Our Team

Hal Abelson

Co-Director, Day of AI

Prof. Hal Abelson is a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering in the EECS department at MIT and a Fellow of the IEEE. He has received many awards for teaching computer science, including the Bose Award, the Taylor L. Booth Education Award, the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education Award for Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education, and the ACM Karl Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award.

Throughout his impressive career, he has played key roles in fostering MIT institutional educational technology initiatives including MIT OpenCourseWare and DSpace, and he has served as co-chair of the MIT Council on Educational Technology.

Ethan Berman

Founder, i2Learning

Ethan founded and ran RiskMetrics Group from startup to NYSE publicly traded company until the company was sold in 2010. Ethan currently sits on two school boards and lives in New York with his three children and wife, who has a PhD in Politics and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Before starting RiskMetrics Group, Ethan was a Managing Director at JPMorgan and is a graduate of Williams College.

Cynthia Breazeal

Director, Day of AI

Cynthia Breazeal is a professor of media arts and sciences at MIT, where she founded and directs the Personal Robots group at the Media Lab.  She is the MIT dean for digital learning, and in this role, she leverages her experience in emerging digital technologies and business, research, and strategic initiatives to lead Open Learning’s business and research & engagement units.   She is also the Director of the MIT-wide Initiative on Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (raise.mit.edu). MIT RAISE is a research and outreach effort that advances access and inclusivity in AI education to people of all ages and backgrounds with a focus on K12 and the workforce. She co-founded the consumer social robotics company, Jibo, Inc., where she served as Chief Scientist and Chief Experience Officer.

Eric Klopfer

Co-Director, Day of AI

Eric Klopfer is Professor and Director of the Scheller Teacher Education Program and The Education Arcade at MIT. He is also a co-faculty director for MIT’s J-WEL World Education Lab. His work uses a Design Based Research methodology to span the educational technology ecosystem, from design and development of new technologies to professional development and implementation. Much of Klopfer’s research has focused on computer games and simulations for building understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Much of his research centers on the affordances of new technologies including AR, VR and mobile, and how those can be applied today. He is the co-author of the books Adventures in Modeling, The More We Know, and Resonant Games, as well as author of Augmented Learning. His lab has produced software (from casual mobile games to the MMO The Radix Endeavor) and platforms (including StarLogo Nova and Taleblazer) used by millions of people, as well as online courses that have reached hundreds of thousands. Klopfer is also the co-founder and past President of the non-profit Learning Games Network.