The Learn.Design.Compute with Biology workshops brought together in 2018, 2019 and 2020 scientists, designers and educators to discuss novel learning platforms and activities to advance biological design, synthetic biology and computation education at K12 and beyond. Findings from these meetings and discussions have been summarized in this workshop report.

In 2018, we organized a speaker series on the topic of the Maker Movement addressing issues of diversity and making in classrooms, public libraries and makerspaces with Colby Tofel-Grehl (Utah State University), Kareem Edouard (Drexel University), Philip Nichols (University of Pennsylvania), and Debora Lui (University of Pennsylvania).

The 12th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL), took place from June 18-22 in Philadelphia, PA. The conference theme “Making a Difference: Prioritizing Equity and Access in CSCL” brought together keynote speakers, workshops and papers that champion research and tools focused on equity and access relative to CSCL.

The symposium on women in gaming, took place on April 25, 2016 at the University of Pennsylvania with speakers such as Justine Cassell, Florence Chee, Jill Denner, Betsey diSalvo, Suzanne deCastell, Kishonna Gray, Jen Jenson, Heidi MacDonald, Gabriela Richard, Adrienne Shaw, and Brendesha Tynes. Select papers discussing Gamergate, lack of diversity in gaming, and education can be found in a freely downloadable book edition with the same title published by ETC Press.

The Third Annual GenderIT conference with the theme “Advancing Diversity” took place on April 25, 2015, at the University of Pennsylvania. In IT and technology-related fields at large, diversity has been a longstanding and troubling issue. Particularly, girls, women and minorities continue to be underrepresented; few engage in STEM-related classes or enter IT professions. Keynote speaker was Justine Cassell, Carnegie-Mellon University. Learn more

This lecture series reviewed the prospects and possibilities of massive open online courses (MOOCs) in Spring 2014. Now that the first wave of MOOC courses has been offered and analyzed, what will the next generation of MOOCs look like? Speakers were Mark Guzdial (Georgia Institute of Technology), Daniel Hickey (Indiana University), Eric Klopfer (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and Candace Reimers (Stanford University).

This E-textiles oriented hackathon took place in the Fall and Spring of 2014, in conjunction with PennApps, the premier college hackathon hosted at the University of Pennsylvania. We invited PennApps participants to push the frontiers of low-power computing, data analytics, and interactive media to design the next generation of smart wearables for sports, leisure or business settings. All materials were provided to teams free of charge thanks to the generous support of IBM. Learn more

The symposium took place on April 11, 2011 at the University of Pennsylvania showcasing research and designs with the LilyPad Arduino, an electronic textile construction kit, that blends together textile craft, electrical engineering and programming. Speakers included Joanna Berzowska, Leah Buechley, Michael Eisenberg, Yasmin Kafai, Maggie Orth, and Kylie Peppler. More about Textile Messages can be found in book edition with same title.

The symposium took place on May 9, 2006, at the University of California, Los Angeles, at the wake of E3—the world's largest trade show on electronic entertainment. Public conversations about girls and games, women's participation in game design and play with Henry Jenkins (MIT); Brenda Laurel (Art Center College of Design), Nichol Bradford (Vivendi Universal Games) and numerous other speakers from Europe, Asia and North America. The outcomes of these discussions are reflected in the book edition “Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat”.

The 6th International Conference on Computer of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) took place from June 22-26, 2004 in Santa Monica, CA. The theme of the conference "Embracing Diversity in the Learning Sciences" recognizes the challenges to studying and changing learning environments across levels in complex social systems. This demands attention to new kinds of diversity in who, what, and how we study; and to the issues such diversity raises to developing coherent accounts of how learning occurs and can be supported in various contexts.

In 1995 and in 1996, I organized for the Academic of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood, CA, one-day events for the children’s television community about new developments in children’s interactive media.