App Inventor: Transforming Tech Consumers into Community Innovators

App Inventor is a free, open-source web platform that empowers people of all ages to create mobile applications and make a meaningful impact on their communities. Built on over 15 years of research and development by MIT and Google, App Inventor helps users become creators–not just consumers–of technology.

Its foundation lies in the principles of constructionism and computational action: the belief that people learn best when actively engaged in building projects that are personally meaningful and useful to themselves and those around them. Through teacher and student education programs, along with global app challenges in partnership with local governments and nonprofits, App Inventor inspires users to develop apps that benefit their communities, fostering both digital literacy and civic engagement.

About our guests 

Natalie Lao (photo, LinkedIn): Dr. Natalie Lao is the Executive Director of the App Inventor Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by professors and engineers at MIT and Google with the mission of empowering students to create meaningful technologies that can transform their lives and uplift their communities. She received her B.S., M.Eng., and Ph.D. in EECS from MIT CSAIL (the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory), where she developed database and AI components, and led research, curriculum development, and teacher training for MIT App Inventor initiatives across the globe. At MIT, she was Co-creator and Instructor for the undergraduate course 6.S198: Deep Learning Practicum, and led the trajectory team for the MIT Inclusive AI Literacy and Learning project. Natalie serves as Expert on Mission for UNESCO's AI & the Futures of Learning project, where she co-authored the United Nations's AI Competency Framework for School Students.

Maura Moore-McCune (LinkedIn) is a student in Kings Hospital School and has created VIPMOD: Vision Impaired Person’s Moving Object Detector - an award-winning app which detects fast-moving objects for use by vision impaired people so that they can live safer and more independent lives. Vision Ireland will be testing VIPMOD in the WayFinding Centre – an indoor environment replicating the real-world experience of using public transport for vision impaired people.

Tianyi (Tony) Huang (LinkedIn) is a rising senior at American High School in California and the founder and president of App-In Club, a global student-led nonprofit that empowers students of all ages to create impactful apps. Since learning about MIT App Inventor in 9th grade, Tony has created numerous apps and won the Congressional App Challenge and the World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY).