HOW MATT SEES HIMSELF
One night at college, my roommate and good friend and I lay in our beds talking into the late hours of the night. We were having yet another conversation about girls, dating, and our futures. After I asked him what he thought I’d do with my life, he said, “You know, you are an interesting case. You are smart, and kind of a nerd, but you also love business, and you love people, and know how to relate to people. You’re not like the typical engineers I know.” I really think that he was right: I love science and engineering, and inventing and making things, but I also like to be with people, and am very extroverted.
I served a mission in Minnesota & Wisconsin several years ago, and upon my return I went to school for a degree in Chemical Engineering at BYU. I loved college, and spent most of my time hanging out with good friends, planning group activities, skiing, studying, and just enjoying life. I also loved to play piano and fiddle, and even played in a few bands while at BYU. In fact, this song you're listening to, Ants Marching by Dave Matthews, was the first song I played in a band. Being cheered on by massive crowds of screaming people after playing the fiddle solo was enough of an ego trip to keep me playing for years! All around, college was a great time of my life! After that, I decided to go to grad school, and on a whim applied to MIT, thinking I’d never get in. Well, not only did I get in, but in going there to school, I met my beautiful wife, so I couldn’t be more excited about Boston! From there, after graduating with my PhD (still not used to being called Dr. Memmott) I moved to Pittsburgh with my wife to work as a research scientist for Westinghouse Electric Company. After only 9 days in our new home, Jaeden was born in Alabama, and we drove down to meet the newest member of our family. Pittsburgh is a great place, and we couldn't have found a better neighborhood for our family. Jaeden loves saying "hi" to everyone in our neighborhood as we walk around!I am a very enthusiastic person and I find it very hard to be down. Renee often tells me that it’s hard to know when I’m upset or disappointed, because even when I am, I’m “more upbeat than most regular people are.” I love to laugh, and do it often. In fact, one of my friends in my program at MIT (and who ironically now works with me doing nuclear research at Westinghouse) is from Italy, and he told me, “When I first got here, I didn’t know what to think when I met you… I thought all Americans laughed all the time… I could hear you laughing all the way down the hall and in the other room!” I love not just to laugh, but to laugh with other people, even if it’s at my expense occasionally. A good example is when I went skiing with some friends in Idaho last year. I was going to show them how to do a ski jump well, but before I even left the ground, one of my skis got stuck and came off. As soon as I realized that, I let out a not-so-manly yelp, and then plowed into the snow. My buddies laughed about that and razzed me for weeks, and I just laughed right along with them. In fact, the clip is below, so if you are interested, make sure to turn off the music at the bottom of the page and take a peak. Go ahead; laugh a little if you think it’s funny. That’s the kind of fun and laughing that I just love to have in my life.