2020 Creativity Best Paper Award

Heidi A. Rochlin, EdD, K-12 School Administrator Royersford Public School System, Pennsylvania, USA

Heidi Rochlin is an administrator in the K-12 public school system in Royersford, Pennsylvania. In her current role as the curriculum supervisor for math, science, and music for the Spring-Ford Area School District, Heidi engages with teachers in professional learning and provides professional development for teachers and administrators across Pennsylvania. Heidi has presented at the College Preparatory Mathematics (CPM) Annual Conference, with an emphasis on creatively engaging teachers in new initiatives in mathematics instruction. Heidi has been in public education for 20 years, as a high school mathematics teacher, K-12 music teacher, and central office administrator. She resides in Berks County, PA with her husband and five wonderful children.

David C. Sledge, Practising Architect, Academic & Doctoral Scholar, School of Education, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA

David Sledge is a native of Durham, North Carolina who has worked in various architecture firms for over ten years, and taught architectural design, history, and theory courses for over ten years. Sledge is a student at Drexel University in the Doctor of Education Program in Leadership and Change with a concentration in Creativity Studies. His research focuses on multidisciplinary collaboration, dialogue, and creativity studies to restructure design education. Sledge holds degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ecole d’Art Americaines, and North Carolina State University. Professor Sledge has lectured on numerous topics related to architecture such as Monumentality, Modernization of Paris, Tectonics, Louis I. Kahn, Urbanity, Architectural Representation, The Kimbell Art Museum, Modern Furniture Design, Philip Johnson’s estate, the movie “Blade Runner,” and Haute Couture.

2020 Runner-UP

Ron Corso, Program Director, Foundation Studies in Design & Creative Thinking Methods, University of South Australia

Stuart Gluth, Practitioner & PhD Candidate, University of South Australia

Ron Corso is Program Director for Foundation Studies in Design and Creative Thinking Methods at the University of South Australia. He has had an involvement in Design Education for over thirty years having initially trained as an Industrial Designer then moving into teaching, administration and consulting roles across sectors from elementary, open education schools to higher and further education. He has conducted research into the teaching of creativity, convened conferences as well as publishing and presenting widely at conferences, seminars and colloquiums promoting and advocating the value of creativity in the curriculum. He has been the recipient of national (Australia) OLT grant to develop creativity teaching tools and other university grants, teaching and learning, research citations and awards in recognition of his work in the field of creativity practice and education. Current work is focused on developing a vision for a University of Innovation and Enterprise at the University of South Australia where he is playing a leading role in establishing the frameworks and strategies for building a creative dimension across all sectors and disciplines of the institution.

Stuart Gluth is currently a practice-based PhD candidate investigating the relationship between engagement and the abstract visual material generated using a single simple material, paper, until recently Lecturer in Graphic Design at Charles Darwin University, previously Teaching Fellow at the University of Southampton campus at the Dalian Polytechnic University in China, and prior to that Studio Head of Graphic Design at the University of South Australia. He continues as a practising designer, Illustrator, and paper designer and artist, typographer and typographic researcher, researcher into creativity and he conducts workshops in creative idea generation across disciplines. Stuart has acted as a consultant internationally in integrating creativity across disciplines, and taught in China, Singapore and Korea. He has conducted design workshops in remote Aboriginal communities, to inspire learning at a variety of levels and in diverse cultural backgrounds and devise alternative pathways into higher education and professional practice, including strategies for the integration of theory and practice in design education.

2019 Creativity Best Paper Award

Andrew Case, Manager, Sales & Marketing, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA

Paper: Creativity and coping with chronic disease: achieving self-awareness after diagnosis

Andrew Case is 2010 graduate of Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. While studying at Temple University, Andrew was a walk-on member of the Varsity Football Team, where he earned a full scholarship and consistently received a spot on the prestigious Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. Presently, Andrew works, full-time, at Drexel University as the Manager, Sales & Marketing, Athletics and is also enrolled at Drexel University working toward receiving an M.S. in Creativity and Innovation. Outside of the classroom, Andrew is an abstract artist showing work at Corridor Contemporary Gallery in Philadelphia.

2019 Runner-UP

David C. Sledge, Doctoral Scholar, School of Education, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA

Paper: The Creativity and Innovation of Frank Furness

2018 Creativity Best Paper Award

Kathy Goff, President, McGoff Creativity and Chief Creative Officer/Co-founder of Vast Learning Systems, USA

Paper: Digital Creative Problem Solving: The Beyonders Program

Dr Kathy Goff is the President of McGoff Creativity and Chief Creative Officer/Co-founder of Vast Learning Systems, a cloud-based edtech software company that focuses on creativity assessments and brain trainings. She earned a doctorate at the University of Georgia in Adult Learning and Creativity under Dr. E.Paul Torrance, the “Father of Creativity”. Kathy served as Torrance’s personal research assistant and collaborator for over 16 years. Goff and Torrance (2000) created the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults (ATTA), one of the first instruments to measure creativity in adults. She is an internationally recognized author, researcher, educator, patented inventor, consultant and entrepreneur with over 3 decades of experience researching the creativity of people of all ages and backgrounds.

Dr Erik Guzik, co-founder and CEO of VAST: Next Generation Learning, USA

Dr Erik Guzik is co-founder and CEO of VAST: Next Generation Learning and executive director of the non-profit Virtual Problem Solving Program. Guzik received his PhD in economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research centers on the micro-foundations of creativity and software-based problem solving methodologies for improving learning outcomes and cognitive training. For his research into cloud-based learning and assessment, Guzik received the 2011 Creative Oklahoma Great Inspirations Award, the Oklahoma Journal Record’s 2012 Creativity Award, and Hewlett Packard’s 2012 Catalyst Showcase People’s Choice Award.

Dr Rex Jung, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, University of New Mexico, USA

Dr Rex Jung is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of New Mexico, and a neuropsychologist in private practice at Brain and Behavioral Associates, PC. He received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of New Mexico and performed an internship at the Baylor College of Medicine. He is the author of over 100 research papers exploring the relationship between complex cognitive processes – including intelligence, creativity, and personality – and brain structure and function. He has been Principal Investigator on projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, Templeton Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts.

2018 Creativity Runners-UP

Chris Wilson, Aston University, United Kingdom

Paper: Engineering creativity: Exploring disciplinary difference as the basis for new pedagogical ideas

Chris Wilson works in the Centre for Learning Innovation and Professional Practice at Aston University, a globally renowned higher education institution and the UK’s leading university for business and the professions. He is a classically trained musician and practitioner in the technological arts with degrees in music and philosophy, has presented and published internationally on the subjects of creativity, artistry, technology and education, including the book Making Projects Sing: A Musical Perspective of Project Management, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. higher education.

Michael Brown, University of Derby, United Kingdom

Michael Brown is the Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Music degree in the College of Arts, at the University of Derby in the UK. He holds diplomas in both Art and Music, a BSc (Hons) degree in Software Engineering, Mathematics and Music, and a Masters degree in Contemporary Composition, which combine to serve his interest in computer creativity. He is a Principal Researcher with over twenty-five years of teaching experience, an active artist, composer and musician. As well as maintaining his professional role, he is a member of the American Creativity Association and has presented his research in multimodal creativity internationally.

Peter Lennox, University of Derby, United Kingdom

Dr Peter Lennox is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Derby, teaching and researching in auditory perception and spatial psychoacoustics. He has a background in the oil industry, heavy engineering, corrosion engineering, and theatre and film production. He has lectured at University of York, Bretton Hall, Sheffield Hallam University, and the University of Derby. He held the post of Director of the Signal Processing Applications Research Group (SPARG) at the University of Derby from 2003 to 2010. His has special interests in the philosophy of the scientific study of perception.

2017 Creativity Best Paper Awards

Gareth Hughes, University of Derby, United Kingdom & Chris Wilson, Aston University, United Kingdom

Paper: From transcendence to general maintenance: Exploring the creativity and wellbeing dynamic in higher education.

Gareth Hughes is a psychotherapist and the Research Lead for Student Wellbeing at the University of Derby. Derby is a Gold rated university in the Teaching Excellence Framework (2017) and is in the Top 20 for teaching quality in the UK, according the Times Higher Education league tables. It is also recognised as a leading university in developing and providing support for student wellbeing.

Hansika Kapoor & Anirudh Tagat, Monk Prayogshala, Mumbai, India

Paper: How Happy is a Creative Country? A Country-Level Analysis of Creativity and Subjective Well-Being.

Hansika Kapoor is Research Author at the Department of Psychology, Monk Prayogshala, Mumbai, India. Having completed her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, she is currently pursuing her PhD from IIT, Bombay, India in the area of creativity. Specifically, her thesis explores the measurement, facets, and process components of negative creativity through behavioural and electrophysiological methods. She is a practising psychologist and a passionate researcher, striving to improve the academic environment in India. Her research interests lie in cognitive science and social psychology.

Anirudh Tagat is Research Author at the Department of Economics, Monk Prayogshala, Mumbai, India. Anirudh holds an MSc in Economics from the University of Warwick and consults with the World Resources Institute (WRI) India and Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), on projects concerning health economics, voting behaviour, and sanitation. His research interests include cross-cultural differences in decision-making, intra-household bargaining, and experimental economics.

Katherine Boutry, Professor, West Los Angeles College, USA

Paper: “Creativity Takes Courage” The Link Between Creativity Programs and Student Well-being in the Urban Community College.

Dr Katherine Boutry is a tenured professor of English and Director of Creativity Studies at West Los Angeles College, California, USA. Dr. Katherine Boutry received her PhD in English at Harvard University where she taught for ten years and served as the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies. She created the MFA Program at Mount Saint Mary’s University, and is the author of The West Guide to Writing. She is a creativity consultant for both schools and businesses, as well as a produced television writer.

2016 Creativity Best Paper Awards

Jonan Donaldson, PhD Researcher, Drexel University, PA, USA

Paper: Alignment of Creativity Tools and Techniques with Theory and Research

Jonan Donaldson is a PhD student in the Educational Leadership Development and Learning Technologies program at Drexel University. He has been an educator for two decades. The first decade was in Osaka, Japan, and in the second decade he taught technologies for teaching and learning in master’s degree programs in Oregon. His research investigates the intersection of learning sciences, creativity, agency, and technology, as well as a research focus involving metaphors of learning in relation to beliefs and practices related to learning.

Hansika Kapoor, Research Author at the Departments of Psychology Monk Prayogshala, Mumbai, India

Anirudh Tagat, Departments of Economics, Monk Prayogshala, Mumbai, India

David H. Cropley, Associate Professor of Engineering Innovation, University of South Australia

Paper: Fifty Shades of Creativity: Case Studies of Malevolent Creativity in Art, Science, and Technology

Dr David Cropley joined the School of Engineering at the South Australian Institute of Technology (SAIT) in 1990, after serving for four years in the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, including deployments to the Middle East and West Indies. Following the establishment of the University in 1991, he completed a PhD in Measurement Systems Engineering in 1997, and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education in 2002. Dr Cropley is author of four books including The Psychology of Innovation in Organizations (Cambridge University Press, 2015); Creativity in Engineering: Novel Solutions to Complex Problems (Academic Press, 2015); Creativity and Crime: A Psychological Analysis (Cambridge University Press, 2013) and Fostering Creativity: A Diagnostic Approach for Higher Education and Organisations (Hampton Press, 2009). He is also co-editor of The Ethics of Creativity (Palgrave MacMillan, 2014) and The Dark Side of Creativity (Cambridge University Press, 2010).

Now a recognised expert in creative problem solving and innovation, Dr David Cropley was a scientific consultant and on-screen expert for the Australian ABC TV Documentaries Redesign My Brain (2013), Life at 9 (2014) and Redesign My Brain, Series 2 (2015).

Dr Cropley has a successful track-record delivering research and educational outcomes to clients. This includes more than $900k of research grants for federal and state government departments—e.g. the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and SA Water – and also private industry (e.g. Tenix Defence Systems). In addition, Dr Cropley has developed and delivered more than $3.7m of new educational programs for the federal Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO).

Peter Lennox, Senior Lecturer, University of Derby, United Kingdom

Chris Wilson,Senior Lead in Learning Enhancement, University of Derby, United Kingdom

Michael Brown, Programme Leader, College of Arts, University of Derby, United Kingdom

Paper: Creative Inhibition: How and Why

Chris Wilson holds the position of Senior Lead in Learning Enhancement at the University of Derby in the UK and is a Senior Academic in the College of Arts. He is a classically trained musician and practitioner in the technological arts and has presented and published internationally on the subjects of creativity, artistry, technology and education. An active member of the American Creativity Association, Associate of the Digital and Material Arts Research Centre in the UK, and a governor for his local primary school, Chris teaches across a number of subjects and works to actively promote creative practice in higher education.

Michael Brown is the Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Popular Music with Music Technology degree in the College of Arts, at the University of Derby, UK. He holds diplomas in both Art and Music, a BSc (Hons) degree in Software Engineering, Mathematics and Music, and a Masters degree in Contemporary Composition, which combine to serve his interest in computer creativity. He is a Principal Researcher with over twenty-five years of teaching experience, an active artist, composer and musician. As well as maintaining his professional role, he is a member of the American Creativity Association and has presented his research in multimodal creativity internationally.

2015 Creativity Best Paper Awards

Rick Kantor, Secretary American Creativity Association

Paper: Art as open source intelligence

Erik E. Guzik, Associate Professor of Economics, Department of Business and Technology, University of Montana Western, USA

Kathy Goff, Director, Oklahoma Torrance Center for Creativity, USA

Paper: The Microfoundations of Creativity: An Economics Perspective

Chris Wilson, Senior Lead in Learning Enhancement, University of Derby, United Kingdom

Michael Brown, Programme Leader, College of Arts, University of Derby, United Kingdom

Paper: Ambiguity, uncertainty and new realities: Perspectives of creative value, utility and authenticity’

2014 Creativity Best Paper Awards

Chris Wilson & Michael Brown, Creative Technologies Research group, School of Technology, Faculty of Arts, Design & Technology, University of Derby, United Kingdom

Paper: The Business of Invention: Considering Project Management in the Arts and Industry

Chris Wilson is Senior Learning and Teaching Adviser for the Institute for Learning Enhancement and Innovation, and senior academic in the Faculty of Arts, Design & Technology of the University of Derby in the UK. A classically trained musician and practitioner in the technological arts with over seventeen years experience of teaching in higher education, Chris has presented and published widely on the subjects of creativity, artistry, technology and education, and is an active member of the American Creativity Association, associate and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, principle researcher of the Creative Technologies Research Group, and associate of the Digital and Material Arts Research Centre in the UK.

Michael Brown is Senior Lecturer in Music and Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Popular Music with Music Technology degree in the Faculty of Arts, Design and Technology at the University of Derby, UK. He holds diploma’s in both Art and Music, a BSc (Hons) degree in Software Engineering, Mathematics and Music, and Masters degree in Contemporary Composition which combine to fuel his interest in computer creativity. He is a principle researcher for CTRG (Creative Technologies Research Group) with over twenty five years of teaching experience in the FE and HE sector, and an active digital artist, virtual art practitioner, composer, musician and sound designer with international professional experience in media production. As well as maintaining his professional role, is published and has presented his research in multimodal creativity internationally.

Don Ambrose, professor of graduate studies, Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, USA

Paper: Invigorating innovation and Combating Dogmatism Through Creative, Metaphorical Business Leadership

Don Ambrose is professor of graduate studies at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey and editor of the Roeper Review, a leading journal on giftedness and talent development. He serves on the editorial boards of most of the major journals addressing giftedness and for several book series. Don has initiated and led numerous interdisciplinary scholarly projects involving eminent researchers and theorists from creative studies, cognitive science, ethical philosophy, psychology, political science, economics, law, history, sociology, critical thinking, gifted education and general education. Most of his scholarship entails theoretical syntheses and philosophical analyses based on a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary search for theories, philosophical perspectives, and research findings that challenge, refine, and expand thinking about the development of creative intelligence. Some of his books include How Dogmatic Beliefs Harm Creativity and Higher-Level Thinking (Routledge, with Robert J. Sternberg); Confronting Dogmatism in Gifted Education (Routledge, with Robert J. Sternberg and Bharath Sriraman); Expanding Visions of Creative Intelligence: An Interdisciplinary Exploration (Hampton Press); Morality, Ethics, and Gifted Minds (Springer, with Tracy L. Cross); Creative Intelligence: Toward Theoretic Integration (Hampton Press; with LeoNora M. Cohen and Abraham J. Tannenbaum); Imagitronics (Zephyr Press); A Critique of Creativity and Complexity: Deconstructing Clichés (Sense, with Bharath Sriraman and Kathleen M. Pierce), The Roeper School: A Model for Holistic Development of High Ability (Sense, with Bharath Sriraman & Tracy L. Cross); and Creative Intelligence in the 21st Century (forthcoming; with Robert J. Sternberg). Venues for some of his recent and forthcoming keynote presentations include Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Istanbul, Turkey; Ulm, Germany; Winnipeg, Canada; Jerusalem, Israel; and Kraków, Poland. Honors include the Creativity Award from the International Center for Innovation in Education (presented in Istanbul); selection to the 2014 Routledge/Taylor & Francis Educational Expert Panel; the Research Briefs article of the year award from the Research and Evaluation Division of the NAGC; the Iorio Research Prize for outstanding scholarship; and the Frank N. Elliott Award for outstanding university service.

André P. Walton, Founder, Creative Paths, an organizational consultants, and Faculty, University of Nevada, Reno and Visiting Fellow of Creativity and Entrepreneurship at University of South Wales

Paper: The Individual Versus the Group – A unique approach to the origins of creativity’

André Walton is the Founder of organizational consultants, Creative Paths, André Walton was a serial entrepreneur for over 20 years before gaining his Ph.D. in social psychology. André won several prestigious awards for his achievements in the areas of innovation, small business development and export marketing and is now the Visiting Fellow of Creativity and Entrepreneurship at the University of South Wales (Newport Business School). Based both in Nevada and Portugal, Creative Paths services clients in Europe and the US with an emphasis on change management and stimulating creativity and innovation at the organizational level. André developed the notion of Spherical Thinking and also the Self versus Group model of Creativity. André works extensively in the area of psychometrics, survey research and statistical analysis, and has been an active researcher in the field of social psychology and law. He is a consultant for the National Judicial College and teaches Master’s Degree classes in Managing with Creativity, and, Business Communications, for the University of Nevada, Reno, via the internet. André is also a keen musician and plays jazz flute for his ensemble in the Algarve.

2013 Creativity Best Paper Awards

Chris Wilson & Michael Brown, Creative Technologies Research group, School of Technology, Faculty of Arts, Design & Technology, University of Derby, United Kingdom

Paper: Extending Realities: Creativity, Artistry and Technology

Margaret Murphy, Columbia College Chicago, USA

Paper: “Generation Z” and Media & Arts Entrepreneurship Education: An Investigation of Creative Learning Issues and Opportunities

Peg Murphy, Assistant Professor, AAF-NSAC Advisor Marketing Communication at the Columbia College Chicago, USA

Jamie Leitch, Director, Career Development & Training, American Infrastructure—Continuous Learning Center, Worcester, Philadelphia, USA

Larry Keiser, Director of Special Projects and Certification Officer, School of Education and Goodwin College of Professional Studies, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA

Paper: Creativity as a Bridge for Synergizing the Goals of Business and Academia

Jamie Leitch has experience in a variety of areas of workplace learning and performance, including instructional design; delivery and facilitation; assessment, measurement and evaluation; and organizational change. She is currently the Director of Organizational Development & Training for American Infrastructure, the largest heavy-civil construction company within the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Within that role, she manages the strategic design, development, delivery and evaluation of learning for more than 2,000 employees. She holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification and certificates in both executive and performance coaching. She possesses an MBA, a Masters Certificate in Adult Learning and a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Development. She is also set to receive an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Management in 2014. Jamie currently serves as a board member on various construction industry organizations and is president-elect of the American Creativity Association. She has also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Subcommittee on Adult Learning.

Larry Keiser, serves as Director of Special Projects for Drexel University’s School of Education in Philadelphia, PA, in the US, as well as the School’s Certification Officer. He has served in various capacities for the School of Education including Director of Records and Finance, Director of Teacher Education and Coordinator of Academic Advisors over the last 28 years. Larry has assisted in the development and implementation of externally funded projects (e.g., National Science Foundation, US Department of Education, PA Department of Education, Philadelphia Department of Human Services, etc.) totaling upwards of $18M USD. He has presented nationally in the US on the topic of creativity and its relationship to teaching, academic achievement and academic advising and is currently finishing up his doctoral program in Educational Leadership.