Based On Science & Fun
Our founder, Patty Hannan, developed the PlayWisely curriculum based on the latest understandings from science, academia and sport as it pertains to early development. Along the way she received the guidance of several prominent scientists, educators and athletes, many of whom continue to act as our advisors today.
To learn more about these amazing people please check out their biographies below!
Dr. Howard R. Moskowitz
Chairman, Mind Genomics Associates; Chief Science Officer, Mind Genomics Advisors
Dr. Howard R. Moskowitz founded Mind Genomics Associates in 2014, to promote the development and use of the new science of Mind Genomics. The science creates an archival and action-oriented database for knowledge about how people think about the aspects of their daily life. The science is used in business to drive 1:1 sales and marketing, and in social research to understand what is important, and what should be communicated to citizens of a country for socially relevant issues.
Dr. Moskowitz is also chairman of Mind Genomics Advisors, a consulting firm which provides innovative, customized predictive analytics for a variety of organizations, using the Mind Genomics platform.
Dr. Moskowitz is a well-known experimental psychologist in the field of psychophysics and creator of world-class market research technology. In 1969, Dr. Moskowitz earned a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Harvard University. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Queens College (CUNY) with degrees in mathematics and psychology.
Dr. Howard Moskowitz received awards for his...
moreBart Conner and Nadia Comaneci
Olympic Gold Medal Gymnasts
“Having been a part of the Special Olympics at the international level for so many years we are often reminded of the critical global need for new ways to think about early education and intervention. We have seen PlayWisely in action with our own son and believe in its potential to help all children particularly those with special needs.”
Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci are Gymnastics Icons. They are married and have a 3 year old son, Dylan Paul Conner. Bart Conner was the only American Gymnast to win Gold Medals at every level of competition, including Junior National, Elite National, NCAA, Pan American Games, World Championships and Olympic Games where he won 2 Golds in 1984. Bart Conner was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997. He is a Member of the Special Olympics International Executive Committee where he has served for the past 25 years. He has also served as Board Member/Vice President of the Muscular Dystrophy Association since 1983.
Nadia Comaneci made history in 1976 when she scored the first Perfect 10 in Olympic history. She has...
moreDr. Eugene Galanter
Director Psychophysics Laboratory Columbia University
“Seventy years in science and education lets me recognize merit in new methods. To rephrase Cuba Gooding in Jerry Maguire: “show me the data.” PlayWisely’s planned research program can make this technology a serious contender for reforming American early education.”
Former Chairman of the Board, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Children’s Progress; Emeritus Professor and Director, Psychophysics Laboratory, Columbia University Dr. Galanter is Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Quondam Director of the Psychophysics Laboratory at Columbia University.
A pioneer scientist in the field of technology in education, he holds MA and PhD degrees in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and an honors BA from Swarthmore College.
The late Dr. Galanter’s distinguished academic career includes positions held at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, the University of Washington, and Columbia University. He was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford and served...
moreMichael A. Motes, Ph.D.
Faculty scientist at the Center for BrainHealth and the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas
“Patty Hannan has built the innovative PlayWisely® curriculum based on principles of developmental and cognitive science. PlayWisely® engages children in systematic play activities that exercise core cognitive processes. Cognitive stimulation is a significant predictor of academic achievement and a host of positive outcomes later in life. Indeed, good parenting involves providing an environment where parents play with their children in ways that promote cognitive and emotional growth, that is, where parents play wisely with their children.”
Center for BrainHealth, University of Texas at Dallas School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dr. Michael Motes is currently working as a faculty scientist at the Center for BrainHealth and the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas and as adjunct faculty in the Clinical Psychology Graduate Program...
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