Walter is president for software and content development of One Laptop per Child, a non-profit association. He is also a senior scientist and director of the Electronic Publishing group at the MIT Media Laboratory, where he served as Executive Director for a number of years. Mr. Bender also directs the Gray Matters special interest group at the Lab, which focuses on technology's impact on the aging population. A founding member of the Media Laboratory, Mr. Bender is engaged in the study of new information technologies, particularly those that affect people directly. Much of the research addresses the idea of building upon the interactive styles associated with existing media and extending them into domains where a computer is incorporated into the interaction. He has participated in much of the pioneering research in the field of electronic publishing and personalized interactive multi-media. He received his BA from Harvard University in 1977. Mr. Bender joined the Architecture Machine Group at MIT in 1978. He received his MS at MIT in 1980. |