An International Workshop on Spatial Cognition and Learning

近年来，无论是在国内还是在国际上，对人类空间技能的研究都取得了长足的进步。这一势头的部分原因是空间技能对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）成就的重要性。它还受到空间认知在人类行为中普遍作用的推动，例如在导航、工具使用、甚至语言理解和生产等任务中。最近成立的两个空间认知研究中心是天普大学的NSF空间智能和学习中心（SILC）和德国的跨区域空间认知合作研究中心（TCRCS）。在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，这两个中心的成员，以及该领域的其他受邀专家，正在举办一个研讨会，旨在概述空间认知领域近期和中期的广泛研究议程。该研讨会更具体地考虑了可视化在STEM教育中的作用，因为它与导航、机器人和工程设计有关。这两个中心带来了互补的专业知识和观点：SILC侧重于包括空间转换、空间语言和空间类比在内的广泛技能，而TCRCS侧重于从计算角度出发的导航和机器人技术，强调感知-行动关系。其他专家被选来加强神经科学和地球科学观点在研讨会上的代表性。它的形式将为与会者提供相互熟悉的机会。讨论该领域的研究议程，并撰写一套研究方向的建议。结果将在讲习班网站上利用所有参加中心和个人的网络进行传播。

Research on spatial skills in humans has been gaining momentum in recent years, both nationally and internationally. This momentum is partly driven by the importance of spatial skills to achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It is also driven by the pervasive role of spatial cognition in human behavior, for example in tasks like navigation, tool usage, and even language comprehension and production. Two research centers that were recently formed to study spatial cognition are the NSF Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center (SILC) housed at Temple University, and the Transregional Collaborative Research Center Spatial Cognition (TCRCS) housed in Germany. With support of NSF, members of these two centers, along with other invited experts in the field, are holding a workshop with the goal of outlining a broad research agenda for the near and medium term future in the area of spatial cognition. The workshop is conceived more specifically to consider the role of visualization in STEM education as it relates to navigation, robotics, and engineering design. The two centers bring complementary expertise and perspectives to the table: SILC focuses on a broad set of skills including spatial transformations, spatial language, and spatial analogies, whereas TCRCS focuses on navigation and robotics from a computational point of view, with emphasis on perception-action relations. Other experts were chosen to enhance the representation of neuroscientific and geoscientific perspectives at the workshop. Its format will offer attendees the opportunity to become familiar with each other?s research, discuss the research agenda for the field, and compose a set of recommendations for research directions. The results will be disseminated on a workshop web site using the networks of all participating centers and individuals.