zoology and biotechnology, received a prestigious fellowship by the National Institutes of Health Oxford-Cambridge Partnership. The program allows him to pursue Doctor of Medicine/Ph.D. training while pursuing his doctorate in partnership with the NIH and Oxford or Cambridge University. He is the first NDSU alumnus to receive the award. He is currently training under the Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, focusing on the optimization of stem cell-based regeneration in ischemic heart disease.