Speakers & Organizers
SPEAKERS
Akash Mishra
Master's Student, Newcastle University
I am a MSC student at Newcastle University. As a passionate programmer and robotics enthusiast, I have been utilizing block-based coding extensively in my robotics projects.
Currently, I am working as a programming intern, where I have had the opportunity to apply my expertise in block-based coding to the field of robotics. By leveraging the power of blocky code, I am able to create intuitive and visually appealing interfaces that make programming robots more accessible and user-friendly.
Carlos Herrero
Scientific Software Developer, QuantStack
Carlos is a Scientific software developer at QuantStack and a Project Jupyter Distinguished Contributor passionate about AI and its applications to robotics. He is currently working on maintaining and expanding the Jupyter ecosystem by contributing to JupyterLab and developing new extensions.Prior to QuantStack, he worked as an intern at Instituto AI2, developing algorithms for 3-D printing with 6-axis robots.
Denisa Checiu
Robotics Software Developer, QuantStack
Denisa Checiu is a Robotics working student at QuantStack. She is a recent graduate with a bachelors degree from Jacobs University Bremen, where she majored in Robotics and Intelligent Systems and minored in Computer Science.Prior to QuantStack, she worked as a teaching assistant for the undergraduate course 'Programming in C and C++' and for the graduate course 'Data Acquisition and Sensors Network', alongside her role as a main organizer for jacobsHack!, one of the biggest student hackathons in Europe. Moreover, she is passionate about AI and Computer Vision.
Bringing her experience, she is eager to learn and grow, while contributing to JupyterLab. Her main contributions so far are JupyterLab-Blockly and all further robotics extensions built on top of it.
Emily Wilson
Cofounder and COO, Unruly Splats
I run day-to-day operations and special initiatives at Unruly—specifically curriculum. I like to talk a lot about education policy and ways to make the school day better for teachers and kids.
Emma Wingreen
Curriculum Writer, Code.org
I develop coding curriculum for K-5 students and teachers. I'm a former middle school CS teacher and I hold a master's degree in CS Education. I'm originally from New Jersey, but recently I've been exploring new cities while pet sitting!
Evan Patton
Lead Software Engineer, MIT App Inventor
Evan is the lead software engineer for the MIT App Inventor project, a role he has served in for 6 years. During his tenure he has overseen updates to App Inventor's Blockly implementation, research projects on realtime collaboration and generative AI, as well as App Inventor's support for building iOS apps. Outside of software engineering, Evan is an avid gardener who enjoys sharing the fruits (and vegetables) of his labor with others.
Kiki Prottsman
Director of Education, Microsoft MakeCode
Kiki is Director of Education at Microsoft MakeCode, as well as the author of several books, including Computational Thinking and Coding for Every Student, My First Coding Book, and Disney’s Coding with Anna and Elsa. She is also an advocate for equity and inclusion in STEM fields, which helped her win one of Stevie’s coveted Female Innovator of the Year Awards.
Francisco Cervantes
Director of Creative Learning at the Scratch Foundation
I lead the Creative Learning Team at the Scratch Foundation which includes the Community Engagement and Teaching and Learning Teams. I can answer all of your questions about the assessment of computational literacy skills in the form of another CT question. When I'm not at my desk, I'm on my skateboard, playing soccer, or traveling the world meeting Scratch family and partners.
Fynn Mazurkiewicz
Software Engineer & Founder of IT4Kids
I started coding at 11, which granted me the privilege to incredible opportunities in life. I am very grateful for my journey and share my gratefulness by building the non-profit IT4Kids. IT4Kids brings block-based coding into every primary school as part of our teacher-friendly learning software "Cubi".
Kim Ying
Software Engineer, Microsoft MakeCode
I'm a front-end developer on the Microsoft MakeCode team. I can answer your questions about creating an onboarding experience for new users. When I'm not working, I like to boulder, read fiction and nonfiction, knit/crochet, cuddle my kitties, and play golf.
Koen van Wijk
CTO ICT Group & Director ICT Motar
I lead the ICT Motar team that wants to enable all engineers to collaborate creating embedded software. I created Blocklybench that extends the Block Factory. I want to bring Blockly to all professional engineers. When I'm not at my desk, I’m on the soccer field training my kids or playing padel with friends.
Joey Wunderlich
Software Engineer, MakeCode
I’m an engineer on the MakeCode team, working primarily on the front end experience (and occasionally jumping to all the other parts of the app). Also worth noting I like Corgis!
Jonah Boucher
Lead Curriculum Designer, BlocksCAD
I create math, coding, and design learning experiences that align with national STEM and CTE standards. I help teachers, schools, and districts implement this curriculum across classes and grade levels.
Maggie Johnson
VP, Education, Google
Maggie Johnson is Vice President of Education for Google. She manages technical training, content development, and information management programs for Google engineers and operations staff, as well as Google’s K16 educational programs in STEM and computer science and global developer outreach programming. She also manages the University Relations area, building research collaborations with faculty and labs globally; and Google's strategic initiatives in online teaching and learning.
Prior to Google, Maggie was teaching faculty and Director of Educational Affairs in the Department of Computer Science at Stanford University.
Mauricio Verano Merino
Assistant Professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Mauricio has a particular interest in understanding code as a medium of expression and communication. Therefore, his research topics include and combine software language engineering, art, and design. Through his research he aims to lower the entry barrier to programming for end-users by creating more usable software languages and their tooling. In his free time, he loves sports and is fascinated with using analog, old-fashioned technologies in today’s world.
Mike Harvey
Code.org
Mike Harvey is a software engineer at Code.org currently working on migrating existing student labs from using a custom outdated Blockly fork to mainline Blockly. Prior to this role, Mike developed elementary school curricula, also at Code.org. He is a former K-8 teacher and has been using Blockly for 10 years.
In the Blockly Themes for Accessibility presentation, Mike will explain how he leveraged Blockly's plugin library and some external resources to create custom themes for a variety of Code.org student labs. These themes are specially designed to improve accessibility for users with limited color vision as well as users who benefit from higher contrast.
Richard Knoll
Software Engineer, MakeCode
I’ve been working on MakeCode for as long as anyone can remember! I live in Seattle with my two cats Breakfast and Autozone.
Randi Williams
Graduate Research Assistant, MIT Media Lab
I am a PhD Candidate in the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab where I develop tools and curricula to empower communities to create a more prosperous and equitable world. I love to learn and I love building playful, purposeful, and beautiful things. In my down time, you'll find me gliding on wheels, scaling rocks, or immersing myself in a great book.
Selim Tezel
Education Team Lead for MIT App Inventor
I am the Education Team Lead at the MIT App Inventor project. I joined the team in 2018 as a curriculum developer. I am a former K-12 mathematics teacher who has taught overseas and in the US for 22 years, exploring intersections of technology and playful constructionist pedagogies in the classroom. When not working I enjoy playwriting and creating visual arts.
Shanika Hope
Director, Education for Social Impact, Google
Essence Magazine called Dr. Shanika Hope “The Great Equalizer” in their 2022 article about her efforts to improve access to STEM education for Black girls. As Google’s Education for Social Impact Director, Dr. Shanika Hope is responsible for advancing equitable pathways in computing to ensure its creative and economic possibilities serve everyone. As a former educator with over 25 years of experience, Shanika understands the power of education and seeks to empower a new generation of tech innovators. Prior to her current role at Google, Shanika held various leadership roles at Amazon, McGraw Hill Education, Discovery Education, and in the Washington, DC State Education Office.
Dr. Hope currently serves on the boards of the KID Museum and EDspired, and earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Education Leadership and Masters in Math and Science Education from Old Dominion University, where she was selected as a Holmes Scholar.
Shawn Wallace
Director of Product and Engineering, Unruly Splats
I'm the product lead at Unruly and live and work in Providence RI. Previously I have designed electronics kits and modules for Modern Device, mentored the Providence Fab Academy cohort, and wrote and edited books at O'Reilly Media.
Songlin Jiang
Master's Student, Aalto University & Technical University of Denmark
I'm a free software enthusiast and full-time SECCLO Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's student currently living in Finland and Denmark. I developed the Blockly workspace multi-select plugin as my project for Google Summer Summer of Code 2022 at MIT App Inventor.
BLOCKLY CORE TEAM
Aaron Dodson
Software Engineer
Beka Westberg
Software Engineer
I joined the team full time in January 2022, and I was an open source contributor for ~3 years before that. I love doing API design, running board games for Nooglers, and meeting new folks! I’m based out of Mountain View, California.
Cassandra Fernandes
Product Manager, Blockly
I joined Blockly as a PM in late January of 2023. Before Blockly, I worked on Google’s K-12 block-based coding curriculum, CS First. I also spent time as a PM fellow on Google.org’s CiviForm, a civic tech product aimed at increasing public access to critical services and benefits. I’m based in Google's small but growing office in San Diego, California.
Christopher Allen
Software Engineer
Eric Blackmon
Technical Program Manager
I joined Blockly as a TPM in early April. Before Blockly I worked on Google Grasshopper, a mobile application that teaches users to code. I’m currently based out of Philadelphia.
Maribeth Bottorff
Software Engineer & Tech Lead, Blockly
I am Blockly’s Tech Lead and I corral our rowdy gang of 20% contributors. Recently I have been partnering with Code.org to update their codebase to use mainline Blockly. Away from work, you can find me playing with Lego or holding a baby.
Neil Fraser
Software Engineer & Blockly Founder
According to Bard, I created Blockly, Tensor Flow, and a book on the beauty of mathematics. One of these facts is correct. I'm currently living in Switzerland.
Rachel Fenichel
Software Engineer & Team Lead, Blockly
I lead the Blockly team and try to predict the future of blocks-based coding. I can answer all of your questions about renderers and ancient Blockly APIs. When I'm not at my desk, I'm riding one of my bikes, petting a dog, or making things out of fabric and string.
PLANNING TEAM
Gregory Hammons
Program Manager, ProdOps
Emily Miller (Bedont)
Interim ProdOps Lead of CS Education
Donna Packard
Project Manager
Monisha Mathrani
Program Manager, Prod Ops
Jamie (Gorson) Benario
User Experience Researcher, Education for Social Impact
I conduct research for teams within the Education for Social Impact org, including Blockly. Before coming to Google, I earned my PhD at Northwestern University in Computer Science and Learning Sciences. My dissertation focused on student motivation, self-assessments and emotions when learning to program.
BLOCKLY CONTRIBUTORS