Jay Silver

Inventor
Website: 1derful.org Invention: MaKey MaKey Interesting: Jay Silver on CNN.com
Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum's MaKey MaKey kit lets you turn everyday objects into computer interfaces — inspiring both fun and practical new inventions.

Why you should listen

Jay Silver is the founder/director of JoyLabz and a Maker Research Scientist at Intel Labs. With Eric Rosenbaum, he's the co-inventor of MaKey MaKey. He also runs digital prototyping workshops for many companies such as IDEO and youth centers such as Computer Clubhouses.

Silver studied electrical engineering at Georgia Tech, where he was named Engineer of the Year. He was awarded a Gates Scholarship to earn a master’s in Internet Technology from Cambridge University. He also holds a master’s in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT Media Lab where he was an NSF Fellow. At MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten, he won a Lemelson Student Prize.

Photo: Thatcher Cook 

What others say

“This childlike sense of play, curiosity and discovery -- one that many people lose as they move through adulthood -- has informed Silver's life and work ever since.” — CNN.com

Jay Silver’s TED talk