加州尔湾--2025年1月19日，在The Space Irvine举办了一场生动的讲座，主题为“像侦探一样思考：如何在大学申请中表达你对社会议题的兴趣”，主讲人为范德堡大学数学教育博士赵老师。这次活动吸引了众多高中学生及家长，他们希望通过此次讲座，了解如何将日常新闻阅读积累和对社会议题的反思应用在在大学申请中并脱颖而出。

赵博士结合她的学术背景与《思维工具箱》和《逻辑神探》的翻译经验，分享了如何将批判性思维和解决问题的能力融入申请文书中。她强调，学生在表达自己对社会议题的兴趣时，可以像侦探一样，通过“搜集证据”“质疑假设”和“构建有力论点”来展现自己的思考深度与个性化视角。

讲座中，赵博士不仅提供了实用的写作建议，还通过互动环节回答了学生的具体问题。例如，如何将自己的兴趣与社会挑战相结合，如何通过生动的故事让文书更具感染力。这些内容不仅帮助学生明确了申请文书的方向，也让家长们对如何帮助学生盘点身边已有的工具和激发高中生对社会热点问题的反思有所帮助。

Irvine, California – On January 19, 2025, The Space Irvine hosted an engaging lecture titled “Think Like a Detective: Expressing Your Interest in Social Issues for College Applications”, delivered by Dr. Zhao, a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from Vanderbilt University. The event attracted numerous high school students and their parents, eager to learn how to apply their reflections on social issues and accumulated knowledge from daily news reading to stand out in their college applications.

Dr. Zhao drew from her academic expertise and her experience translating Thinking Toolbox and Logic Detective to share insights on integrating critical thinking and problem-solving skills into application essays. She emphasized that students can express their interest in social issues by thinking like detectives—gathering evidence, questioning assumptions, and constructing strong arguments to showcase their depth of thought and unique perspectives.

During the lecture, Dr. Zhao not only provided practical writing advice but also answered specific questions in an interactive session. She discussed strategies for linking personal interests to societal challenges and using compelling stories to make essays more impactful. Her insights not only helped students clarify their approach to application essays but also guided parents on how to help their children identify existing tools and encourage reflections on current social issues, making the process more effective and meaningful.