Everyday life can be filled with stressful situations. Giving a presentation at work, taking an important test, going on a first date-even thinking about the last time you felt “stressed out” can make you sweat a little and bring back the physical sensations that often go along with stress: muscle tension, a headache, an upset…
When I first met Bill Calvin it was at a convention of Futurists, in a loud room filled with passionate people discussing important issues such as the societal impact of nanotechnology and alternative fuels. Dr. Calvin’s voice was barely a whisper. A soft-spoken man, his tone sharply contrasts with the impact of his thoughts. An…
Powerful ideas have universal impact. The concept of Multiple Intelligences, for example, started as a theory in the halls of Harvard University and has now grown to be one of the most influential movements in teaching practices in the 20th century. Instead of seeing the mind as possessing finite quantities of a substance known as…
In the life cycle of an academic research scientist, developmental maturation usually consists of achieving a secure tenured position, establishing a productive lab, and becoming a respected member of the scientific community. Once this is achieved, most academic researchers busy themselves with worrying about their next grant application or find themselves drawn into the inevitable…
Dr. John Ratey’s most recent book, A User’s Guide to the Brain, is one of the most accessible books available on recent brain research, what it means, and how to best make use of it. Ratey is professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the co-author of a number of books, including Shadow Syndromes,…
Two decades ago, Eric Jensen, who was then a middle and high school English teacher, participated in a workshop that, he says, “knocked my lights out.” And it changed his career. The workshop focused on ideas for educating young people based on information about how the brain works. Jensen says he was so impressed with…
