There has been a revolution in our understanding of children’s minds, brains and learning capacities. We now recognize that young children know, feel and learn more than we ever imagined. In laboratories at I-LABS and around the world, children’s natural curiosity and drive to learn is being uncovered in basic research studies. Just as basic research into genetic mechanisms led to the Genome Project, discoveries about the developing mind set the stage for a new science of learning requiring new policies and programs. Combining interdisciplinary and cross-cultural approaches, I-LABS scientists are on the forefront of these basic discoveries. We have received multi-million dollar federal and private grants and are positioned to become world leaders in early learning and brain development research. To carry this strategy forward, however, we will need additional resources.
The leadership provided by I-LABS’ Co-Directors Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff is essential and has been secured. Dr. Meltzoff holds the Job and Gertrud Tamaki Endowed Chair. Dr. Kuhl holds the Bezos Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning. Kuhl and Meltzoff have been widely recognized for their scientific work. Kuhl is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and Meltzoff is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Each have individually and jointly been honored with numerous international awards and prizes. They were joint recipients of the Kenneth Craik Award from the University of Cambridge in England in 2005. Kuhl is also a member of the Rodin Academy and received the Gold Medal from the acoustics branch of the American Institute of Physics in 2008. Kuhl is overall director and Meltzoff a co-director of the $25 million National Science Foundation Science of Learning project at the University of Washington, which integrates neuroscience and education across three institutions: the University of Washington, Stanford University, and SRI (Stanford Research International, an independent R&D organization in Silicon Valley). The leadership and expertise of Dr. Kuhl and Dr. Meltzoff are unmatched in the field. They have the combined talent and drive to propel the Developing Mind Project into exciting new frontiers.
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For science to impact society, research discoveries must reach the public. This requires two coordinated steps. The first step is the “translation” of research. Scientific discoveries are typically published in scientific journals that are highly technical. They need to be translated and interpreted before they can be used to formulate policy recommendations and to put changes into practice. I-LABS scientists will solve this “translation gap” by developing actionable recommendations based on the scientific findings. The second step is dissemination. I-LABS and its partners will develop strategies that communicate recommendations to policy-makers, business leaders, educators, parents and others who can benefit from them. These two coordinated steps will shorten the delay from discovery to practice in early learning.
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