Before coming to Madison, Dan White built virtual worlds for informal science education at Cornell University. Dan's research goals now go something like so: (1) build revolutionary educational game in unprecedented amount of time, combining trusty technical experience with shiny new knowledge of cognition and learning; (2) distribute said game among large base of middle school science teachers and take copious notes on ensuing chaos; (3) hole up in a dark basement for several years; (4) emerge frail and pasty white, shouting "eureka" and clutching a finished dissertation detailing the secret formula for developing a successful learning game.

Specifically, Dan is interested in learning more about what happens when, through a game environment, students are allowed to experiment in an unfamiliar practice (scientific, mathematic, or otherwise) and then encouraged to articulate their findings before being introduced to the specialized language of the practice. In other words, is there value in having students reinvent knowledge from scratch, rather than being fed what is already known? Does ownership of an idea produce greater empowerment, deeper understanding, and heightened motivation toward continued exploration and learning?

If you feel so inclined, check out Dan's website.

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