Google honors HERL Engineer Matt Landis

A passion for service and open source tech is helping a veteran build a more inclusive world.

For Matt Landis, the definition of a veteran is more than “someone who used to be a soldier.” Now working to give his autistic son and others a chance to live more independently, Matt is proving that a veteran is someone who never stops serving others. 

Google has released a video about HERL engineer and Veteran Matt Landis, his work at HERL, his family, and his important work with all of the Veterans of Western Pennsylvania and nationwide. You can find the video, entitled "Living to Serve," on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORhFIInTXMs, or on Google (with notes and bonus materials) at https://www.google.com/about/stories/livingtoserve/.

HERL Director Dr. Rory Cooper writes about Matt Landis:

Matt is an Army Veteran having served two tours in Iraq as an Apache Helicopter pilot. He was recruited by me to participate in our ELeVATE program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Disabled Veterans National Foundation (DVNF). Matt enrolled in and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering. While a student, he participated in our NSF supported Research Experience for Undergraduates through Veteran Supplement.

Upon earning his degree, he became a full-time employee in the Human Engineering Research Laboratories working for the University of Pittsburgh and US Department of Veterans Affairs. As part of his contributions, Matt taught participants in the ELeVATE program and our NSF Advanced Technology Education program. Matt is very active in the Veteran Community; especially through “Mission Continues” and “No One Left Behind”.

I hope that you share this excellent example of the tremendous potential and the accomplishments of service-members and Veterans with disabilities succeeding in life and making a difference in their communities.

The video is also embedded below.