About
Matthew Wettergreen
I’m Matthew Wettergreen, the co-founder of Caroline Collective and Do713. I have a formal education in bioengineering with a specialization in biomechanics and organ printing. My informal education is in non-profit/arts management and marketing, community organizing, and digital strategy. Most of what I do leverages technology to deliver products, solutions, and platforms that help people connect, collaborate or work effectively together. I’m big on coworking, rapid prototyping, design, teaching, and meeting passionate people.
If you’re just visiting this site for the first time, here a sampling of the variety of things I have my fingers in:
- Selections from my PhD work designing therapeutic bone repair scaffolds (on Flickr)
- Redesigning the standard cooking recipe format
- Why I would Bleed for Houston
- Free ebook on Booking Your Band in Texas
Expanded Bio
The original concept of the engineer, the “ingeniator”, is an artisan who delivers solutions by approaching problems with creativity and ingenuity. Matthew Adams Wettergreen applies this concept in both engineering and art as a researcher, educator, and community strategist.
Having recently completed his PhD in Bioengineering at Rice University with a specialization in Biomechanics and Computer Aided Tissue Engineering, his scientific research experience includes work in computational and experimental biomechanics, cellular solids, rapid prototyping and imaging modalities. His teaching experience covers areas of specialization such as biomechanics, engineering design and Computer Aided Design. [Full CV]
Serving as director of the inaugural Engineering and Design for Art and Artifact Conservation program in the summer of 2009, Dr. Wettergreen led a team of four Rice undergraduate students in a collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH). The students applied the engineering design process and creative exercises to develop a new storage solution for the MFAH. An abbreviated version of the EDAAC program is being taught as a course at Rice University in the fall of 2009 with an increased focus on the history and ethics of art conservation.
Dr. Wettergreen’s experience as a community strategist includes working in the art and music communities in Houston and Chicago to improve collaboration, communication and share resources. Since 2001 Wettergreen has been a DJ at KTRU 91.7fm, co-hosts a live events show called “The Revelry Report,” and produces national events combining music, art and film. Since 2002 he has mentored individual artists on business and career development and in 2008 expanded this to a community-based educational model called Bandcamp.
In 2008, Matthew Wettergreen and Ned Dodington founded Caroline Collective, a coworking space in Houston, TX, that fosters community, collaboration, and creativity across artistic and technological disciplines. Caroline Collective’s programming motivates and enhances the creative professional community by exploring sustainable models, such as user-generated conferences, social media networking, and peer-to-peer education.
In addition to his formal responsibilities, Wettergreen operates in many unofficial roles to the creative and professional community. He serves on the board of several Houston arts organizations, including Fresh Arts Coalition and Bootown and contributes to Chicago Public Radio’s Sound Opinions. He serves as a grant and journal reviewer for scientific and art groups, including NASA, Houston Arts Alliance and CAD Journal. Dr. Wettergreen is also an active participant in the global coworking movement, working to introduce collaborative workspaces built upon the pillars of collaboration, openness, community and sustainability.