The Penn State Alumni Association

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Life-Science & Abstract Ceramic Form Dr. Thomas C. Slettehaugh, BS, MEd, DEd In 1954, Professor Viktor Lowenfeld offered me a 2-year graduate scholarship to teach, to be an educational television artist and a full-time doctoral student. Completing my Art Ed doctoral thesis, I established the original interaction philosophy of life-science by innovating the ceramic sculpture Tactile Discrimination Test (TDT). I discovered, developed and produced a testing instrument that statistically measures children's developmental stages relating to mental, aesthetic and perceptual growth. My post-doctoral life-science ceramic clay projects evolved from the TDT into Psychoaesthetics. This creative-scientific investigation produced a visual document of line, shape, form and color that identifies an individual's intuitive perceptions of beauty. In 1968, the King of Sweden invited me to Uppsala University to share my discoveries in a worldwide conference. My cross-cultural investigations include research, museum exhibits, seminars, art workshops, and lectures at conferences and universities. They spanned the globe and transformed lives, communities, colleges, and museums where my creative artwork was shown. My art work was taken "out of this world" to the moon by Astronaut Stuart Roosa, Apollo 14, January 1971; University of Minnesota 100 Distinguished Alumni Award 1995-2005.