Why did David Ferguson's parents have to purchase four vacuum cleaners during his childhood? The 2007 UNLV graduate wasn't particularly messy. It wasn't a manufacturer's defect. Their son kept taking them apart to see how they worked.

Ferguson's mechanical curiosity continued through his adolescence when he discovered the joy of cars -- fixing whatever he could get his hands on throughout high school. By the time he was looking at colleges, the Silverado graduate's interest in mechanical engineering shifted to the human machine.

"Kinesiology is mechanical engineering for the human body," said Ferguson, who was determined to find a college program in step with his interests.

Finding the right school
The Millennium scholar did an extensive college search before graduation. He soon discovered that staying local to study physiology and kinesiology at UNLV while participating in UNLV's Honors College would provide him the best value in a university education. Now a graduate student studying clinical exercise physiology at the University of North Carolina, Ferguson recalls his UNLV experience with fondness and appreciation.

"At UNLV's Honors College, you're working with full professors who include you in their research efforts," Ferguson said. "At other schools, graduate students taught most of the classes. And I wouldn't just be learning about research at UNLV -- I would be a part of it."

Unprecedented research
Every Honors College student is required to develop an undergraduate thesis before graduation. This exercise provides students with the research experience they'll need for graduate school and professional studies, including medical and law school.

Ferguson's undergraduate thesis focused on NASA's procedures and equipment to test for microbes on the International Space Station. "We were the first ones to evaluate whether these collection swabs were effective and to recommend the best way to use them," he said.

Although his thesis wasn't directly related to his passion of human and automotive performance, he finished the program with a deeper appreciation of other disciplines and, more importantly, a solid foundation in research methods.

"Research is the key to grad school," Ferguson said. "When I left UNLV's Honors College, I was better prepared than my fellow graduate students at UNC who went to other schools."

Blending passions
By the time he graduated in 2007, Ferguson combined his physiology and kinesiology degree from UNLV and his passion for cars and racing. Now in graduate school, Ferguson is researching ways to build the strength and endurance of race car drivers -- matching their physical performance to their automotive performance.

Now Ferguson is making the most of what's under the hood and what's in the driver's seat.

"People don't realize how physically demanding auto sports are," he said. "It's a new area of study, and UNLV put me on the right track for a career I'll love."

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