Arthur J. Cropley, an internationally known researcher and writer on creativity, will deliver the 2009 E. Paul Torrance Lecture. Open free to the public, the lecture will held March 16 at 5 p.m. in Masters Hall of the Georgia Center.
Cropley, an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Hamburg in Germany, will discuss the evaluation of creative products. He also will talk about how little research has been done to recognize day-to-day creativity, such as everyday problem solving and the ability to adapt to change, since Torrance’s pioneering work more than 50 years ago.
Since his retirement from the University of Hamburg, Cropley has been an adjunct professor of engineering at the University of South Australia and a visiting professor of psychology at the University of Latvia. In 2008, he was made an Officer of the Order of the Three Stars by the president of Latvia for his services to higher education there. In 1997, Cropley received the Creativity Award of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children. He is the author of 24 books on creativity, lifelong learning, adaptation of migrants and research methodology, including Creativity in Education and Learning: A Guide for Teachers and Educators.
A native Australian, Cropley graduated from the University of Adelaide (Australia) in Arts and Education and served four years in the Australian Army. He earned his Ph.D. in educational psychology in 1965 from the University of Alberta (Canada).
A reception to welcome Mark A. Runco, UGA’s new E. Paul Torrance Professor, will follow the lecture at 7 p.m.
