readerramos

Hi, Dr. Matyas – thanks for taking time to share your knowledge today. In your bio/intro you mention your two broad research goals – what sorts of breakthroughs do you hope to glean from the rain fields data? Do you envision this work impacting policy decisions, and/or enabling officials to make more accurate assessments on evacuation orders, especially when considering one topographical region to the next?

I imagine you get many questions regarding "The Martian" (or similar books/films), and whether it's an accurate portrayal of the work in plant molecular biology, but I'm curious to know if there were any pieces of literature – non-fiction or even sci-fi – that inspired you to pursue your career in science?

Thanks for the insight!

Hi, Erin – I'm curious to hear your thoughts on how much boredom, or the cause of it, may play a factor in interface design – and to what extent? Of course, it seems like common sense to try and design websites and apps for ease-of-use/utility/adaptability. But as much as a successful video game would need to keep a user engaged (not bored), do you believe an understanding of boredom is already a consideration in the design of more broadly-used programs and devices that are considered successful? Are these websites/apps, phones, tablets etc. designing to fend-off boredom, or are they more focused on repetition and ingraining regular interaction?

Also, are there any books/authors that inspired you to become a scientist?