Time out for 'Seabiscuit'

Lutheran, The, Mar 2004 by Gugel, John R

Medical researcher does extra duty

Most days you'll find him doing research in a University of Kentucky laboratory-but for six IwI days in November 2002, Jason Ehrick literally wore a different hat as a Hollywood extra, during the filming of the Oscar-nominated movie Seabiscuit.

His movie stint came about when he answered a casting call for extras. The production company was filming the movie's race sequences on location at Keeneland Race Track in Lexington, where the university is located.

The leap from science lab to movie set wasn't as big for Ehrick as it may appear. The doctoral candidate graduated from Carthage, an ELCA college in Kenosha, Wis., with a double major in theater and chemistry.

For two of the days Ehrick worked on the film he was cast as a reporter, wearing a fedora; the other four, as a racing fan. "There were 13 extras, and we put in 12- and 13-hour days," he said. One scene took more than four hours to film. "It gave me an appreciation for what actors really do day-in and day-out," he added.

"My research adviser made me promise that I would complete my Ph.D. and not run off to Hollywood," Ehrick quipped.

The recipient of a National Science Foundation fellowship, Ehrick is doing research in the area of biological and chemical sensors. he is helping develop a "responsive drug delivery system" that would revolutionize the way medications are administered.

The device, which is the size of a matchstick, would be implanted under a person's skin to release medications such as insulin in a measured response determined by the actual needs of the person's body at any given moment.

"God has put people in my life to lead and guide me," he replied when asked what motivates his research. "I'm devoting so much time and effort to a goal that may never be achieved. There are so many days and weeks that I'm in the lab and nothing is working out. You've got to have faith that what you're doing will make a difference in people's lives. There are so many peaks and valleys to this work. Faith drives me to see this project through to completion."

Faith isn't only a word that he uses often in conversation-it's also the name of the ELCA church where he worships in Lexington. When he is home he attends Atonement Lutheran Church, Muskego, Wis., with his family.

JohnR.Gugel

Gugel is an ELCA pastor on disability retirement. he lives in Muskego, Wis., where he is a member of Atonement Lutheran Church. he writes a weekly column, "Life in the Burbs, "for the Muskego [Wis.] Sun.