Mitchel Resnick

Mitchel Resnick (born June 12, 1956) is an American computer scientist. He is the LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab. He created Scratch, a programming language for young people.

Resnick leads the Media Arts and Sciences program at the MIT Media Lab. This program offers master's degrees and Ph.D.s. His work has made many tools to help people learn by designing things. These include Programmable Bricks, which inspired the Lego Mindstorms kits, and StarLogo software.

Resnick also helped start the Computer Clubhouse. This is a network of learning centers for young people who have fewer chances to learn. He worked on projects like new Programmable Bricks and the One Laptop per Child initiative. This made the OLPC XO laptop, an affordable computer for students.

Education

Mitchel Resnick attended Haverford High School. He then studied at Princeton University and earned a bachelor's degree in physics in 1978. After that, he went to MIT for his master's and doctorate degrees in computer science, finishing in 1988 and 1992.

Career

Mitchel Resnick worked for five years as a journalist for Business Week. He helped people learn how computers can be used in teaching. In 1993, he won an award called the Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation. He has worked with many researchers, including Natalie Rusk, Brian Silverman, and Yasmin Kafai.

Awards

Mitchel Resnick won the 2011 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education. He was named one of the 100 most creative people in Business in 2011 by Fast Company. In 2025, he received the SIGCSE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education.

Published books

Mitchel Resnick has written several books about learning and creativity. One of his books, Lifelong Kindergarten, talks about creativity through fun projects and play. Another book, The Official ScratchJr Book, helps kids learn to code with ScratchJr. His other books explore topics like modeling complex systems and constructionism in digital worlds.