Untitled Document Mike Hawley - Speaker Biography Filming a PBS special Mike Hawley researches the ways digital media will change the things we use and play with every day. As Alex W. Dreyfoos Professor of Media Technology at the MIT Media Lab , Dr. Hawley is principal investigator of Things that Think , and innovative research program exploring the integration of cutting-edge technology into everyday objects. He also directs Toys of Tomorrow , a consortium that studies and encourages the development of new playthings from the world s leading toy companies. When we play, we have our best ideas and make our best friends, he says.
Toys are the media of play, and they touch the heart and soul .
Hawley developed the world s first library of digital books with Steve Jobs at NeXT . The recipient of the first Jack Kilby prize for innovation in science, Hawley is also an accomplished pianist and a yo-yo champion. Mike holds undergraduate degrees in Music and Computer Science from Yale University, where he is now a fellow and Trustee at Jonathan Edwards College.