[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 134 (Monday, September 12, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING PROFESSOR MITCHEL RESNICK

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL E. CAPUANO

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 12, 2011

  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Professor Mitchel 
Resnick for receiving the Harold W. McGraw, Jr., Prize in Education. He 
is a Professor of Learning Research at the Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology's Media Lab, developing new technologies and activities that 
help children and adults engage in creative learning experiences.
  Professor Resnick co-founded the Computer Clubhouse project, an 
international network of more than 100 after-school learning centers 
available to young people from low-income communities. It increases 
their access to technology, which can help improve their educational 
experience and better prepare them for the workforce. The Computer 
Clubhouse network has a strong global presence, with over 30 locations 
in countries as diverse as Mexico, Hungary, Israel, the Palestinian 
territories, India, and South Africa. It also still proudly serves 
Massachusetts youth, with a particular emphasis on reaching out to the 
many communities of Boston.
  Professor Resnick's Lifelong Kindergarten research group developed 
the Programmable Bricks technology which helps children build and 
program their own robots. His research group also cultivated the 
Scratch programming environment and online community. It gives young 
people the tools they need to create their own stories or games and 
share their work with others online. Professor Resnick has worked for 
years to make technology fun and accessible--reaching out to students 
and helping them succeed in the classroom.
  Professor Resnick earned his degree in physics from Princeton 
University. He then went on to MIT where he earned an MS and PhD in 
computer science. In 2010, Professor Resnick was awarded the Kids@Play 
prize as the top ``Digital Pioneer for Kids.'' He was also named one of 
the 30 ``most influential people affecting the advancement of 
technology in education'' by Tech & Learning magazine.
  I congratulate Professor Resnick on his latest accomplishment and on 
all of the innovative work he has done over the years. I look forward 
to his continuing contributions to children's education.

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