Cartoon Network Establishes STEAM Advisory Board

ATLANTA: Turner’s Cartoon Network has launched a new board comprised of industry and academic experts who will advise and inform its efforts related to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math).

The STEAM advisory board marks the latest in a series of initiatives and collaborations that began with a $30 million commitment by Cartoon Network in conjunction with President Obama’s Computer Science for All program. Members of the newly created board include Mimi Ito, a professor at UC Irvine; Zach Klein, the CEO of DIY Co.; Karen Peterson, the CEO of National Girls Collaborative; Mitchel Resnick of MIT; and Diana Skaar, the head of business innovation for robotics at X (formerly Google[x]).

In addition to its commitment to the Computer Science for All initiative, Cartoon Network has partnered with leaders such as MIT Media Lab’s Scratch project, DIY and Google’s Made with Code to leverage coding as a means for children to express ideas, create stories and make art.

“Cartoon Network’s unparalleled multiplatform reach uniquely positions us to meet kids where they are and find new ways to unlock their creativity through technology,” said Christina Miller, the president of Cartoon Network. “Now, with the leadership of this incredible group of dedicated visionaries, we will accelerate and expand our reach, fulfilling our goal of giving Plurals creative confidence to become the next generation of creators, animators and makers.”

Resnick is the LEGO Papert professor of learning research and head of the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab. He develops new technologies and activities to engage children in creative learning experiences. His Lifelong Kindergarten research group collaborated with the LEGO Company on the development of the LEGO Mindstorms robotics kits, and it developed the Scratch programming software and online community. He also co-founded the Computer Clubhouse project, an international network of 100 after-school learning centers for youth from low-income communities.

“To flourish in today’s fast-changing society, kids must learn to express themselves creatively,” Resnick commented. “The collaboration between Scratch and Cartoon Network has unleashed the creativity of kids around the world, enabling them to program interactive games and animations based on their favorite Cartoon Network characters. I’m excited to join the Cartoon Network STEAM Advisory Board to explore new ways to engage kids in creative learning experiences.”

Ito is professor in residence and MacArthur Foundation Chair in digital media and learning at UC Irvine. She is a cultural anthropologist of digital culture and an advocate for connected learning that is youth-centered, interest-driven, hands-on and social. Her research looks at youth engagement where creativity, technology and learning intersect, including a three-year collaborative ethnographic study, funded by the MacArthur Foundation, examining youth new media practices in the U.S., and focusing on gaming, digital media production and internet use.

Klein’s DIY Co. hosts two online platforms that allow kids to learn new skills online and share their creations with other children. Klein is best known for co-founding and designing Vimeo and has also worked on other start-ups.

Peterson has more than 25 years of experience in education and is currently the National Science Foundation’s principal investigator for the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP), which she designed. The NGCP’s goal is to maximize access to shared resources for public and private sector organizations that are seeking to expand girls’ participation in STEM.

Skaar leads business development efforts for moonshot solutions involving robotic technologies. Since joining Google in 2008, Skaar has led the partnerships effort for several initiatives across the company, including Google Research, with a focus on machine intelligence, and the Google Art Project, where she has made artwork more universally accessible, among other accomplishments.