That helps explain why "a lot of great ideas occur at transition times, " when people are waking up or falling asleep, bathing, showering or jogging, says Jennifer Wiley, a psychology professor at University of Illinois at Chicago and lead author of a 2012 research summary in Current Directions in Psychological Science.

WSJ: Tactics to Spark Creativity

Finally, the conference will highlight directions for future research in this area.

UNESCO: Detailview | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

"The critical question is whether Facebook can help Microsoft get critical traction in paid search, " says Rob Helm, director of research at Directions on Microsoft.

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We are changing some of our directions and we're focusing a lot of our attention on research in epidemiology, in the prevention areas, as well as, certainly, a heavy emphasis on basic research, which is really where all the cures are going to come from.

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