(born July 11, 1943 in Scranton, Pennsylvania) is an American psychologist who is based at Harvard University. He is best known for his theory of multiple intelligences. In 1938, Howard Gardner's Jewish parents fled from persecution in Nazi Germany with their first son, Eric; he died in an accident shortly before Howard was born. As Gardner grew up, neither of these events was discussed, but they were linked to his parents' refusal to allow him to play sports during school. By the age of 13, he had become an outstanding pianist (he considered a career in music). A Boy Scout, he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Howard Gardner entered Harvard in 1961 with the intention of majoring in history, but under the influence of Erik Erikson he changed his major to social relations (a combination of psychology, sociology, and anthropology) with a particular interest in clinical psychology. He again changed his field of interest after encountering cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner and the writing of Jean Piaget. He wrote a senior thesis at Harvard on a new California retirement community. After finishing his Ph.D. at Harvard in 1971 with a disseration on style sensitivity in children, Gardner continued to work at Harvard, establishing with Nelson Goodman a research team on arts education known as Project Zero. Founded in 1967, Project Zero is devoted to the systematic study of artistic thought and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and scientific disciplines, at both individual and institutional levels. Gardner remains involved in the project. In 1981, Howard Gardner was awarded a MacArthur Prize Fellowship. He is currently Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and adjunct professor of neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine.