Learning to Think Spatially: Improving STEM Education in K-12 and Beyond

May 15, 2012

Dr. Philip Rubin (Assistant Director of SBE Sciences, OSTP) discusses spatial thinking and STEM education with Dr. Nora Newcombe (Temple University).

Dr. Nora Newcombe explains her research to David Cooper-Vince (Office of Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter [D-NY]).

The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) sponsored the 18th Annual Exhibition and Reception on Capitol Hill to highlight the excellent research funded by the National Science Foundation. Over thirty scientific societies, universities, and science organizations participated in the event, STEM Research and Education: Underpinning American Innovation, on May 15, 2012.

For the exhibition, FABBS invited Dr. Nora Newcombe, Professor of Psychology at Temple University to showcase research findings from the NSF-funded Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center. Dr. Newcombe serves as Principal Investigator of the Center which is composed of four primary universities: Temple University, The University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Pennsylvania. The Center’s purpose is to improve spatial learning and educational practice.

Over 270 people participated in the CNSF event, including numerous Congressional staff and five members of Congress: Reps. Lois Capps (D-CA), Hansen Clarke (D-MI), Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI), Rush Holt (D-NJ), and Lamar Smith (R-TX). CNSF is an alliance of over 125 organizations united by a concern for the future vitality of the national science, mathematics, and engineering enterprise.