Athens, Ga. – Robert Root-Bernstein, a scientist, humanist, artist and MacArthur Fellow, will deliver the 2010 E. Paul Torrance Lecture at the University of Georgia Lamar Dodd School of Art on Thursday, March 4.
Root-Bernstein, a professor of physiology at Michigan State University, studies the evolution of metabolic control systems, autoimmune diseases, drug development and the creative process in science and arts. He will deliver a lecture entitled, “Educating for Creativity,” at 6 p.m. in Room S151 of the art school. Coffee will be served at 5:30 p.m. A reception will follow the lecture in the first floor lobby.
Root-Bernstein has written four books and is currently working on another two. He has developed several patents and written a multitude of pieces ranging in topics from creativity and education to evolution, including a paper entitled, “Hobbled Arts Limit Our Future,” which reinforces the need for children’s education in creativity. All of his work is informed by the concept of complementarity, a philosophy maintaining that multiple, interactive perspectives are required to perceive the entirety of any subject or object.
In 1981, Root-Bernstein became one of the first fellows awarded the MacArthur “genius” grant. He also served as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Theories in Biology at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies from 1981-83. He earned his Ph.D. in the history of science from Princeton University.
The late E. Paul Torrance, widely known as the “Father of Creativity,” was a professor and chair of the department of educational psychology at UGA from 1966-78. He invented the benchmark method for quantifying creativity, the “Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking.” These tests helped to discount the theory that IQ tests were the sole measurement of intelligence.
Torrance also created the Future Problem Solving Program and developed the Incubation Model of Teaching.
He authored dozens of books and more than 2,000 published articles on creativity, making him one of the most published faculty members in UGA’s history.
Parking for the lecture will be available in LotE07 on River Road behind the art school and is free after 4 p.m. The annual lecture is sponsored by the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development and the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts.
For more information, please contact the Torrance Center at 706/542-5104 or creative@uga.edu.