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2025 LMIT Professional Development
June 11-12, 2025 - Cambridge, MA

2025 LMIT Professional Development
June 11-12, 2025 - Cambridge, MA

PD Agenda
Speaker Info
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Agenda Speaker Info MIT Map Local Info

Lemelson-MIT Speakers

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Stephanie Couch, PhD
 
Executive Director, Lemelson-MIT Program
 
Stephanie Couch is the Executive Director of the Lemelson-MIT Program. In this role, she leads a team which help educators and students across the U.S. learn ways inventors find and solve important problems. She has dedicated her career to K-12 and higher education policy issues and is an active participant in a national invention education research group.
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Michael Cima, PhD
 
Faculty Director, Lemelson-MIT Program
 
Michael J. Cima is a David H. Koch Professor of Engineering and a professor of materials science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1982 (phi beta kappa) and a doctorate in chemical engineering in 1986, both from the University of California at Berkeley. Michael is also a Fellow of the American Ceramics Society; was elected to the National Academy of Engineering; holds the David H. Koch Chair of Engineering at MIT; is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors; a co-director of MIT's Innovation Initiative; and the associate dean of innovation for the School of Engineering at MIT.
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Cristina Sáenz, PhD
 
Invention Education Manager, Lemelson-MIT Program
 
Cristina Sáenz is the Invention Education Manager at Lemelson-MIT (LMIT).  Cristina leads the Partners in Invention Education team as they work with educators and administrators to build thriving and sustainable invention education pathways in diverse communities throughout the United States.
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Edwin Marrero
 
Invention Education Administrator, Lemelson-MIT Program
 
Prior to joining Lemelson-MIT, Edwin taught middle school mathematics in New York City public schools. He implemented unique curricula to incorporate engineering principles into core math content, providing young women, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other disinvested communities with an opportunity to apply their mathematical learnings to topics and research fields more relevant to their daily lives.
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Liza Goldstein
 
Invention Education Administrator, Lemelson-MIT Program
 
Liza Goldstein is an Invention Education Administrator at the Lemelson-MIT Program, where she leads the K-12 curricula development of hands-on invention activities and oversees local outreach efforts in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A big believer in showing kids that they can solve problems impacting their lives or communities, Liza is passionate about invention education. Liza’s background in curricula development, teaching, and STEM education, have been an asset to growing Lemelson-MIT’s collection of resources and connecting with local organizations.
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Brenda Payne
 
Invention Education Administrator (California), Lemelson-MIT Program
 
Brenda Payne has been an innovator in the field of Invention Education for K-12 students for 30 years, providing training for educators, program leaders, and administrators throughout the state of California. Brenda has provided the professional development for the CAIC curriculum teachers use in their classrooms and after school programs.
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Tamara Galoyan, PhD
 
Invention Education Learning and Curriculum Specialist, Lemelson-MIT
 

Tamara holds a PhD degree in Educational Leadership and Learning Technologies from Drexel University. She completed her two-year postdoctoral training at the University of Utah’s College of Education. Prior to joining the MIT community, Tamara worked as an Educational Research Associate at Cornell University, an Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins University, and a Research Professor at Drexel University. Tamara also served as a Founding Co-Director of Education, Learning, and Brain Sciences (E-LaBS) research lab at Drexel University

Tamara’s research is interdisciplinary and lies at the intersection of Learning Sciences, STEM education, and learning technologies. She has more than a decade of professional experience in educational research, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses, serving on dissertation committees, curriculum development, program evaluation and assessment, as well as teacher training and mentoring in the context of PreK-12, higher education, and continuous workplace learning. Tamara’s work has been published in scholarly journals and presented at national and international conferences.

Guest and Invited Speakers

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Mercedes Balcells-Camps, PhD
 
Principal Research Scientist, MIT, Institute of Medical Engineering & Science
 

In 2006 Dr. Balcells became a MIT research scientist and profesora titular in Bioengineering at her alma mater, Institut Químic de Sarria (Ramon Llull University). Through her dual appointment at MIT and Institut Químic de Sarrià, Dr. Balcells has promoted innovative, highly productive research and educative exchanges between both institutions and countries. As a direct consequence of her work in extending MIT’s international opportunities for students and faculty she created the MIT-Spain Program.

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Michael Stone
 
Director of Innovative Learning, Public Education Foundation, Chattanooga, TN
 

Michael is a dynamic leader, keynote speaker, and advocate for innovative educational practices. After a decade as a high school math teacher and basketball coach, he spearheaded the development of Tennessee’s first Fab Lab in 2014 at STEM School Chattanooga. Since then, Michael has driven the expansion of groundbreaking educational initiatives in thousands of public schools nationwide.

A former Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the National Science Foundation in Washington, DC, Michael now serves as Vice President of Innovative Learning at the Public Education Foundation in Chattanooga, TN. In this role, he leads transformative programs, including the Volkswagen eLab network—the largest network of FabLabs in the world, making digital fabrication available to more than 35,000 public school students in his community. Through his work with VW eLabs, he recently founded FabFolio, a web-based software platform that closes the gap between K-12 education and local employers through a novel approach to micro-credentialing. 

Michael has shared his insights on innovative leadership strategies and generative AI integration with audiences across dozens of states and internationally. He also works with executive teams at private and government organizations to harness the potential of generative AI for greater impact and productivity.

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David Coronado
 
Senior Program Officer, The Lemelson Foundation
 

David Coronado joined The Lemelson Foundation as a Senior Program Officer in 2016 to help equip schools and school districts across the United States with innovative tools and resources that help empower youth with cutting-edge skills and confidence to design their own futures.

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Katrina Hull
 
High School Educator, Lemelson-MIT Invention Education Fellow
 

Katrina Hull has been teaching in the high school classroom for over 12 years. Most recently she was a Math turned CTE Engineering Teacher at McKay High School, a fully comprehensive Title I high school in Salem, Oregon. Her primary focus is giving students a solid foundation while in high school that they can use as a springboard to jump into what is next. She has a deep passion for seeing all students succeed and giving students opportunities to connect to role models that look and sound like them. 

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Katie Krummeck
 
Program Officer, The Lemelson Foundation
 
Katie Krummeck joined The Lemelson Foundation in 2023 as a Program Officer. Focusing on Invention Education, Krummeck leverages the power of design to drive change in social systems, and uses the design process and maker-based instruction to create student-centered learning experiences that develop students’ creative confidence, optimism, and problem-solving skills. 
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Leigh Estabrooks, EdD
 
Invention Education Officer Emerita, Lemelson-MIT Program
 
 Leigh Estabrooks has been a part of the LMIT family since 2006.  Leigh managed the InvenTeams initiative and two years later became the Invention Education Officer, overseeing all K-12 invention education initiatives. She has been instrumental in the development of new initiatives, including Junior Varsity InvenTeams™ and the 2010 launch of the Inventing Merit Badge with the Boy Scouts of America. Leigh was active in the development of LMIT's proprietary curriculum, Inventing Smart Solutions.  Leigh previously held positions in product development at Fortune 500 companies and was a licensed secondary school educator. She received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Tennessee, a master’s degree in business management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a doctoral degree in education from Northeastern University. Though Leigh retired from MIT in December 2024, she remains an active contributor to LMIT programs with a focus on education about the importance of intellectual Property. 
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Kevin Schoedinger
 
Industry Lead for the Office of Innovation at Fayette County Public Schools
 

Kevin is an industry veteran, inventor, and educator with over 60 patents and a career rooted in high-impact research and product innovation. As the former leader of breakthrough R&D projects, Kevin is known for assembling high-performing teams, fostering bold thinking, and delivering game changing results. He now serves as the Industry Lead for the Office of Innovation at Fayette County Public Schools; and as Chief Technology Officer at K. North, a nonprofit helping older adults stay connected and safe from scams.

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Doug Scott
 
High School Educator
 

Doug Scott has taught high school engineering, robotics, and technology for 19 years. Doug has led numerous robotics and competitive technology teams to state and regional championships as well as national and international competitions. He serves as a fellow for LMIT and an ambassador for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, assisting students and teachers nationwide through invention processes.  

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Kevin Warfield
 
High School Educator
 

Kevin Warfield was an educator on the Greenbrier East High School InvenTeams in 2017 and 2022 as well as an educator on a Samsung Solve for Tomorrow National Finalist team in 2023. He joined Greenbrier East High School in 2006 as a drafting and computer repair teacher after spending 15 years in the civil engineering and architecture fields. Kevin was named a state finalist for West Virginia teacher of the Year in 2015. 

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Marissa Young, MBA
 
Business Management Instructor, Rio Hondo College
 

Marissa Young, MBA, ABD, has over 20 years of progressive business management experience spanning both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Her experience encompasses sales, marketing, management, and international business. Her work led her to travel extensively internationally, which has provided her with a strong global mindset and a vast appreciation of cultural diversity. Marissa is currently working on her doctorate in Business Administration at George Fox University.

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Marissa Young
 
Business Management Instructor, Rio Hondo College
 

Marissa Young, MBA, ABD, has over 20 years of progressive business management experience spanning both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Her experience encompasses sales, marketing, management, and international business. In Marissa’s more recent experience, she has partnered with Rio Hondo faculty and Lemelson-MIT to launch an invention education initiative at Rio Hondo College encompassing curriculum development, launching a makerspace, and other innovative programs.