Presenters

Keynote Presenter

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

Living in Pasteur's Quadrant: Navigating the Uncharted Waters Between Basic and Applied Research

How can social scientists balance the need to do basic science with their desire to be relevant to the questions and issues of their time? In his classic book, Pasteur’s Quadrant, Daniel Stokes proposes an answer. Cross-cutting two dimensions - a quest for understanding and considerations of use, Stokes offers 4 quadrants that capture the areas of scientific progress. This talk signals a migration towards Pasteur’s quadrant, that exemplifies what Stokes called use-inspired basic research. Using data from the science of learning and early development, I offer examples of how my work in language, literacy, and playful learning fits neatly within this quadrant. I also caution that in a world filled with social media and distorted messages about our science and its use, it is imperative that we not only do work in Pasteur’s Quadrant, while also jumping beyond use-inspired work to take dissemination of science seriously. We challenge the field and our institutions to share our science in a way that preserves its integrity and increases its utility for the wider community while offering several examples of how we are doing that through traditional and non-traditional means.

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