Building the Nest

Carnegie Mellon is the home to many startups and inventions — one of which might be hanging on your wall.

Matt Rogers (ENG 2004, 2005) served as co-founder and vice president of engineering at Nest Labs. The Nest Learning Thermostat that Rogers and his team designed figures out when the homeowner is gone and adjusts itself accordingly. The smart device can be controlled from a smartphone, predict how long it will take to warm up the house and calculate how much energy it uses.

Fred Bould (CFA 1987), a consulting industrial designer, worked with the Nest team to help develop great products like the thermostat.

Rogers and Bould credit professors who nurtured their passion for research and offered a practical education with preparation for real work in industry.