Vote for UD video in National Institutes of Health competition

6 p.m., April 30, 2014--Blue Hens and admirers have the opportunity to vote the University of Delaware to the top in a video competition hosted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

The UD video, “Shape Up America!,” highlights NIH-supported research by Roberta Golinkoff, Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Professor in the School of Education, and her team.  

The minute-and-a-half-long production underscores in a fun way -- using over-the-top patriotic themes -- why spatial skills matter, and how gaining an understanding of shapes at an early age can boost future learning of science, technology, engineering and math. 

“We are passionate about disseminating what we have learned from developmental science so we couldn’t decline a chance to get out our message about the importance of spatial education in a fun way -- we really did enjoy making this!” Golinkoff said.

Golinkoff and postdoctoral researcher Brian Verdine, who both appear in the video, recently authored an article with colleagues at Temple University that reports their research on how blocks, puzzles and shapes can fuel school readiness. The article is now in press at the journal Trends in Neuroscience and Education.

Golinkoff’s research has been supported by the NIH Common Fund, a program to catalyze innovation in biomedical research. The video competition was launched to encourage creative descriptions of funded programs to share with the public. 

From the 57 videos submitted nationally for the competition, the 4–5 productions that receive the most “Likes” on YouTube will be named the winning videos.  

To vote for UD’s video, click on this link and click on “Like.” Voting ends May 9.