institute of creative problem solving

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Welcome to the the Institute of Creative Problem Solving for Gifted and Talented Students

"Our students are instilled with a lifelong love of mathematics. Many of our graduates - over 10% - go on to win prestigious awards, including national and international math, science, and engineering contests."

Jong P. Lee, Ph.D., Founder and Director United States Presidential Awardee for Excellence in Math, Science, and Engineering Mentoring

The National Museum of Mathematics is an incredible facility that displays the many fascinating examples of mathematics.

Click here to learn more.

Slide show of the 2019 holiday party.

Photos at the HMMT competition Nov. 2018.

Click here to see photos of the 2018 year end party.

Click here to see photos of the 2015 holiday party.

Click here to see photos of the 2014 MoMath event.

The Institute of MERIT, Mathematics Education, Research, and Instructional Technology, wishes to congratulate two of its graduates. Both students won top honors in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.

Natasha Kulviwat won the Gordon E. Moore Award for her project entitled "Positive Outcomes for Future Generations." Her work is a study on the neurobiology of suicide. In addition, she has published an article in the "Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research" and is a coauthor of an article in "Applied Food Research." Natasha wrote the following to Mr. Arthur Kalish, the director of the institute: “I would like to thank the Institute of Creative Problem Solving for serving as the first place that made me realize my passion for STEM competitions and research and ultimately serving as a catalyst for my future endeavors.”

Her classmate at Jericho High School, Kevin Zhu, won the Dudley R. Herschbach SIYSS Award for his research project on a specific subset of cancer mutations to determine if they are prevalent and can be used as indicators of a cancer diagnosis. He found that his method could be used to identify and diagnose certain cancers earlier than is currently possible. This award entitles him to an all-expenses paid trip to the Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar which will include attendance at the Nobel Prize ceremonies. Additionally, Kevin was just named one of the 161 US Presidential Scholars nationwide representing New York State.

The 2024-2025 application is not yet available Reminder: you are ineligible to take the exam if you previously participated in the ICPS program, regardless of grade group.  A Certificate of Completion allows former students to sign-up for our grade appropriate Robotics Engineering class or the Research & Technology class.

For more information regarding these classes go to  http://instituteofmerit.com/ . for detailed information concerning the activities of the robotics program and to view slides and videos of some of the projects go to https://sites.google.com/view/icps-robotics/homepli=1 ., applications for our robotics engineering class for 2024-2025 will become available on march 24, 2024, at 12:30am. students who have completed one year of the icps program and who are entering grades 8 or 9 in september 2024 are invited to apply. this year, the robotics engineering class was fully registered after the first few hours that registration became available. students are accepted on a first come first served basis. registration for this class closes on sunday, april 28, 2024, at 11:30pm., applications for our research & technology class for 2024-2025 will become available on march 24, 2024, at 12:30am. students who have completed one year of the icps class and who are entering grades 10 or 11 in september 2024 are invited to apply. this year, the research & technology class was fully registered after the first few hours that registration became available. students are accepted on a first come first served basis. registration for the research & technology program closes on sunday, april 28, 2024, at 11:30pm., see what one of our students is doing to help fund icps. go to https://www.youtube.com/watchv=92a9bqvrp7c/, follow and friend us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/icpsalum/, read about the accomplishments of current students and some of our alumni..

The Institute of Creative Problem Solving for Gifted and Talented Students' mission is to enhance the problem solving skills of exceptionally talented students using advanced mathematics and creative thinking. The Institute strengthens our nation's development of young leaders and role models in mathematics, science and technology to allow them to contribute greatly to society. The Institute is tuition free, providing equal access to all qualified students from Long Island and promoting underrepresented populations in the mathematics, science and engineering fields.

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CPSI = C reative P roblem S olving I nstitute

Join us at the creative education foundation’s creative problem solving institute (cpsi) — the world’s longest-running creativity conference..

Highlights from 2019 CPSI in Buffalo, NY

Whether you are new to deliberate creativity or a seasoned creativity professional, CPSI provides an array of engaging, transformative, and easy to apply creativity, innovation, and leadership skills.

New attendees learn from our hand selected and trained Core CPS Faculty, by participating in our Core CPS Courses. Returning attendees can choose from an array of innovative workshops that explore novel applications and combinations of creativity disciplines. Join us at CPSI and experience the transformative power of applied imagination with more than 400 of your new best friends.

Make CPSI a family affair when you sign up your 8 to 17 year olds for YouthWise , too!

Make CPSI a Team Retreat and Save!

Bring four or more people for a team discount! Contact us for more information.

• Registration
• CPSI Housing and Hotels
• Bringing Teams to CPSI
• CPSI 2023 Schedule At A Glance
• Detailed Agenda
• CPS Level 1: Foundations of Creative Problem Solving
• CPS Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools
• CPS Level 3: Creative Problem Solving Facilitation Techniques
• CPS Level 4: Creative Problem Solving Instructor Training
• Sponsors/Partners
• A Taste of CPSI
• What’s Included
• Creative Education Foundation

The Creative Education Foundation’s Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) is the world’s longest-running creativity conference.

Choose from several experiential programs where you will learn a proven process for deliberate creativity – from the place that invented brainstorming and has evolved and taught the Creative Problem Solving process for more than 60 years.

CPSI offers a one-of-a-kind personal and professional training opportunity. You will gain practical creativity skills and tools in an inspiring, interdisciplinary learning environment. Make CPSI a family affair when you sign up your 8-17 year olds for YouthWise, too!

Connect with a diverse cross section of more than 400 business leaders, educators, community activists, nonprofit and government professionals, artists, students and others from around the globe.

WHY ATTEND?

Whether attending in person or virtual, CPSI is where you learn the skills that you and your organization need to stay competitive in today’s rapidly changing world. At CPSI, you will engage an array of workshops and training courses geared toward personal and professional development – all centered around processes for fostering creative thinking and doing.

As a CPSI participant, you will learn through listening and observing, but mostly by doing. You will learn a proven, disciplined and repeatable approach for Creative Problem Solving. For the many participants who return year after year, CPSI has become a professional home and a must-attend event. CPSI is truly unique:

IT’S ENGAGING You’ll explore every facet of creativity and innovation among an international community of like-minded people sharing best practices and life experiences from a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and professions.

IT’S INSPIRING You’ll learn creative techniques and methods that can be used personally and in the workplace immediately. You’ll emerge renewed and armed with the skills that you and your organization need to stay competitive in today’s challenging marketplace.

IT’S FUN You’ll be in a dynamic, multi-dimensional learning environment brimming with collegiality, playfulness, openness, challenge, spirit, and purpose.

At CPSI you meet like-minded, intelligent, curious, and experienced people from all walks of life, creating connections that will be the basis for a lifetime of continued learning and exploration.

OUR HISTORY

Founded in 1954, the Creative Education Foundation is the recognized world leader in applied imagination. Alex Osborn, an ad man and educator, not only founded CEF and CPSI, but also invented brainstorming and co-founded the ad firm, BBDO. His classic book, Applied Imagination , continues to inspire the work of CEF.

With Sidney Parnes, Osborn developed the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process. For more than 60 years, CEF has been teaching adults and children how to use this proven process to develop new ideas, solve complex problems, and implement innovative solutions.

The first annual Creative Problem Solving Institute was held in 1955 at the University of Buffalo. The first virtual CPSI conference was held in June, 2020.

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• CPS Training
• CPS Facilitation

Site Sponsor

Site author.

Paul Reali, MS, MBA OmniSkills Founder & Principal 336.926.8833 * E-mail Paul

PLEASE READ: Permissions to Use Site Content

We encourage you to use the content you find on this site, in accordance with the Creative Commons license specified here, and on each page:

Click the image above for a description of these terms. For additional permissions (e.g., to license the work for commercial use), e-mail us .

Read the Books

The author of this site, Paul Reali, has written two books on Creative Problem Solving. Click a cover to learn more, read an excerpt, or purchase a copy.

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

This site is for practitioners, new and experienced, of the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process and tools.

WHAT IS CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING?

CPS is a form of deliberate creativity: a structured process for solving problems or finding opportunities, used when you want to go beyond conventional thinking and arrive at creative (novel and useful) solutions.

WHO ARE OSBORN AND PARNES?

In the 1950s, advertising executive Alex Osborn studied creative people to see how they came up with ideas and creative solutions. He called the process he observed “creative problem solving,” and documented it in his seminal book, Applied Imagination .

Osborn’s work soon caught the attention of a college professor who wanted to study and extend the work. Sidney Parnes , Ruth Noller, and their colleagues provided the academic scrutiny that confirmed that CPS works, that it can be taught, and that people can learn to improve the way they think and solve problems.

There are many processes that use the term "creative problem solving" that are not based on the work of Osborn and Parnes. Generally, when the name is written with capital letters ("Creative Problem Solving") or abbreviated "CPS," the work is based on the Osborn-Parnes model.

WHO OWNS CPS?

Unlike proprietary methodologies, no one owns CPS. Osborn put CPS into the public domain so that people could use it. He did not feel as if he owned it; everyone owned it, and anyone should be able to use it.

More than 60 years later, CPS is known and used worldwide, by hundreds of companies and professional practitioners, and thousands of individuals. Expansion and research continues. CPS is the cornerstone of the Osborn-founded Creative Education Foundation (CEF), and CEF’s annual conference, the Creative Problem Solving Institute; and CPS is at the core of the M.S. in Creativity from the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State College.

Because no one owns CPS – it is a kind of open-source project – it has been researched and refined, extended and enhanced, for more than 60 years. The beneficiaries? Any of us who choose to use CPS today.

A WORD ABOUT TERMINOLOGY

A side effect of the continuing study and development of CPS is that the terminology - what the stages are called, primarily - can change from one model to another. These changes tend to be author/practitioner preference, and are not material changes. This site uses the terminology developed by Paul Reali of OmniSkills, with stages that are consistent with the latest thinking on CPS. (For more information, see the column to the right.)

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IS IT A PROCESS OR NOT?

The word "process" implies, perhaps, that CPS is performed step by step. In actual practice, it's more organic. Yes, there are times when one might step through a fuzzy situation all the way (using the OmniSkills terminology) from "Imagine the Future" to "Plan for Action." More likely, though, you will "enter the process" wherever you need to be based on where you are in your problem-solving situation.

For example, if you have a clearly-articulated vision, you might begin with Finding the Question. Or, if you already have the question (that is, a clearly defined problem), you might begin with Generating Ideas. Generally, there are conditions that should be satisfied before you attempt any stage (for example, it's not all that sensible to generate ideas for a problem you can't clarify), but you are never required to do anything except whatever you need.

READER PLEASE NOTE: this is a work in progress...

We're continuously adding to this site, so please come on back, and let us know if there's anything you need or would like to see here.

CPS Process Stages: Multiple Approcahes, One Process

The Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process, once it reached maturity, looked like this:

Objective Finding Fact Finding Data Finding Problem Finding Solution Finding Acceptance Finding

Simplex (Basadur, 1994) identifies eight steps, numbered here because one is required to do all the steps, in order, every time (a point of disagreement with many other CPS practitioners and models):

1. Problem finding 2. Fact finding 3. Problem definition 4. Idea finding 5. Evaluating and selecting 6. Action planning 7. Gaining acceptance 8. Taking action

A plain-language version (Miller, Vehar, & Firestein, 2001) expressed the stages like this:

Identify the Goal, Wish     or Challenge Gather Data Clarify the Problem Generate Ideas Select & Strengthen Solutions Plan for Action

CPS: the Thinking Skills Model (Puccio, Murdock, & Mance, 2005) is a multi-faceted rework of the model. It adds a meta-step (the first on the list) which includes management of the process, and incorporates data gathering. It identifies these process steps:

Assessing the Situation Exploring the Vision Formulating Challenges Exploring Ideas Formulating Solutions Exploring Acceptance Formulating a Plan

The Productive Thinking Model (Hurson, 2008), notably, adds setting criteria as an explicit step:

What’s going on? What’s success? What’s the question? Generate answers Forge the solution Align resources

CPS: Competencies Model (Reali, 2009; the model described on this site) is based most closely on CPS: Thinking Skills Model. It looks like this:

Facilitate Imagine the Future Find the Questions Generate Ideas Craft Solutions Explore Acceptance Plan for Action