IMPACT Libraries

Principal Investigator

Dr. Mega Subramaniam

Dr. Mega Subramaniam is a Professor and the Co-Director of the Youth Experience (YX) Lab at the College of Information Studies (known as the iSchool) at the University of Maryland. She received her Ph.D in Information Studies from Florida State University and her master’s degree in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University, Bloomington. Dr. Subramaniam’s research focuses on enhancing the role of libraries in fostering the mastery of emerging digital literacies that are essential for STEM learning among underserved young people. She can be reached at mmsubram@umd.edu

Principal Investigator

Dr. David Weintrop

Dr. David Weintrop is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland with a joint appointment in the Teaching & Learning, Policy & Leadership (TLPL) department in the College of Education and the College of Information Studies (Maryland’s iSchool). Dr. Weintrop’s research seeks to understand how best to support learners in developing meaningful understandings of computational ideas and positive attitudes towards computing. This includes looking at ways to make computer programming more intuitive, accessible and enjoyable as well as research investigating ways to integrate computational thinking into diverse learning contexts. He can be reached at weintrop@umd.edu.

Graduate Student

Nitzan Koren

Nitzan Koren is a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland iSchool. She received her master’s in Science Education (educational technology concentration) from Tel Aviv University in 2019. Nitzan is an instructional designer with experience working in the tech, insurance, and health industries. She is creating learning experiences for and with youth to acquire information and digital literacy in afterschool settings such as libraries and community centers. Currently, she is exploring how to design programs for youth to develop political information literacy for civic engagement. She can be reached at nkoren@umd.edu

Graduate Student

Jimmy Lin

Jimmy Lin is a doctoral student in the Technology, Learning and Leadership PhD program at the University of Maryland’s College of Education. He got his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia, double majored in Mathematics and Mathematics Education. He also has a master’s from University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education in Learning Science and Technology.
As a lifelong programmer, He hold a firm belief in the importance of computer programming education. His research focuses on exploring ways to bridge the gap between block-based and text-based programming and using physical computing as a means to support computer science programming education. He can be reached at jimmylin@umd.edu