MIT Scaling Development Ventures

LIBBY HSU

Instructor & Education Coordinator, MIT D-Lab

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Libby graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and received master's degrees in structural engineering and building technology from MIT. She became involved with D-Lab by taking the D-Lab: Schools class and traveling to Cambodia to work on alternative concretes. Now she co-teaches D-Lab: Energy and D-Lab: Development, coordinates D-Lab's student work in El Salvador, trains D-Lab trip leaders who are taking students to the field, and supports instructors and students in the D-Lab ecosystem. Additionally, Libby has been part of MIT's Mind+Hand+Heart Initiative since 2015, as part of the Increase Help Seeking working group. She speaks German and Spanish, and works as a freelance technical editor. In short, Libby strives to facilitate great communication for successful global and local collaborations. She also reads voraciously, knits, plays the piano, and talks about sanitation rights and toilet designs with anyone who will humor her.

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PEDRO REYNOLDS-CUELLAR

Masters Candidate and Research Assistant, Personal Robotics Group, MIT Media Lab

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Pedro Reynolds-Cuéllar is a Research Assistant at the Personal Robots Group. He received his Bachelor’s of Sciences in Linguistics and Language Philosophy from the National University of Colombia. His research focuses on exploring mechanisms through which intelligent agents such as robots can engage humans in self-reflective activities. His approach draws from principles of Affective Computing, Cultural Evolution, Cognitive Sciences, Linguistics, and Philosophy. He also contributes to the group on projects related to human-robot storytelling interactions and self-driven learning in the context of literacy. Prior to Personal Robots, he worked as part of the Learning Team at One Laptop per Child. He led numerous deployments in Colombia and Argentina and was the Head of Learning and Country Manager for OLPC Rwanda. He worked for several years at the MIT D-Lab as an Instructor and Researcher in the areas of intersection between low-cost technology, education, and waste management. 

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SHER VOGEL

IDDS Program Manager, IDIN / MIT D-Lab

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Sher Vogel is the IDDS Program Manager for the International Development Innovation Network (IDIN) based at MIT D-Lab, where she oversees and supports local organizing teams in the designing, implementation, and evaluation of all International Development Design Summits.  IDDS is intense, catalytic hands-on design experience that brings together a diverse group of participants (including local community members) to understand local development challenges and co-create appropriate solutions in two to four weeks. This year, there are 3 summits happening around the globe.  All summits are run by volunteer local organizers in tandem with international organizers who have all been former IDDS participants.  Sher has a passion for inviting community voices and local context to the design process and has experience team building, community building, and facilitating a variety of cross-cultural and participatory trainings across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.  She is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Ethiopia (’09-’13) where a majority of her work focused on women’s empowerment, HIV/AIDS education, and peer support.

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BETH ZONIS

Director of Partnerships & Programs, Emerging Worlds/MIT Media Lab

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Beth Zonis, Director of Partnerships and Programs for the Emerging Worlds SIG at the Media Lab, has over 25 years of experience in strategy, innovation, and communications. She has worked for several IT startups, IBM, and MIT. She founded and ran her own consulting firm, Eco Marketing. Prior to working with the Emerging Worlds team, she helped build the Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Skoltech in Moscow, and she led communications for the Office of Digital Learning at MIT. She is strengthening the Emerging Worlds platform in India, enabling innovation hubs in new regions, and engaging new members. Beth is a mentor with the Cleantech Open and a Board Member of ACTION, an association of cleantech and other incubators. Beth holds a B.A. from Wellesley College, cum laude, in Political Science and French, and an MBA from Boston University. She speaks French and Spanish.