Last Week:

Scott Metzler, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering, is putting his research where his heart is—literally.

Born with a congenital heart valve defect, the California native has had open-heart surgery to repair the condition, and one day will undergo surgery to replace the valve. At one time headed for medical school, he's taken a different path: pursuing an advanced engineering degree while conducting research that will make a difference in many lives, including his.

"The Bagley College of Engineering gave me an opportunity to work with heart valve disease research," he said. "There are only five or so places in North America doing this kind of research, and the Bagley College definitely is one of the up-and-comers in the field."

He is working under the direction of Dr. James Warnock in the Heart Valve Mechanobiology Lab of the agricultural and biological engineering department.

Metzler is so passionate about preventive health practices to avoid cardiovascular disease that he started a campus outreach group, Bulldogs for Heart Health.

Next week … James Maroney !