August 22nd, 2016: Media channels in the UK and Australia are the latest to focus the spotlight upon the ground-breaking research of Dr. Efthymios Papatzikis, Assistant Professor of Educational Neuroscience at Canadian University Dubai (CUD).
An expert on the role of music and sound in infants’ learning and brain development, Dr. Papatzikis has been invited to act as a consultant to the UK’s national broadcasting organization, the BBC. The collaboration with the BBC’s pre-school channel, Cbeebies, focusses on fostering activities that can support early years education.
Dr. Papatzikis explained, “Cbeebies aims to boost and enrich toddlers’ exposure and understanding of music and sound from an early stage in life, which requires a valid and verified approach based on music and brain research. This is where I come in, helping them to connect theory to practice in a dynamic yet pedagogical way, always keeping in mind the specific audience’s age range, limitations, and developmental needs.”
He continued, “For example, it is one thing to say that music and sound activates the brain holistically, hence promoting brain development, but another thing to present pictures and specific sounds through a game-based approach that implicitly connects between brain development, music and sound. All this needs academic specialization to organize and implement effectively.”
Meanwhile, in Australia, Dr. Papatzikis’ research has been cited in a journal article about the benefits of music education on children. Published by Music Australia, the organization that represents all aspects of the country’s music industry, the article quotes Dr. Papatzikis’ findings, which show how music interaction in the early years of life can help in a child’s intellectual and emotional development.
Locally in the UAE, students from Dubai English Speaking College and the American School of Dubai have been learning about Dr. Papatzikis’ unique area of research through a week-long program of seminars on brain activity in relation to education, music and sound.
Throughout the seminar week, participating high school students heard from Dr. Papatzikis about brain function and structure, and the research surrounding brain and music interfaces. The unique academic activity week covered a variety of subjects ranging from basic neuroscience topics to specific research areas such as Multiple Sclerosis and music.
The educational exercise also took in a visit to the University of Sharjah Hospital, where Head of Medical Diagnostic Imaging and Associate Professor of Radiology, Dr. Abdulmunhem Obaideen, led a tour of the hospital’s Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Electroencephalography (EEG) facilities.
Moving forward with his pioneering research agenda, Dr. Papatzikis’ latest paper, ‘Discussing Musical Creativity in Learning: Psychological Perceptions and Brain Research’ was published in the June 2016 edition of the International Educational Scientific Research Journal. Building upon this, Dr. Papatzikis is now working on a new project in collaboration with Neuroscience student, Dania Chatila, of McGill University, Canada, to explore emotional stimuli in music.
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