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SILC Press for 2012

♦ Marlene Cimons (May 17, 2012). Science of Spatial Learning: Center seeks to transform teaching practices. U.S. News and World Report: Science. Retrieved May 17, 2012. This article is about our NSF-funded Science of Learning Center, The Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center (SILC).

♦ Two of our SILC Faculty Members, Kenneth D. Forbus and Dedre Gentner (Co-PI), received Laudations awarded by Helmut Schwarz, president of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. A short write-up on Forbus' award is available on the Northwestern University, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, website: Forbus lauded at 40th Symposium for Research Award Winners. Retrieved May 14, 2012.

Photo credits: Humboldt-Stiftung/ Fotostudio Albrecht G. W. Barthel, Bamberg.

♦ Harms, W. (April 5, 2012). Press Release (University of Chicago): Deaf children’s gesture mismatches provide clues to learning moments. Authors: Susan Goldin-Meadow (Co-PI), Aaron Shield, Daniel Lenzen (University of Chicago) and Melissa Herzig, Carol Padden (University of California, San Diego). Retrieved April 11, 2012. Permanent Link: More press coverage below:

♦ Villarica, H. (April 6, 2012). Professional Help: 5 Ways to Turn Your Preschooler into a Math Wiz. The Atlantic. Tips on how parents can help their preschoolers excel at mathematics from Susan Levine (Co-PI) and Graduate Student Elizabeth Gunderson, University of Chicago. Retrieved April 10, 2012. The link to the article is also listed under the press garnered for Early puzzle play: A predictor of preschoolers' spatial transformation skill. Permanent Link:

♦ SILC will be well represented at the upcoming CSS Conference in Sapporo, Japan, from 8/1 to 8/4 (Posted April 5, 2012):

Daniele Nardi, a former SILC postdoc now at La Sapienza in Rome has organized a symposium entitled "How Vertical Spaces Are Perceived and Represented". Other presenters are Steve Weisberg, a SILC graduate student from Temple, Frank Durgin from Swarthmore and Kate Jeffery from UCL.
Another graduate student from Temple, Ilyse Resnick, will be presenting an oral paper on “Examining the Representation and Understanding of Large Magnitudes Using the Hierarchical Alignment Model of Analogical Reasoning”.
From Northwestern University, Dedre Gentner and Stella Christie are part of a symposium on analogy where SILC work will be presented. Andrew Lovett is speaking about his Geometric Analogy model; the new model now accounts for over 90% of the variance in the behavioral data! And Ken Forbus will present at an intuitive physics symposium.
Chris Young, a SILC postdoc from the University of Chicago is presenting a poster on “Development of Graphical Understanding”.
Another SILC participant is Terry Regier from Berkeley, who has a paper accepted for oral presentation entitled “Grounding spatial language in non-linguistic cognition, co-authored with colleagues Michael Pacer and Alexandra Carstensen.

♦ Press coverage for SILC-generated research on: Early puzzle play: A predictor of preschoolers' spatial transformation skill by Susan C. Levine (Co-PI), Kristin R. Ratliff, Janellen Huttenlocher and Joanna Cannon. [DOI]. Retrieved March 14, 2012:

Retrieved March 27, 2012:

Retrieved April 10, 2012:

Professional Help: 5 Ways to Turn Your Preschooler into a Math Wiz (The Atlantic)

Retrieved April 26, 2012:

Puzzles improve spatial skills in children (The Conversation) &nbsp

♦ Two of our SILC Faculty Members, Nora S. Newcombe (PI) and Thomas F. Shipley, delivered lectures on February 10, 2012 at the Department of Geography at Pennsylvania State University. For more information click on the flyer to the left.
Permanent link here:

♦ Megan Chiplock (Posting Date: January 25, 2012). Faculty Focus: Nora Newcombe. Retrieved January 26, 2012. [external link only. Also linked on our Talks & Interviews page].