Author bios

Mitchel Resnick MIT Media Laboratory, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307 (electronic mail: mres@media.mit.edu). Dr. Resnick, an associate professor at the MIT Media Laboratory, studies the role of new technological tools in learning and education. He has helped develop a variety of "computational construction kits'' (including LEGO/Logo and StarLogo), and he cofounded the Computer Clubhouse, an afterschool learning center for youth from under-served communities. He earned a B.A. in physics at Princeton University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in computer science at MIT. He won a National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award in 1993, and he is author of the book Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams, published by MIT Press. Dr. Resnick is on the Board of Overseers and is chair of the education committee at The Computer Museum.

Fred Martin MIT Media Laboratory, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307 (electronic mail: fredm@media.mit.edu). Dr. Martin earned a B.S. degree in computer science in 1986, an M.S. in mechanical engineering in 1988, and a Ph.D. in media arts and sciences in 1994, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His doctoral dissertation explored learning in an intensive, design-rich robot-building class he codeveloped for MIT undergraduates. Dr. Martin's research interests include: the role of experiential knowledge in learning formal scientific and engineering methods; design-rich environments for learning; and robots as a medium for exploring engineering practice. He is presently a research scientist with the Epistemology and Learning Group at the MIT Media Laboratory.

Randy Sargent Newton Research Labs, 14813 NE 13th Street, Bellevue, Washington 98007 (electronic mail: rsargent@newtonlabs.com). Mr. Sargent holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and a master's degree in media arts and sciences, both from MIT. He was a founding organizer of the MIT robot design competition, and he was centrally involved in the development of the Programmable Brick. He is a cofounder of Newton Research Labs, a software company developing products for robotics hobbyists and researchers.

Brian Silverman Logo Computer Systems Inc., P.O. Box 162, Highgate Springs, Vermont 05460 (electronic mail: brian@lcsi.ca). Mr. Silverman is Director of Research at Logo Computer Systems Inc. (LCSI) and a visiting scientist at the MIT Media Lab. He was one of the founders of LCSI, the world's leading developer of Logo software. He has directed the development of more than a dozen commercial educational software products (including LogoWriter, MicroWorlds, and the Phantom Fishtank), many of which have won major awards from industry groups and publications. At MIT, he has been centrally involved in the development of StarLogo, Programmable Bricks, and Crickets.