Melissa Koch
Melissa Koch is a senior educational developer in the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International. In this role, she designs and implements educational learning environments for educators and youth. She specializes in the development of engineering, computer science, and technology-based curricula for learning in and out of school.
She is the principal investigator for two programs: Build IT and InnovaTE3 with funding from the National Science Foundation and The Noyce Foundation. Build IT is a curriculum that uses design and communication technologies to inspire middle school girls to become more technology fluent, to explore computer science concepts, and to consider a career in information technology. This program is scaling and achieving sustainability in the Girls Inc. network. The InnovaTE3 curriculum challenges high school girls to develop ecologically sustainable innovations. Developing these innovations will motivate girls to explore the STEM fields and careers needed to address these important problems.
Koch has developed several Internet products for the education market while working with organizations such as RealCommunities, Computer Curriculum Corporation, Pearson, The Learning Company, PBS, The Edison Project, and O'Reilly & Associates.
Koch has a B.A. in English with an interdisciplinary concentration in gender and women's studies from Grinnell College. She also has an M.A. in mass communications and a telecommunications science, management, and policy certificate from Northwestern University.
