Science Needs Kids With Vision

摘要

Albert Einstein, who was famously able to conduct physics experiments in his head, once said his "elements of thought are not words but certain signs and more or less clear images." Einstein would probably make the cut in most modern-day science talent searches. But many of those with exceptional spatial abilities are being missed, claims psychologist David Lubinski of Vanderbilt University in Nashville.rnLubinski, who put his case last week to the National Science Foundation's National Science Board at a workshop on innovation, says that despite their importance in science, particularly in fields such as engineering, robotics, or astronomy, spatial abilities are getting short shrift both in school curricula and in programs trying to spot precocious youths. He estimates that such programs overlook more than half of those with exceptional spatial abilities. "How many Edisons and Fords are we missing?" he asks.