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OutreachQueen Anne Cooperative Preschool Parent Lecture, April 18, 2007 This lecture was to inform parents and teachers of young children about the latest research about brain development in children aged 0 to 5. Teachers and parents heard a lecture and were able to ask questions of these LIFE leaders focusing on cutting-edge discoveries and their practical impact in early education.
Pathways Parenting Lecture Series: Babies and the Brain: Truth, Myth and Politics, This activity informed parents, educators, and health-care providers of young children about new discoveries about brain development and how they can be converted into practice for early educators and policy change.
AERA Invited Presentation: Imitative Learning & Social Cognition: Development & Brain, The Brain, Neuroscience, and Education Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association invited a symposium on social cognition and the brain to explore the implications for education. This invited talk included new data from social neuroscience and developmental psychology in infants, children, and adults and drew implications for education.
AERA Plenary Talk: Early Language Learning and the Brain: Implications for Education, The Brain, Neuroscience, and Education Special Interest Group sponsors Plenary Talks at the American Educational Research Association to expose educational researchers to neuroscience results that are expected to affect education. The goal of this talk was to describe the behavioral and brain studies being conducted on language and bilingualism in infants and in adults attempting to learn a second language. Data on the Ôcritical period' for language learning and a re-consideration of the underlying mechanism was described. Approximately 200 people attended this lecture.
Science Tour for High School Students, April 2, 2007 Week Without Walls (WOW) is a program of University Preparatory High School (Seattle, WA) which provides learning experiences beyond the traditional course of study. WOW allows students to investigate a particular discipline, immerse themselves in a culture or language, explore career options, volunteer in the community, or engage in experiential learning. This group of students was exploring the question "What does a scientist really do?"
Keynote address for the 100th Year Anniversary of Montessori, March 19, 2007 The Montessori school movement celebrated its 100th anniversary and invited 1,700 school administrators, teachers, and policy-makers from around the world. The lecture provided attendees with new information about brain development, cognitive science, developmental psychology, and the learning sciences and explored where the Montessori technique does (and doesn't) dovetail with modern research discoveries.
International Dyslexia Association: From Research to Practice, March 17, 2007 Dyslexia is a brain-based developmental disability that affects the perception of language as well as writing and reading skills. Many studies now suggest that a fundamental problem experienced by children with dyslexia is the processing of the phonetic units of language. This presentation focused on early measures of language processing in typically developing children and new data showing that these early measures predict the growth of language between 6 months and 3 years of age. Discussion centered on the implications of this work, which are that early speech processing measures may aid in our understanding of the underlying causes of dyslexia, as well as its early diagnosis and potential intervention strategies.
Brain Awareness Week Open House, March 6, 2007 
Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is a nationwide effort organized by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and the Society for Neuroscience to promote the public and personal benefits of brain research. This year, BAW was held March 5-9, 2007. The Institute participated in the 10th Annual Open House for Brain Awareness Week held on the UW campus, an event which drew nearly 400 school-aged children in grades 4-12. The Institute's exhibit featured a hands-on demonstration about how the brain "hears" the sounds of both native and foreign languages.
Brain Awareness Week Open House Exhibit, March 6, 2007 School-aged children from Western Washington were provided exciting information about Ôwhat's going on inside their own heads' at the University of Washington's 11th Brain Awareness Week Open House. Students attended an interactive, multimedia "Brain Assembly" to learn about the nervous system, and visited exhibits set up by University of Washington departments and centers. The Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-lABS) hosted an exhibit that allowed students to explore their responses to the sounds of both native and foreign languages.
International Symposium on Human Brain and Early Education, March 5, 2007 The Chilean government sponsored this international conference to bring together scientists across disciplines that study early cognitive development and its impact on education. Of special interest to this audience was the acquisition of multiple languages and the affect of bilingualism on issues related to education. Research on mathematics and language were major foci of the work presented. Approximately 600 people attended this conference at the University of Chile.
Briefing with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, February 22, 2007 U.S. Senator Patty Murray visited the UW Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences for a briefing about how neuroscience, developmental psychology and education might usefully interact. Kuhl and Meltzoff briefed her on the NSF Science of Learning program, LIFE, and gave her a hands-on tour of the research labs.
Presentation to the Washington State Legislature: Early Learning and the Brain, This workshop provided theory and hands-on intensive training of the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) team with the goal of applying, coding, and interpreting the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II in English and in Spanish, and relating these scales to neural measures of language development. The emphasis is on measures for ages 18 to 30 months, which the UW-UTSA team has been applying in Year 2 studies on the UTSA Head-Start cohort. The Washington State subcommittee on Education requested a presentation that focused on language and bilingualism and its impact on education in the state of Washington. The presentation focused on early measures of language processing, especially brain measures, that have now been shown to predict the growth of language during the first three years of life. These measures on monolingual and bilingual children show the impact of language experience on language growth using both brain and behavioral measures and may eventually aid the early evaluation of school readiness and the diagnosis of a variety of developmental disabilities.
Expertise Workshop, December 2006 LIFE researchers participated in the National Science Foundation's workshop on Expertise held in December 2006.
National Academy of Sciences Sackler Colloquium: Language as Human Specialization, November 16-18, 2006 This National Academy of Sciences Sackler Conference invited an international and interdisciplinary group of scientists to discuss ÔThe New Comparative Biology of Human Nature.' Researchers focused on language and social learning, as well as geneticists and neural modelers, presented new data and discussed the evolution of humans' most sophisticated traits. Approximately 100 people participated.
Hands On Children's Museum (Olympia, WA): The scientist in the crib: Implications for science museums, November 16, 2006 Museum administrators, local teachers and parents, and policymakers attended a lecture about how brain science and developmental psychology can inform museum displays and the dissemination of scientific findings through informal learning opportunities such as museums.
Keynote address to the Japanese Psychological Association, November 5, 2006 In an effort to bring together Asian and American researchers, the Japanese Psychological Association invited Meltzoff to give a plenary address on the development of social cognition. 2000 people attended.
Science of Learning Center Satellite Symposium: From Synapse to SchoolroomÑThe Science of Learning, October 13, 2006 The LIFE Science of Learning Center organized an all-day Satellite Symposium at the Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting in Atlanta to highlight the research being conducted at three of the NSF's Science of Learning Centers, the University of Washington's LIFE Center, the Pittsburgh Center and the CELEST Center at Boston University. Faculty presentations provided a day-long series, and student posters during a social hour were presented in the evening.
NBC Nightly News Feature: New Brain Imaging Tools for Young Children, September 28, 2006 New technology (event-related potentials and MEG) that is being used by the I-LABS team to examine infants' responses to linguistic signals was featured on NBC Nightly News. NBC's science correspondent, Robert Bazell, described the techniques and findings, which allow for the first time, excellent temporal resolution and spatial localization of brain activities during language processing. The techniques are non-invasive, completely safe at all ages, and noiseless, thus providing the opportunity for life-span studies of the brain's language processing.
The Parenting Project of Napa Valley, August 13, 2006 This workshop was attended by mental health professionals as well as teachers and faculty. The goal was to disseminate information about the learning sciences and new discoveries in neuroscience to educators and health-care professionals during the formative stages of their careers.
Keynote Address at the World Organization for Early Childhood Education, August 10, 2006 This international organization is dedicated to building bridges between developmental science, education, and neuroscience. Meltzoff gave the plenary address, which was attended by 1500 people and simultaneously translated into multiple languages.
I-LABS Summer Institute for Educators, June 26 & 28, 2006 The Summer Institute is designed to give teachers the latest research on children's learning abilities, and to facilitate an exchange of ideas between teachers and researchers. Teachers were in the first 5 years of their careers (a time when many teachers are vulnerable to leaving the profession) and chosen from schools whose students represent a variety of ethnicities and income levels. Topics included findings in neuroscience and developmental science that help us understand the Ôpreparation gap' in school entry and the special challenges faced by multilingual and multicultural children as they enter the school system.
Invited Talks to the Swedish House of Parliament: (Kuhl) Language and the Infant Brain: The Scientist in the Crib; (Meltzoff) What Science Tells us about Child Development and Brain Development, May 31, 2006 The Swedish Parliament is debating new policies and educational practices to support parents and children in the period from birth to 5 years of age, and invited this presentation to update their understanding of the recent laboratory findings on brain and development of social understanding and bilingualism.
Invited Talk at the Nobel Foundation: (Kuhl) Language and the Infant Brain: Implications for the 'Critical Period'; (Meltzoff) Imitative Learning: Integrating Developmental Science and Neuroscience, May 30, 2006 This Nobel Symposium brought together an interdisciplinary group of cellular and systems neuroscientists to discuss the newest findings in the neuroscience of development and learning. The participants were international scientists from the fields of neuroscience, genetics, and developmental psychology. Attendees included members of the Nobel community.
Invited Talk at the Harvard University / Dana Foundation Brain Awareness Week Conference: Early Language Acquisition and the Brain's Critical Periods for Learning, The Dana Foundation sponsors yearly Brain Awareness Week activities during which members of congress, educators, and the public are invited to special presentations that focus on new scientific results with implications for education and for society. The goal of the presentation was to increase understanding of research on the science of learning. Attendees numbered over 1000.
NTT-UW Collaboration Project on Speech Information Processing NTT-UW collaboration project on speech information processing aims to develop new tools to study cross-language speech processing by Japanese and English adult speakers. The project involves the development of behavioral and MEG studies that examine brain activation in speakers of English and Japanese during presentation of both auditory and visual speech information. A Visiting Scientist from NTT will spend 6 months at the University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences to prepare stimuli and conduct pilot experiments that will eventually be run at both NTT and the UW laboratories, and UW researchers will travel to NTT for planning and MEG data collection. NTT's contribution toward the two research projects, including expenses for the travel and 6-month staying expenses of the NTT Visiting Scientist, and travel and staying expenses for UW scientists who go to Japan for research planning and data collection, is $30,000.
Collaborative Research on Bilingual Language Development Continuation of the year 1 LIFE sponsored work by Patricia Kuhl and Harriett Romo on a collaborative study on speech perception in bilingual infants, and how environment affects both early speech perception and later language. This study is examining infants being raised in bilingual homes (exposed to English and Spanish) at 7 and 11 months using brain and behavioral measures of speech perception that have previously been shown to predict future language abilities in monolingual infants. Children are being followed to examine the impact of learning two languages on the children's linguistic, cognitive, and mathematical skills. This collaboration represents an enhancement to the knowledge, skills, and research of both research groups involved. This study has receiving support from the LIFE ECO funds and a supplemental award by NIH.
I-LABS is grateful to the Ginger & Barry Ackerley Foundation for sponsoring this first-of-its-kind endeavor.
Attendees heard presentations from several scientists on topics including brain development, learning a first (and second) language, the influence of role models on young children, and the development of thinking skills in school-aged children. In addition, lab tours provided an opportunity for in-depth understanding of research methods. Lunch was enjoyed on the I-LABS deck. Open discussion between teachers and scientists was encouraged, and led to sharing points of common understanding, and the posing of challenges faced by individual experiences. Attendees reflect on their experience at the workshop.
Dean's Club Event, April 28, 2006 
The Dean's Club is a series of events showcasing some of the most intriguing research and programs in the College of Arts & Sciences. The Institute was selected as the site for the latest in this series, hosted by Arts & Sciences Interim Dean Ron Irving, for an invited group of 85 friends of the University. Attendees had a social hour to chat informally with scientists, followed by visits to labs where they saw presentations on cutting-edge neuroscience research. The evening ended with Q&A session with Institute scientists.
Brain Awareness Week Open House, March 22, 2006
Science and Technology Roundtable, March 10, 2006 
Institute Co-Director, Andrew Meltzoff, delivered a lecture to the Science & Technology Roundtable (STRT) on March 10, 2006. The audience consisted of 200 leaders in the business, government, and education sectors who want to stay on top of important science and technology advancements. The lecture discussed both the promise and limits of building interdisciplinary bridges between neuroscience, cognitive science, developmental psychology, and education.
Reception and Open House for Bill Greenough, October 26, 2005 
The Institute spearheaded the nomination of renowned neuroscientist Bill Greenough for a visit to the University of Washington campus, where he delivered the Walker-Ames Lecture entitled Brain Structure: Development, Ability, and Disorders throughout the Lifespan. The Institute was delighted to host a reception for Bill, with faculty and students from 10 UW departments in attendance. An open house followed, with presentations by Institute faculty and postdoctoral fellows.
Parenting Educators from PBS Stations Nationwide Visit the Institute, October 21, 2005 
A group of nearly 30 Parenting Educators from PBS affiliates around the country visited the Institute, and heard scientists present on the topics of early cognition, emotional development, language learning and brain development. This enthusiastic group expressed special interest in recent findings from our Institute concerning children's abilities to learn from television. Thanks to Talaris Research Institute for sponsoring this visit to our Institute.
National Conference of State Legislatures, August 16, 2005 Before an audience of 300 legislators, economists, teachers and representatives of philanthropic organizations, the Institute's Co-Directors, Drs. Kuhl and Meltzoff, participated in a panel discussion at the NCSL annual meeting entitled "Breakthroughs in Research on Early Learning". NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states. NCSL provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues, and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of state governments before Congress and federal agencies.
Dean's Club Event, June 9, 2005 
The Dean’s Club is a series of events showcasing some of the most intriguing research and programs in the College of Arts & Sciences. Dean David Hodge selected the Institute as the site for this June, 2005 event.
University Child Development School Visits the Institute, April 26, 2005 The Institute hosted the K-5 faculty from the University Child Development School in Seattle. Institute scientists met with these teachers to disseminate the latest neuroscience research on early learning and the brain, and to discuss early learning issues relevant to both scientists and teachers.
Research Days in Olympia, March 24-25, 2005 March 24 and 25 were set aside by the House of Representatives as Research Days in Olympia -- a two-day focus of the contributions of higher education research to the state of Washington. During both days, the UW, along with the other state four-year institutions, set up poster displays in the Columbia Room of the state capitol building which displayed the wide variety of research activities in public higher education. The Insitute was one of the groups selected to represent the UW at this event.
Come Together Washington, October 15, 2004 
The University of Washington presented 32 dynamic and engaging faculty and student projects at an event called Come Together Washington, in October, 2004. The Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences was chosen to participate in this select group of Showcase projects. Exhibits were arranged throughout the concourse of Hec Edmundson Pavilion, and demonstrated the depth and breadth of human innovation taking place at today's public research universities. 
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