The Course of One’s Life
Matthew Connor K Gaston
Updated 10 September 2024
Austin, Texas USA
Email: mckgaston@gmail.com
EDUCATION
2018-2022 M.S., Tropical Plant & Soil Science (TPSS), University of Hawaii, Manoa
2014-2018 B.S., Genetics & Plant Biology (GPB) University of California, Berkeley; Minor, Science & Mathematics Education (CalTeach), University of California, Berkeley
2010-2014 High School Diploma, Valedictorian, Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, TX
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2022-Present Education Director, Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy, coordinates educational programs including school groups, adult tours, lectures, workshops, and activity tables and develops educational materials including standards-based activities, lessons, and interpretation.
2020 Department Coordinator, Tropical Plant and Soil Science, coordinated between university facilities, college, contractors, and department during building renovations.
2019-2021 Chair, Tropical Plant and Soil Science Graduate Student Organization Plant Sales.
2018 Co-Founder, Fiat Lux Labs, A Berkeley-Based Bioengineering Start-Up Specializing in Revolutionary Sensor Technology. Company absorbed by Gingko Bioworks.
2017-2018 Campus Ambassador, Margaritaville University, Berkeley, CA.
2016-2018 Owner/Manager, Berkeley Restoration, Renovation, & Relocation (BRRR), Berkeley, CA.
2016-2017 Garden Intern, California Native Garden, San Francisco Botanical Garden, San Francisco, CA. Maintained the California Native Garden: pruning, weeding, infrastructure repairs and maintenance, plant propagation from seed and cutting, and greenhouse growing techniques.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2022-Present Education Director, Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy, creating and leading programs including educational festivals, school programs, and continuing education.
2024 Invited Instructor, Native Prairies Association of Texas, creating and leading a native plant propagation workshop.
2019-2021 Graduate Teaching Assistant, TPSS 200- Agriculture, Environment, and Society: graded writing intensive essays providing comments for students to resubmit with corrections; TPSS 220- Organic Food Crop Production: facilitated our online class, uploaded assignments and resources, graded; TPSS 352- Landscape Architecture History: graded student essays and assignments; TPSS 364- Horticultural Practices: Assisted students in the greenhouse and field growing crops, guest lecturer on horticultural crop improvement; TPSS 420- Plant Propagation; TPSS 421- Tropical Seed Science; TPSS 470/470L- Plant Physiology/Plant Physiology Lab: lead laboratory, graded lab assignments, and sent weekly announcements; Department of Tropical Plant & Soil Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii, Manoa.
2021 Invited Instructor, TPSS 364- Horticulture: Theory & Practice, Tropical Plant & Soil Science Department, University of Hawaii, Manoa: “Horticultural Crop Improvement”
2021 Invited Instructor, TPSS 300- Tropical Crop Production & TPSS 364- Horticulture: Theory & Practice, Tropical Plant & Soil Science Department, University of Hawaii, Manoa: “Microgreens: Dorm Room Snacks to Extraterrestrial Sustenance.”
2019-2021 Invited Instructor, ARCH/TPSS 634, Landscape Plants: ID & Use, Tropical Plant & Soil Science Department, University of Hawaii, Manoa: “Shoots Brah! An Introduction to Plant Morphology for Plant Identification”
2019, 2020 Invited Instructor, TPSS 300- Tropical Crop Production, Tropical Plant & Soil Science Department, University of Hawaii, Manoa: “Urban Agriculture: Living Walls in Manoa”
2018 Lead Science Instructor, 3rd-5th Grade Science at Camp Galileo, San Carlos, CA. Presented inquiry-based innovation projects, scaffolded engineering concepts, mentored campers, participated in camp games and skits, provided oversight during recess.
2018 Student Teacher, High School Biology, ASPIRE College Preparatory Academy, Richmond, CA. Mentored and tutored students. Presented lessons on genetics.
2017 Student Teacher, Middle School Algebra & Geometry, Madison Park Business & Art Academy (6-12), Oakland, CA. Mentored and tutored students. Presented lessons on geometric transformations.
2017 Student Teacher, High School Biology; High School Ecology. ARISE High School, Oakland, CA. Mentored and tutored students. Presented a lesson on estimation in science.
2016 Student Teacher, K & 3rd Grade Data & Technology. Special Biology Lesson: “Plant Adaptations for their Ecosystem.” Bridges Academy at Melrose, Oakland, CA
ONLINE CONTENT & WEBSITES
2021-Present MCKGaston: My social media accounts on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter focusing on Botanical Education & Fun
2018-Present TropPlants: A Growing Collection of Landscaping, Botanical, and Horticultural Information on Tropical Plants. https://www.tropplants.com/
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
2018-2022 Graduate Researcher, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Tropical Landscape & Human Interaction Lab, Tropical Green Roof & Living Wall Research Center: built and stabilized infrastructure (free standing walls, Live Wall systems, irrigation, data lines), selected plants and media, and installed biosensors and data collecting equipment. Arboriculture research on technologies for mitigating root induced infrastructure damage in tropical urban street trees.
2018-2021 Masters Research, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Tropical Landscape & Human Interaction Lab, Tropical Plant & Soil Sciences Department. Research Focus: Investigating the effects of weak oscillating magnetic fields on germination rates and antioxidant synthesis in microgreens.
2018 Undergraduate Researcher, University of California, Berkeley; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Albany, CA, Coleman-Derr Lab, Plant-Microbe Relations: Developed media, plated seeds, extracted and quantified DNA using sterile techniques.
Project title: “Investigating the relationship between bacterial communities of root rhizosphere and endosphere in Suberin knock out Arabidopsis.”
2017 Research Assistant, University of California, Berkeley; East Bay Regional Parks, Wood Lab. Collected data on symptomatic and asymptomatic trees, organized data, presented research at a poster session. Project Title: “Investigating Sudden Oak Death Dynamics in East Bay Regional Parks.”
2016 Undergraduate Research Apprentice, University of California, Berkeley, Wilkie Lab, Flotation and Anthracology: extracted artifacts and ecofacts from sediment samples using flotation, sorted and dried artifacts and ecofacts, determined plant species from charcoal ecofacts using light microscopy with digital imaging.
PUBLICATIONS
2019 Kaufman, Andrew; Gaston, Matthew; Wong, Justin; Burr, Noah. (2019) “Tropical Urban Tree Below Ground Mitigation Techniques” Tropical Landscape and Human Interaction Lab. Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. August 2019.
PAPER PRESENTATIONS & CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS
2019 “Keeping It Green in Paradise: Green Roof & Living Wall Research”, Andy Kaufman, PhD., Matthew Gaston, Justin Wong, and Elizabeth Song Lockard, Ph.D. Sustainable Urban Environments: Research, Design and Planning for the Next 50 Years; EDRA50 Brooklyn, NY; May 22-26, 2019
PROFESSIONAL EVENTS
2024, Aug 19-21 Presented “Tiktok Trends to Trees: Using Social Media for Botanical Education” in two parts at the American Public Garden Association’s Education Symposium at Red Butte Gardens as the opening presentation as well as the closing.
2024, June 11 Presented a talk on my experience growing and learning with plants at TinyTalks in Austin, Texas.
2024, April 19 Attended Mission Capital’s “Education Services Collaboration Corner”
2023, July 29 Hosted and presented “Plant Propagation Workshop” at Zilker Botanical Garden
2023, April 24 Presented & Facilitated a lecture and workshop on Plant Propagation at PlantCon 2023
2022, June 27 Hosted and presented “Microgreen Workshop” at Zilker Botanical Garden
2022, June 18 Presented a lecture at Zilker Botanical Garden “Horticultural Crop Improvement” Breeding & Seeding”
2022, Mar 6 Presented a lecture at Zilker Botanical Garden “The Exciting Evolution of Plants” followed by a tour of the Hartman Prehistoric Garden
2021, July 22 Invited Speaker for the Houseplants Discord Server Pride & Plants Speaker Series. Presented an “Introduction to Plant Morphology: Shapes of Plants- Part 2!”
2021, June 10 Invited Speaker for the Houseplants Discord Server Pride & Plants Speaker Series. Presented an “Introduction to Plant Morphology: Shapes of Plants”
2021, Jan 6 Invited Speaker for University of Hawaii, Manoa Teaching Assistant Training. Q&A Panelist sharing my experiences with online teaching and in-person teaching while maintaining Covid safety guidelines.
2020, Feb 5 Exhibitor for the Tropical Landscape and Human Interactions Lab at Ag Day at the Hawai’i State Capital.
2020, Jan 31 Exhibitor for the Tropical Landscape and Human Interactions Lab at the 1st Annual CTAHR (College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources) Day at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.
2019, Sept 4 Staffed the Tropical Plant & Soil Science Department table and the TPSS Graduate Student Organization Table at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Annual Fair.
2019, Aug 26 Participated in Welina Mānoa welcome event for undergraduate students. Greeted students at the Tropical Plant and Soil Science table and discussed the program.
2019, Aug 21 Presented a poster at the 2nd Tropical Landscape and Human Interactions Lab “Sneak Peak” Field Day for Tropical Urban Street Techniques for Mitigating Root Induced Infrastructure Damage. University of Hawaii Waimanalo Research Station.
2019, July 6 Hosted a Field Day and presented a poster at the Tropical Landscape and Human Interactions Lab “Sneak Peak” Field Day for Tropical Urban Street Techniques for Mitigating Root Induced Infrastructure Damage. University of Hawaii Waimanalo Research Station.
2017, Aug 10 Presented a poster at UC Berkeley BERET +C Poster Session. Poster Title: “Investigating Sudden Oak Death Dynamics in East Bay Regional Parks.”
2017, June 2 Attended “DuPont-Pioneer Plant Genome Engineering Symposium”, University of California Berkeley.
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
2024-Present National Informal STEM Education Network
2022-Present American Public Garden Association
2021-Present National Society of Leadership and Success
2021-Present Gamma Sigma Delta: The Honor Society of Agriculture
2019-Present American Society for Horticultural Science
2018-2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science
AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS
2024, Aug 19 Garden Scholar, American Public Garden Association
2023, June 6 Net-Zero Hero, Promoting a More Sustainable Austin: Awarded from the City of Austin’s Office of Sustainability
2019-2021 SEED Scholarship, the University of Hawaii, Manoa’s Office of Student Equity, Excellence, and Diversity scholarship promoting diversity, fairness, and equity.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITES
2019 Campus Arboretum Volunteer, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Honolulu, HI
2016 Herbarium Volunteer, University/Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley, CA, Ferns and Fern Allies; Supervisor Dr. Alan Smith
2012 Garden Volunteer, San Antonio Botanical Garden, San Antonio, TX
SPONSORSHIPS
2024 Black Bear Diner, developed and filmed an advertisement for a beloved American diner
2022 Plant Parent – My Care Guide, Glority Global Group Ltd., developed and filmed a video promoting the app Plant Parent highlighting its uses for identifying plant diseases
2022 Plantchella, Neverland, developed and filmed a video promoting a Coachella themed plant sale in the Neverland App
2021 Aura Bora, developed and filmed a video promoting this plant-based sparkling water
2021 California Department of Public Health, developed and filmed a video describing the research on COVID-19 vaccines
2021 Greek Marina, Honolulu, HI, developed and filmed a video promoting the restaurant
2021 Blossom – Plant Care Guide, Conceptiv Apps LLC, developed and filmed several videos describing the use of the app Blossom to identify plants, schedule watering times, and disease identification
Matthew Gaston 
