. To gain practical experience as an engineer while funding his travels and an increasing appetite for beans, Ryan also completed internships with Benchmark Engineering (a small land development and surveying firm), Marathon Petroleum Company, and the Indian Health Service throughout his undergrad.
While preparing to graduate from Michigan Tech, Ryan decided that the Peace Corps Masters International program would be the best way to begin (or continue) a career working internationally on sustainable development.  Now part way through his SIXTH year associated with Michigan Tech, Ryan has enjoyed life as a graduate student in Houghton. Through Engineers Without Borders he is involved with fundraising efforts and wastewater treatment design for a nutrition center in Honduras.  As a recipient of a NSF Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM), Ryan is involved with research on campus related to the water quality of the Sonora River in Northern Mexico. When not working, he balances his free time between biking, skiing, dancing, cooking (beans), eating (beans), drinking good beer while speaking bad Spanish (both very quickly), and playing guitar in his sustainable house where the thermostat is never set above 52⁰F.  In the Spring or Summer of 2009, Ryan looks forward to cooking beans in whatever new home the Peace Corps sends him.