Creative Problem Solving and Inventing

Honored as a trailblazing female innovator by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Arlyne Simon is on a mission to inspire kid inventors everywhere. She is a biomedical engineer, patented inventor, author of the “Abby Invents” picture book series and founder of Timouns – a multicultural children's products company. As an author, Arlyne crafts stories about a girl inventor who creates things kids wish existed like unbreakable crayons and foldibots! Arlyne is also staying busy as an AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassador, advocating for girls in STEM.  

Deoksoon Kim is an associate professor in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. Her research has focused on understanding the needs of immigrant students so that educators can more effectively help them learn English and succeed in school. She has worked on second language reading and literacy and on how to incorporate instructional technology in order to facilitate language learning and teacher education. Recently she has studied how digital storytelling can support English language learners and teachers. She is also working on using invention education to support English language learners in their development of scientific literacy.

George Westerman works at the dynamic intersection of executive leadership and technology strategy. He has spent over 17 years with MIT Sloan School of Management where he is co-chair of the MIT Sloan CIO Leadership Awards. He has written three award-winning books, including “Leading Digital: Turning Technology Into Business Transformation.” As a pioneering researcher on digital transformation, George has published papers in Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, and other top journals. He is a member of the Digital Strategy Roundtable for the U.S. Library of Congress and earned his PhD from Harvard Business School. He focuses on helping employers, educators, and others to rethink the process of workforce learning.

Ken spent nearly two decades promoting a new model of K-12 education. Most recently he served as CEO of EdLeader21, a professional learning community of more than 200 school districts around the U.S. Prior to this, Ken was the founding president of Partnership for 21st Century Skills, executive director of the CEO Forum on Education and Technology, and founder of a landmark coalition of U.S. universities & high-tech companies focused on research and development issues. Along with Valerie Greenhill, he has authored “The Leader’s Guide to 21st Century Education: 7 Steps for Schools and Districts.” Ken has also written the foreword to the book, “21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn.” Currently, he serves on the board of the Buck Institute for Education.

Suzie Boss is a writer and educational consultant from Portland, Oregon, working to harness the power of teaching, learning, and storytelling to improve lives and transform communities. Recent projects have taken her across the United States and around the globe to support schools that are shifting away from traditional instruction and engaging students in real-world problem solving. She has had the privilege of collaborating with educators everywhere from India, to Europe, to South America, and is a PBLWorks National Faculty emeritus, and long-time contributor to Edutopia.