Gordon Shaw, Laguna physicist and educator

Gordon Shaw succumbed April 26 to cancer. He was 72.

The long-time Laguna Beach resident developed a revolutionary

teaching technique that combined music and mathematics.

Shaw taught at the nonprofit Music Intelligence Neural Development

Institute (M.I.N.D.) in Costa Mesa. He co-founded the M.I.N.D.

Institute in 1998 after 30 years of scientific research at UC Irvine

and served as the institute’s chairman for its first five years, more

recently as chairman emeritus.

Shaw’s vision was to teach all children -- regardless of cultural

or socioeconomic background -- how to think, reason and create

mathematically. That ideal is the foundation of M.I.N.D. Institutes

math and music curriculum.

“Dr. Shaw’s unwavering belief that each child has the ability to

do complex math and should be given the opportunity to reach their

full potential, especially children from disadvantaged backgrounds,

has made it possible for the institute to make a difference in the

lives of so many children today,” institute Chairman Ted Smith said.

The institute’s Math + Music process has been used by more than

13,000 kindergarten through fourth-grade students in elementary

schools, with dramatic improvement in math scores, based on

California standardized tests.

Dr. Shaw was committed to making the program available to as many

children as possible, with a vision of extending it to all children

in the United States.

Research into how children learn will continue under the direction

of physicist and UC Irvine research professor Mark Bodner, who

co-founded the institute and serves as vice chair and President of

the institute’s research division.

Dr. Shaw earned his doctorate in theoretical physics from Cornell

University in 1959 and joined the fledgling UC Irvine campus in 1965,

as a founding member of the physics department. He was made full

professor in 1968 and professor emeritus in 1994.

He was a resident of Laguna Beach since moving to California.

In addition to his research in elementary particle theory at

Irvine, Dr. Shaw began working on brain theory in 1974, which became

his primary area of research. His groundbreaking work with physicist

William A. Little of Stanford University in the 1970s led to the trion brain model of mathematics.

Dr. Shaw believed that music is a window to a higher brain

function. His book, “Keeping Mozart in Mind,” published in 2000,

started a trend of playing classical music to babies. It was one of

170 publications by Dr. Shaw on neuroscience and elementary particle

physics.

His research influenced numerous arts-related educational

programs. He was honored this year with the Cultural Legacy Award

from Arts Orange County for his contributions to the arts community.

The award was accepted by Dr. Bodner, on behalf Shaw’s family.

“Dr. Shaw will be remembered as having a twinkle in his eye and a

smile on his face,” Smith said. “Dr. Shaw’s work has had an impact on

math and music education that will be clear in the years ahead, as a

monument to our [institute] mission.

“We will miss his spirited participation, his ideas and his

dedication to our mission.”

The M.I.N.D. Institute will continue operating with its present

structure and management, officials said.

Dr. Shaw is survived by his wife of 47 years, Lorna, three

children -- Karen, Robin and Bruce -- and four grandchildren.