April 20, 2013 - Over 750 children and families from 7 south King Country school districts and communities converged on Foster High School in Tukwila for the Community Center for Education Results Road Map project Parent Forum to learn about educational resources and how to engage and advocate for children within and without the school system. The I-LABS interactive exhibits on display drew and engaged parents and children from Russian, Somali, Vietnamese, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and English speaking families. Members of the I-LABS outreach team were also interviewed by reporters from Univision Seattle for a Spanish-language story that aired on April 22.
April 5-6, 2013 - For the second year in a row, the entire I-LABS Outreach Team was on hand at the Pacific Science Center during the University of Washington PAWS-On Science Husky Weekend. Over 13,000 parents and children came through the Center and learned about the science of early learning at our interactive booth featuring 3 hands-on exhibits. This event also featured the debut of our newest exhibit showing participants how much babies are learning by watching the emotional interactions of people around them.
March 28, 2013 - Outreach Specialist Lindsay Klarman shared the scientific fundamentals of early learning and early brain development with members of the Parent Navigator program. Graduates of the Parent Ambassador program will reach out to parents about what to look for in quality child care and how to navigate the early learning system in Washington State.
March 23, 2013 – Outreach Specialist Dr. Sarah Roseberry presented the second in a series of webinars with MomsRising.org for Washington State parents. This one, “Best Practices for Using Screen Media with Young Children"; reviewed the most recent research about if and when children learn from screen media and presented tools for parents to use as they make educated decisions about media use with their family.
The first webinar on 1/13/13 shed light on the fundamentals of early brain development in young children. The webinar was geared towards parents and activists engaged in MomsRising's Washington State early learning campaign (Listen to the archived webinar and check out the accompanying slides.) I-LABS is working with MomsRising to develop a series of webinars for Washington State, North Carolina, and the national level. Stay tuned.
March 5, 2013 - For the 5th year in a row, the I-LABS interactive exhibits were a hit at the annual Brain Awareness Week Open House, this year held at the University of Washington HUB. Students from schools across the Pacific Northwest came to learn from different units at UW about different facets of the brain. I-LABS interactive booths use a touch-screen display and "game" with researchers to help children discover the uniqueness of how their experience shapes their perception.
February 26, 2013 – Outreach Specialist Dr. Elizabeth Zack was invited as a guest speaker for the Lake Washington Toddler Group’s parent education series at Lake Washington Institute of Technology. Over 100 parents and early childhood education students attended Dr. Zack’s presentation, “Learning from the Screen: How Social Interaction Can Mediate Media”, in which she discussed research showing that parents and caregivers play an important role in helping young children learn from screen media, including television, computers, and touch screens. Dr. Zack encouraged parents to think about the media content, the context in which the media is used and their individual child to evaluate what and when screen media might be appropriate for their family.
February 6, 2013 - Outreach Specialist Lindsay Klarman was invited as a guest speaker for Jewish Family Services' (JFS) family life series. This is the second year I-LABS has been involved with these events. With over 60 parents in attendance she discussed how early experiences affect lifelong learning. I-LABS' research shows how children process information to learn language, how social skills are guided by interactions and relationships, and how their brains are constantly re-configuring. Pioneering brain imaging technologies were also discussed as a way to reveal how research will connect brains, behaviors and the environment to fully support every child's learning.
January 11, 2013 - I-LABS Co-Director Dr. Patricia Kuhl keynoted the Mason County Early Learning Coalition luncheon at the Alderbrook Resort and Spa in Union, Washington. She shared the stage with such legislative early learning champions as Rep. Kathy Haigh who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommitee on Education, Rep. Ruth Kagi, who chairs the House Early Learning and Children's Services Committee, and former state representative Lynn Kessler, who is a member of the I-LABS Advisory Board.
August 13, 2012 - I-LABS Outreach Specialist Sarah Roseberry, Ph.D., was the featured speaker at the August Pacific Science Center Science Café, a monthly event sponsored by KCTS and the Pacific Science Center. The Science Café series aims to connect researchers with the public and foster interesting conversations. At the café, Sarah presented the latest research on children’s ability to learn from screen media, like TV, computers and smart phones. With over fifty parents, educators, students and engaged citizens in attendance, the hour-long Q&A session featured discussion about televisions in bedrooms, the future of apps for children, and finding appropriate media for children of different ages. A full video of the event can be watched online.
I-LABS Co-Director Patricia Kuhl was a featured speaker at the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival held in Aspen Colorado. This week-long event, now in it's eighth year, aims to "gather some of the most interesting thinkers and leaders from around the US and abroad to discuss their work, the issues that inspire them, and their ideas."
A Child's First 2000 Days: What's the Brain Got to Do With It? Why are young children the most creative creatures on the planet, and how do they learn more in the first 5 years of life than during any other 5-year period in their lifetimes? I will take you on a visual tour of brain development through the first 2000 days of a child’s life, and illustrate the role we play in developing a child’s mind in the early period that prepares them for school and for life.
Over 30,000 children and families attended the Seattle Science Festival at Seattle Center on June 2, 2012. Throughout the day, the I-LABS booth was mobbed by thousands of kids and families who got dirty, wet, sticky, and smart in the name of science.
Exhibit 1 included a touch screen investigating how infant brains learn language. Exhibit 2 involved a live interaction showing how babies learn from the people in their environment. Exhibit 3 gave young children unique ways 'play' with their brains:
Parents raved about the creative use of the metaphors to help them and their children understand brains and how they work. Even Washington's Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) Randy Dorn popped by for a visit.
May 24, 2012 - I-LABS Outreach Specialist Lindsay Klarman visited Interlake High School in Bellevue to present to the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. This competitive year long elective class accepts and prepares students with academic potential for success in college. The presentation covered brain Science and methodologies used to study infants and children, specifically key areas such as language, social-emotional, and cognition. Students gathered insight on key ingredients for a "healthy" brain and environmental factors that can help or hinder potential growth.
May 24, 2012 - Dr. Kuhl introduced an intimate group of early learning supporters to I-LABS' latest scientific discoveries at Thrive by Five's "Thrive After Five" evening reception.
May 15, 2012 - I-LABS Outreach Specialist Lindsay Klarman gave a presentations for the Wenatchee Sunrise Rotary Club on the science of early learning and the connection of research to practice. This group of over one hundred members (including former educators, a school superintendent, and medical practitioners) is dedicated to helping make their community a better place to live and grow. This presentations focused on early brain development and child language in both monolingual and bilingual households. The Rotarians were introduced to cognitive flexibility and research methodologies at I-LABS, including both behavioral, such as gaze following and joint attention, and brain measures, such as Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and Magnetoencephalography (MEG).
April 24, 2012 - Drs. Kuhl and Meltzoff gave a keynote presentation to parents and the public on "What Discoveries in Brain Science Tell Us About Elementary Education and How People Learn."
March 30-31, 2012 - Nearly 10,000 children and families had opportunity to delve into the science or learning with I-LABS at our booth at this year's Paws on Science event, a collaboration between UW and the Pacific Science Center. Our interactive exhibit, called "Seeing and Hearing Language" highlighted the ways that the brain acts like a sponge, reshaping itself based on whatever it is exposed to. To highlight the critical role of language input and interaction, demonstrations included an interactive touch-screen where visitors of all ages could experience the effects of how the brain is "wired" and "tuned" specifically to the languages around it, starting early in life. Visitors also learned first-hand how non-verbal cues, including gesture, eye-gaze and imitation are all used by even the youngest babies to learn their first language. During the fun two-day event, young scientists and their families got to explore how brain science and early learning go together, and how they too can observe, teach, and learn from the babies in their lives. In addition to all the young scientists who came to visit our booth, we also had a chance to hang out with Dubs, Harry the Husky, and the UW Marching Band.
March 7, 2012 - For the fourth year in a row, I-LABS participated in the annual Brain Awareness Week student science fair at MOHAI supported by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives. Hundreds of middle and high school students from around the Puget Sound region came to the I-LABS booth to experience our two new interactive exhibits. The exhibits feature a touch screen through which participants discovered how early experiences shape our perceptions when it comes to using language and a live demonstration of how we use more than our mouths to communicate. These demonstrations highlight the critical role of social interaction and how it shapes our brains’ development.
March 1, 2012 - I-LABS Outreach Specialist Lindsay Klarman gave two interactive presentations for Mercer Island High School’s Brain Science learning program, an annual program involving over fifty students and multiple teachers from the school’s science department. Presentations focused on early brain development and child language acquisition in monolingual and bilingual populations. Students were introduced to cognitive flexibility and research methodologies including both behavioral, such as the Head Turn technique, and brain measures, such as Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and Magnetoencephalography (MEG).
December 2011 - From babbling to sentences, a child takes a fascinating journey as they begin to talk, read, and learn. At the December Queen Anne Science Café, join Gina Lebedeva, Ph.D., to explore how our social interactions shape children's brains and influence their capacity to learn. Watch the video.
December 5, 2011 - Playing silly games with babies and reading to toddlers aren't just fun activities; they also help children develop the skills they'll need when they start school, like putting sounds together or knowing a book's pages are turned while you read. Not all children are equally prepared. Some are already behind on the first day of kindergarten. What skills do toddlers need? How do they get them? Which toddlers aren't developing those skills? Is anyone stepping in to fill the gap? Read more and listen to the program.
October 15, 2011 - Special guest speaker Gina Lebedeva met with parents at the Nurturing Pathways Parent Education Seminar to show them 'how the brain hard wires a child’s mind for language and the connection to cognition, reading and writing'
October 10, 2011 - Gina Lebedeva was an invited participant in a dynamic conversation involving researchers and the creative geniuses of Seattle’s EMP. Ideas abounded to highlight the critical role that early musical experiences play in child development. Importantly, the connections between music, language, and brain are not only fascinating, but provide an excellent way to understand fundamental aspects of human social relationships
September 26-27, 2011 - The NBC 2011 Education Nation Summit in New York City brought I-LABS research to the national stage. The summit featured talks by I-LABS Co-Directors in a session entitled “Brain Power: Why Early Learning Matters”. The talks were broadcast to a far-reaching audience of parents, educators, policy-makers, and business leaders.
Outreach Specialist Gina Lebedeva was on hand to connect with thought leaders in policy, education and practice. Read more and watch the talks.
September 12, 2011 - This engaging discussion, held at the Pacific Science Center, included programming development staff at the science center with UW researchers on child development. The afternoon focused on brainstorming effective ways to build effective research-based principles in family-friendly science-based materials on early learning, particularly as it pertains to the science of early childhood development and on the science education in young children
December 14, 2010 - Adrian Garcia-Sierra and Nairan Ramirez-Esparza discuss their research on very young bilingual children with an international group of school administrators focused on bilingual education
October 7, 2010 - Dr. Meltzoff's talk "Born Learning: The Science of Learning and What it Reveals about the Mind of the Child" addressed key issues in young children's social, emotional and cognitive development
October 3, 2010 - An estimated 50,000 families participated in this event celebrating the importance of play for children's developing brains. Held in NYC's Central Park, I-LABS' exhibit, "Bilingual, Bicultural & Brilliant" highlighted the benefits of bilingualism, through fun and interactive brain games. Led by Patricia K. Kuhl, Andrew N. Meltzoff, & Gina Lebedeva.
May, 2010 - Andrew Meltzoff was invited to organize a special Presidential Symposium at the meeting of the American Education Research Association, in Denver, May, 2010. The panelists were a group of leading experts on learning and education (Andrew Meltzoff, U. of Washington; Shirley Brice-Heath, Stanford and Brown U.; Patricia Kuhl, U. of Washington; and Shirley Malcom, American Assoc for the Advancement of Science). The symposium connected developmental psychology, brain science, and education. Read more about the Presidential Session.
April 20, 2010 - Dr. Andrew Meltzoff Delivers Keynote Address for the Healthy Start Luncheon and Benefit
April 15, 2009 - As the state's nonprofit public-private partnership for early learning, Thrive by Five Washington works to ensure that all children in Washington state are ready to succeed in school and life, a vision shared by I-LABS
March 27, 2009 - Dr. Andrew Meltzoff speaks to over 100 parents and educators for the Northwest Parenting meeting in Edmunds Washington describing a child's journey from early childhood to school
May 12, 2008 - Andrew Meltzoff and Patricia Kuhl give evening talk to parents and teachers at the Montessori School in Seattle's Fremont area
May 1, 2008 - A series of daylong presentations and interactions with Yakima early learning and childcare leaders culminated in a wonderful trip to visit the children's village
