Scott Rodgers

Scott Rodgers was introduced to wheelchair fencing in 1993 ... Initially drawn to the sport for exercise, he quickly discovered a natural talent ... Climbed the national ranks, winning a bronze medal in epee at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens ... Selected to carry the Olympic Torch in his hometown of Old Hickory, Ga., during the 1996 Atlanta Games Torch Relay, just weeks after winning silver at his first national tournament ...

Earned a PhD from Georgia Tech in 2001 and began a career in San Diego as a research engineer specializing in nano-photonics ... Received the Department of the Navy Top Scientists and Engineers Award in 2007 ... Holds four patents and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals ...

Rodgers has used a wheelchair since a diving accident in 1991 resulted in a spinal cord injury.