Joe Michaelis has a PhD in Learning Sciences and a Master’s in Science Education Leadership, and is a former science educator and FIRST robotics in urban middle and high schools.  His research interests are in designing educational technologies, including learning companion robots, that foster STEM interest and learning through socially situated interest scaffolding. Joe’s current research includes designing Minnie, a learning companion robot designed to read with children, and exploring how experts implement and program collaborative robots in the workplace to inform the design of learning technologies to support developing that type of expertise.