Mitchel Resnick | |
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![]() Resnick in 2011 | |
Born | June 12, 1956 |
Education | Princeton University (BA) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS, PhD) |
Known for | StarLogo Scratch |
Awards | Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Computer science Learning sciences Constructionist learning |
Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Doctoral advisors | Seymour Papert Hal Abelson |
Doctoral students | Amy Bruckman Randal Pinkett Jay Silver |
Mitchel Resnick (born June 12, 1956) is an American computer scientist. He is the LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, [1] and is the founder of Scratch. As of 2019 [update] , Resnick serves as head of the Media Arts and Sciences academic program, which grants master's degrees and Ph.D.s at the MIT Media Lab.
Resnick's research group has developed a variety of educational tools that engage people in new types of design activities and learning experiences, including the Programmable Bricks that were the basis for the award-winning Lego Mindstorms and StarLogo software. He cofounded the Computer Clubhouse, an award-winning network of learning centers for youth from under-served communities. Resnick is also a cofounder and a co-principal investigator of the Center for Civic Media at MIT. [2] Resnick is also involved in the next generation of Programmable Bricks, and the One Laptop per Child project which designed the OLPC XO ($100 laptop).
Resnick, a graduate of Haverford High School, earned a B.A. in physics at Princeton University (1978), and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in computer science at MIT (1988, 1992). [3]
He worked for five years as a science–technology journalist for Business Week magazine, and he has consulted widely on the uses of computers in education. Resnick was awarded a National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award in 1993. [4] He has collaborated extensively with researchers such as Natalie Rusk, Brian Silverman, and Yasmin Kafai. [5]
Resnick is a winner of the 2011 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education. [6] He has been listed as one of the 100 most creative people in Business 2011 by Fast Company. [7]