2011 Aspen Brain Forum Foundation Awards Prizes for NeuroEducation Research

NEW YORK, October 11, 2011—The New York Academy of Sciences and the Aspen Brain Forum Foundation awarded two prizes of $7,500 each in unrestricted funds—one to a senior scientist and one to a junior investigator—for innovation and excellence in the field of neuroeducation at the Second Annual Aspen Brain Forum conference, “Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning: Implications for Education,” which took place on September 22 – 24 in Aspen, CO.

President of the Aspen Brain Forum Foundation and Academy President’s Council Member Glenda Greenwald announced the winners, young investigator Kimberly Lakes and senior scientist Usha Goswami. Both winners were chosen for their ability to translate discoveries from cognitive neuroscience into innovative curricula and tools that enhance learning inside or outside of the classroom.

Kimberley Lakes, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, is currently studying approaches to physical education that could optimize effects on brain development. Lakes’ prior published research has demonstrated that Taekwondo is an exercise intervention that promotes self-regulation and executive function.

With the support of key community partners, Lakes, also co-director for the Community Engagement Unit of the UC Irvine Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, recently expanded her Taekwondo research intervention into a public middle school where she plans to study the long-term impact of intervening during this critical stage of development. 

Usha Goswami, professor of Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, examines relations between phonology and reading, with special reference to the neural underpinnings of rhyme and rhythm in children’s reading. A major focus of her research is the brain basis of dyslexia.

Goswami, who is also a Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge, and director of the Centre for Neuroscience in Education, has received a number of career awards, including the British Psychology Society’s Spearman Medal (1992) and President’s Award (2011), the Norman Geschwind-Rodin Prize for Dyslexia Research, and Fellowships from the National Academy of Education (USA), the Leverhulme Trust, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany).

The Aspen Brain Forum Foundation is a high-level think tank located in the retreat setting of Aspen, CO., with the mission of funding, producing, and hosting an annual meeting on cutting-edge topics in neuroscience to advance global collaboration and scientific breakthroughs. For more information about the Aspen Brain Forum Foundation, please visit www.aspenbrainforum.org.

About the New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide since 1817. With 24,000 members in 140 countries, NYAS is creating a global community of science for the benefit of humanity. NYAS' core mission is to advance scientific knowledge, positively impact the major global challenges of society with science-based solutions, and increase the number of scientifically informed individuals in society at large. For more information, please visit www.nyas.org.