Dr. Kurt Fendt is Senior Lecturer in Comparative Media Studies/Writing (CMS/W) and Director of MIT’s Active Archives Initiative. He teaches Digital Humanities subjects in CMS/W and German Studies courses in Global Studies and Languages. He is PI of the collaborative annotation platform Annotation Studio among several other Digital Humanities projects.

Anugrah Chemparathy is a junior at MIT majoring in Computer Science. At MIT he’s interested in applied math, machine learning, and a little bit of algorithms. He loves building random things and has been doing origami since he was in elementary school. Also he also enjoys casually thinking about interior decor and coming up with ways to improve the day-to-day useability and aesthetic of the lounge near his dorm room.

He keeps an origami blog and an out of date gallery

Rebecca Friedman is a first year student at Wellesley College. She is a prospective Media Arts and Sciences major with a background in art and design. She is interested in how museums create interactive spaces for visitors to engage with exhibitions in immersive experiences that promote experiential learning.

Betsy Tian is a sophomore at MIT studying computer science. As an avid museum goer with a passion for art history, she loves visiting museums all over the world. She’s excited to bring her CS background to investigate how museums are evolving and reshaping visitor interaction and experiences.

Tiffany Louie is a junior studying Electrical Engineering at MIT and a concentration in CMS. She is interested in education, curriculum development, and photography. She is interested in designing with space and human interaction in mind.

Rachel (she/her/hers) is a current M.Ed candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology. Rachel is passionate about creating equitable and meaningful learning opportunities for youth, especially in informal learning settings. She’s a current Graduate Student Teacher at the Harvard Art Museums.

Rachel has been a public school teacher in NYC for the last 6 years, holding a Masters of Education in Teaching English Grades 7-12, spending many of her weekends and summers working with a non-profit as an instructor and curriculum designer. Before New York, she worked and volunteered in after school programs around the Twin Cities in Minnesota while obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature.

Andrew Stoddard is a Senior at MIT majoring in Computer Science (6-3) and minoring in Management (15-1). He is a member of the lightweight rowing team, and he also enjoys cycling, skiing, and climbing. Andrew has experience in fullstack software engineering, and is interested in exploring the intersection of music and software. Some of his projects include working with the Spotify API and using the Harvard Art Museum API to create a platform to digitally augment the museum experience.

Razan is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at Harvard University (Master of Science in Media, Medicine, and Health) with a focus on oral cancer awareness, accessibility to surgical care, and change in general dentists’ habits. She also founded InnoVSP, a virtual platform that teaches virtual surgical planning. She strives to empower students and healthcare providers by reviving the artistic and philosophical sides of the field through the enhanced museum experience. She enjoys art, literary work, and languages.

Livia Zhang is a junior at MIT majoring in mechanical engineering. Outside of designing and creating products, she enjoys game development, VR/AR dev, making robots, and music composition. She is particularly interested in the intersection between media and its impact on everyday lives, specifically in terms of mental health and other psychological areas.

Lamees Rahman is a current junior at Wellesley College majoring in Media Arts and Sciences and Studio Assistant at the Institute of Contemporary Art. She is originally from Bangladesh and grew up in Singapore. Lamees has a background in printmaking, illustration, and design. She is also interested in user interface design, enhancing museum experiences and education, and integrating traditional and digital mediums into artworks. View portfolio

Jack is a master’s student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education focusing on Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology. Previously a chemistry student at Cornell, Jack brings his love of education, learning, and fun to everything he does. He’s currently an Educator on the Public Interface Team at Harvard CAMLab, facilitating and shaping visitor experiences. In the future, Jack intends on working in the informal education realm, and whether that’s to be museum work, ed tech, or something else, is to be seen. If you want someone to be excited with you, please feel free to reach out to him!

Chris Rinard

Chris Rinard is a current 6-3 at MIT, planning on finishing in the Fall of 2023. He’s done work in Machine Learning and hiring, Embedded Systems in Aerospace, as well as research in using sensors in innovative ways. He enjoys climbing, flying, and running.

Candy Xie is a sophomore at MIT double majoring in computer science (AI track) and math. In the past, she has taken several courses related to machine learning, such as quantitative natural language processing. She has also done research projects and internships applying machine learning to different areas, such as neuroscience and finance. She is eager to see how AI and VR can be used in museum designs.

Aron Qiu is a sophomore student at MIT studying architecture and finance. His past experience in the relevant fields include architectural design, graphic illustrations across different media, art installation, as well as data processing. He previously worked as a design researcher at MIT Media Lab: Fluid Interfaces Group where his team partnered with Snapchat on a soundscapes project that focused on transforming vocalization & ephemeral sounds to tangible artifacts through AR/VR features in Lens Studio. He is excited to explore the intersection between spatial presentation, technological innovations, and visual communication in today’s museum display.

Anirudh(Ani) Rahul is a junior at MIT majoring in Computer Science. Coming from a math and computer science background in high school he is interested in solving challenging technical that may arise when integrating new technologies like AR/VR into novel settings like museums. He has experience with image processing, computer vision, and web development.

View portfolio

Amy Ni

Amy Ni is a senior at MIT majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science with a concentration in Comparative Media Studies. While at MIT, she gain game developing skills through various classes and worked with the MIT Game Lab to develop several educational participatory games. She is looking for interesting and inventive ways of creating and implementing interative digital systems in classrooms and museums.