In this interview, Eliot Feld, a ballet dancer who has choreographed more than 100 ballets for every major company in the United States and around the world, discusses his passion for dance, dance training, mentors, balancing academics and performance at the High School of Performing Arts, and establishing Ballet Tech. (CR)

An interview with Hugo Fiorato, the conductor of the New York City Ballet, recounts his musical education, special problems of conducting for a ballet company, the training of orchestra members and conductors, and mentorship. (DB)

This interview with Martin Seligman, a past-president of the American Psychological Association and the author of seminal works in the areas of both learned helplessness and optimism, discusses his interest in positive psychology and giftedness, fostering creative genius, his childhood and move from philosophy to psychology, and future plans.…

Presents an interview with Jeff Bingaman, senator from New Mexico, who has been instrumental in providing incentives to increase the number of low-income students eligible for Advanced Placement test fee waivers and has supported innovative projects in educational technology and institution of voluntary national tests. He has also encouraged…

Presents an interview with Jack Reed, senator from Rhode Island, involved in legislation concerning education. The interview addresses his own education, the role of mentors in his life, and his views on gifted education. (DB)

In this interview Diane Ravitch, former Assistant Secretary of Education and Counselor to the Secretary of Education, Lamar Alexander, discusses her current role as an education policy maker and writer, her educational experiences, her educational philosophy, and the failure of the education system to develop children's potential. (CR)

An interview with Vladimir Feltsman, a piano virtuoso and educational innovator, covers his views on development of musical talent in Russia, identification of talent in children, his training at a special music school, his mentors, choosing a musical career, the ideal school for young musicians, and the maximum age for beginning to develop…

Presents an interview with Leon Botstein, the president of Bard College and music director and conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra. His history as an exceptional child, the development of his drive to succeed in a musical career and in academia, and his love for music are discussed. (CR)

A model Talent Development Program is described, designed to meet the atypical learning styles and needs of gifted students. Structural factors in conventional schools that are antithetical to talent development are discussed, and provisions for facilitating scholarly inquiry and apprenticeships for students are outlined. (Author/PB)

This interview with Calvin Butts III, a gifted pastor of a Baptist church in Harlem that houses the largest Protestant congregation in the United States, investigates his experiences and his views on developing academically gifted African American students, drawing talented people into the ministry, and identifying young talent. (CR)

This interview with the sociologist, Harriet Zuckerman, addresses issues related to gifted education, including her work with the Mellon Foundation, her sociology career choice, her experience attending a special elementary school for gifted children, her academic experiences at university, her work on women in science, and the special educational…

Questionnaires completed by 146 Westinghouse Science Talent Search winners identified curiosity as their primary research impetus. Females reported more concern with social impacts of scientific research, less variability in self-image as scientists, and a greater tendency to credit hard work and dedication (versus intelligence/creativity) for…

This interview with a gifted adult, Curt Dempster, the artistic director of the Ensemble Studio Theater, New York City, explores his career development, his suggestions for identifying artistic talent in children, his ideas about intensive training programs for talented children, and his concerns about the role of arts in contemporary culture. (DB)

This interview with Jeffrey Borer, who directs cardiovascular research at Cornell Medical College, addresses his research interests, the status of research compared to practice, ways to meet educational needs of students with science talent, the role of contests and mentors, and the importance of exposing children to many types of learning…

This interview with Joshua Lederberg, who won the 1958 Nobel prize in physiology and medicine, covers his research interests, the role of mentors, his childhood and school years as a highly gifted child, the nature of good teaching, child prodigies, and the scientific endeavor. (DB)