Marina Umaschi Bers facts for kids

Marina Umaschi Bers is a professor at Boston College. She teaches about education and also works in the Computer Science Department. Professor Bers leads a special group called the DevTech Research Group. She started this group in 2001.

Her research focuses on creating new learning tools using technology. These tools help children grow and learn in positive ways. She is well-known for her work in teaching computer science to young children.

Professor Bers helped create ScratchJr, a free computer programming language. Over 35 million children use ScratchJr. She also invented the KIBO robot kit. This robot helps kids learn coding without needing screens or keyboards.

Education and Early Career

Marina Umaschi Bers first studied at Buenos Aires University in Argentina. She earned her first degree in Social Communications in 1993. Later, she came to the United States.

In 1994, she received a master's degree from Boston University. She also earned another master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2001, she completed her Ph.D. at the MIT Media Laboratory. Her mentor there was a famous educator named Seymour Papert.

In 2001, Professor Bers started her research group, the Developmental Technologies, or DevTech. It began at Tufts University. She later became the head of the Child Development department there.

In 2022, she moved to Boston College. She became a special professor of education there. She also joined the Computer Science Department at Boston College. Professor Bers also helped start KinderLab Robotics in 2013. She has worked with WGBH-TV and PBS to create children's TV shows.

Research and Inventions

Professor Bers's main work is about how technology can help children learn and grow. Early in her career, she looked at how kids tell stories and use language. She also studied how robots could be used in early childhood education.

In 2012, she created the TangibleK robotics program. This program teaches young children about technology. She also helped develop the ScratchJr programming language. She worked with Mitch Resnick, Paula Bonta, and Brian Silverman on this project.

ScratchJr is made for children aged 5 to 7. It is a simpler version of Scratch, which teaches programming to older kids (8 to 16). Professor Bers also trains teachers to use technology in their classrooms. She creates lessons that teach kids about programming and "computational thinking." This means learning to solve problems like a computer.

She also invented the KIBO robot kit. Young children can program this robot using special wooden blocks. KIBO is a fun way for kids to learn computer programming hands-on.

Books She Has Written

Professor Bers has written several books about her work. These books help others understand how to use technology to help children learn.

• Bers, M. U. (2012). Designing Digital Experiences for Positive Youth Development: From Playpen to Playground. Oxford.
• Bers, M. U. & Resnick, M. (2015). The Official ScratchJr Book. No Starch Press.
• Bers, M. U. & Sullivan, A. (2018) The Official ScratchJr Coding Cards. No Starch Press.
• Bers, M. U. (2018). Coding as a Playground: Programming and Coding in the Early Childhood Classroom. Routledge.

Awards and Honors

Professor Bers has received many important awards for her work. In 2005, she received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). This is the highest honor the U.S. government gives to young scientists. She also received an award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) gave her the Jan Hawkins Award. This award recognizes her early contributions to research in learning technologies.

In 2015, she was named one of the "Women to Watch in Science and Technology" by the Boston Business Journal. In 2016, she received an award from Tufts University for her help with graduate students. She was chosen as a fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in 2022. In 2023, she became a member of the National Academy of Education. In 2024, she was honored in Spain as "Dama de la Imperial Orden de Carlos V." This award recognizes people who have helped Spain through their work.