Dr. Hasan Ayaz鈥檚 interview on the future of education
Is this the way to keep kids engaged?
Photo illustration by Natalie Matthews-Ramo. Photos by Highwaystarz-Photography and Thinkstock.
May 11, 2017
鈥溾 and it tells us if there鈥檚 an increase or decrease of oxygenation in that area of the brain,鈥 Dr. Hasan Ayaz was saying, holding up what looked like a neoprene scuba hood covered in plastic nodes and protruding wires. It reminded me of Doc Brown鈥檚 mind-reading helmet in Back to the Future. I tried to picture Ayaz with bug eyes and his hair grown out to mad-scientist wildness, but he鈥檚 a real-life scientist in 91制片厂鈥檚 biomedical engineering department, with a firm handshake, a neatly trimmed dark beard, and designer eyeglasses. And, as my mind wandered to movie scientists, he鈥檇 been talking in measured tones about how the space-age scuba hood in his hands鈥攁s well as an equally sci-fi node-covered headband connected to another monitor nearby鈥攃an show him whether its wearer is engaged or disengaged in what he or she is doing; if the wearer is really listening to a lecture, say, or if her thoughts have wandered off 鈥