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Welcome new group members!
This Fall we have plenty of new faces joining our group! Phung Nguyen, our first graduate student, started her Masters in Chemistry this Fall. We also have Evan Noronha and James Ingman joining to complete their 4th year research projects. Manisha Blaskevitch will stay on to continue research for a 4th year project, and was…
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Our research is now funded by NSERC!
It’s been difficult to keep this news under wraps… the Government of Canada officially announced the NSERC Discovery Grant results, and our research program was funded! We’ll use to funds to study cognition in chemistry, specifically exploring how the brain encodes and manipulates scientific models.
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Some good news!
Welcome to the new students joining the group (remotely) this summer 🌞 Welcome to Manisha Blaskevitch, a student entering her 4th year in chemistry, and congratulations for being awarded an NSERC-USRA for this summer! And welcome to Alex Hemmerich, a 2nd year Concurrent Education student who won a Queen’s USSRF fellowship for his summer research…
Chemistry, Cognition, and Learning
Amanda’s research group studies how chemistry is taught and how people learn. Our lab is interdisciplinary and bridges the social sciences with cognitive science and neuroscience.
OUR RESEARCH GOALS
When people learn, they are processing information: encoding, retrieving, and using information to make decisions. Research in our lab explores how people learn in chemistry, where we rely on models and diagrams since molecules are invisible to the eye. We ask questions like:
- How do novices encode diagrams, and what does this reveal about learning?
- What neural processes are involved?
- What skills are needed to learn in chemistry, and do they overlap with other sciences or the arts?
- How can educators design materials or activities to help students learn?
Amanda Bongers 