Layne is a PhD student in computer science, a former preschool teacher, and the founder of MindScribe, an award-winning research and design studio building tools for early childhood.

MindScribe combines robotics, arts, and craft to support preliterate children in developing their ideas and sharing their stories. MindScribe was awarded the Early Childhood Innovation Prize in 2018 by OpenIDEO and Gary Community Investments for their ability to maximize potential in the first few years of life.

Layne is a former foster kid who draws on her own experiences of early childhood trauma and displacement. She works to create new opportunities for young children to reflect on their ideas, express their perspectives, and develop their own innovations.

“Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.”
—Langston Hughes