Torsten Husen, a Swedish psychologist and educator, was at the forefront of some of the most comprehensive educational research of the 20th century. He was apparently interested (and educated) in interdisciplinarity, and seems to have always had several proverbial balls in the air.

He was interested in the nature/nurture debate, curriculum design, orthography, philosophy, and many other areas. Not only was he interested in all these things, but he seemed able to draw from them simultaneously in response to any given problem or inquiry. He was able to empirically test many of his theories of education (conducted a large twin study to investigate IQ, etc. in the nature/nurture debate; conducted one of the longest longitudinal studies ever to test educational ability over time) thanks to his background in psychology.

One of his most lasting legacies was heading up the Association for the Evaluation of Educational Acheivement – on organization dedicated to measuring and increasing international scholastic productivity. In his time there, he instilled his knack for empirical testing, leading to some of the largest studies they have ever conducted.

Despite all of his achievements, the thing that  struck me most about Husenwas his work ethic, which was more than commendable. He lived by the phrase “nulla dies sine linea,” or “no day without a line,” which is why – when he passed away just this last July – he left us over 55 books and 1500 articles of his thoughts. Quite the legacy.