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?
People
Amanda leads the research group, using her expertise in organic chemistry (Ph.D. 2016) and background in education research and neuroscience (2016-2019). She joined Queen’s in July 2019 as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry.
Click here for her full bio.
My name is Phung. I am a Vietnamese by birth, a Singaporean by education and hopefully will be a Canadian by profession. I believe education is the future of humanity—in this age of fast-paced technological advancement, it is even more pressing that mankind should be well-educated because with great power comes great responsibility to wield it. I am currently exploring the effect of multimodal encoding on memory performance.
Shauna’s research focus centers on redesigning undergraduate laboratories. Originally from Calgary AB, Shauna received her B.Sc. in Chemistry (2015) and M.Sc. (2022) from the University of Calgary. During her undergrad Shauna always had a passion for looking for ways to improve learning in undergraduate chemistry. Shauna’s outreach projects include ChemEscape & the School of Magic (magically themed chemistry demos). Outside of research Shauna enjoys teaching, theater, biking and reading.
Kristin is a concurrent education student as well as an accelerated MSc student. Her current projects study experiential learning and arts integration in organic chemistry undergraduate classes. Outside of school, she loves animals, skiing, nature, and time with family and friends.
Will is a first-year Neuroscience MSc student. Originally from Sudbury, Ontario, Will holds a B.A. from Laurentian University (2022). He is using EEG and eye-tracking techniques to study how people learn. In his spare time, Will loves music, sports, and travelling.
Zoe’s research aims to study how cognitive load impacts learning and task performance in virtual reality (VR) simulation environments. Zoe is co-supervised by Dr. Paul Hungler. She received her first BSc. Specialization in Behavioral Neuroscience (2019) and her second BSc. Specialization in Chemistry with a minor in Biology (2022) at Concordia University, Montreal. Outside of her passions for chemistry education, she is an active member in numerous astronautic organizations across Canada and conducts research for space applications.
Sarah is studying opportunities for arts integration in organic chemistry classrooms.
Yifan is working with Shauna to study learning experiences in undergraduate chemistry laboratories.
Jackson is co-supervised by Dr. Philip Jessop and is exploring how to use impact-based metrics to teach green chemistry.
Victoria is a work-study student and past NSERC USRA student working on a joint project with the Aristizabal lab. Her projects have explored memory, and learning using uses experimental design and eye-tracking technology.
Victoria is actively involved in EDII initiatives including the Queen’s Student Diversity Project and the Dandelion Project.
Alaina is working with the group, first as a PDF and now as a collaborator, to explore how to integrate green chemistry into standard chemical education. Alaina grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She completed her undergraduate studies at Acadia University, including her honours thesis on cisplatin derivatives with Dr. Robert Gossage. She went on to complete her PhD at Queen’s University with Drs. Jessop and Buncel on new applications of switchable solvents. While completing her PhD, Alaina developed passions for both green chemistry and chemical education.
Past Members
- Alex Parker (Thesis, NSERC USRA), BSc Chemistry ’22. Continuing with a B. Ed. degree at Queen’s
- James Ingman (Thesis), BASc Engineering Chemistry ’21. Continuing with a B. Ed. degree at Queen’s
- Sarah Gulycz (Thesis), B.Sc. Chemistry ’21. Pursuing a post-Graduate program in Cosmetic Science
- Evan Noronha (Thesis), Con. Ed. B.Sc. ’21. Pursuing a degree in Outdoor Education
- Manisha Blaskevitch (NSERC USRA, Thesis), B.Sc. Chemistry ’21. Pursuing an M.Sc. in Epidemiology at McGill
- Alex Hemmerich (USSRF), Con. Ed. B.Sc. Student, Chemistry.
- Joey Liu (Work Study), currently pursuing research in the Lohans lab
- Santosh Pillarisetty (Work Study), BScH Student
- Katie Henderson (Thesis), B.A.Sc. Engineering Chemistry ’20. Policy Engineer at Environment and Climate Change and Canada
- Galen Yang (Work Study), B.Sc. Chemistry ’20. Pursuing PhD at McGill in the Moore group
- Josh Watters (Thesis), B.Sc. Chemistry ’20. Joined the Sales Leadership Development Program with Fritolay
Publications
peer-reviewed articles
2019-2022
- A. Parker, E. Noronha, A. Bongers.* “Beyond the deficit model: organic chemistry educators’ beliefs and practices about teaching green and sustainable chemistry” Submitted August 9, 2022.
- Yu Pei, Sarah Gulycz, Zhe She,* A. Bongers* “A Scaffolded Assessment on Chromatography Theory for Analytical Chemistry Classrooms.” Revision submitted: August 8, 2022.
- A. Bongers* “A virtual poster session designed for social learning in undergraduate chemistry research” Journal of Chemical Education 2021, 99, 6, 2259-2269.
- A. Bongers, B. Beauvoir, N. Streja, G. Northoff, A. B. Flynn*. “Building mental models of a reaction mechanism: the influence of static and animated representations, prior knowledge, and spatial ability.” Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. 2020, 21, 496–512.
- A. Bongers, A. B. Flynn, G. Northoff*. “Is learning scale-free? Chemistry learning increases EEG fractal power and changes the power law exponent.” Neurosci. Res. 2020 Jul;156:165-177.
- A. Bongers, G. Northoff, A. B. Flynn*. “Working with Mental Models to Learn and Visualize a New Reaction Mechanism.” Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. 2019, 20, 554–569.
2018 and earlier
- Intermolecular Aminocarbonylation of Alkenes using Concerted Cycloadditions of Iminoisocyanates. Journal of Organic Chemistry 2017 82(2) 1175-1194
- Synthesis of Cyclic Azomethine Imines by Cycloaddition Reactions of N-Isocyanates and N-Isothiocyanates Organic letters 2016 18(15), 3778-3781
- Kinetic resolution of azomethine imines by Brønsted acid catalyzed enantioselective reduction Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2015 54(51), 15516-15519
- Modular Synthesis of Pyrazolones Using an Alkene Aminocarbonylation Reaction Organic letters 2015 17(14), 3612-3615
- A tunable route for the synthesis of azomethine imines and β-aminocarbonyl compounds from alkenes Journal of the American Chemical Society 2012 134(39), 16111-16114
other work
Get Involved
active studies
We are often looking for students, faculty, or the general public to participate in online or in-person research studies. Below you can find a list of our active studies. Contact Amanda to participate!
- Recruiting chemists (graduate students, post-docs, faculty, working in industry) for an online experiment. Contact Phung Nguyen for access.
- Recruiting chemistry graduate students for an eye-tracking study. Contact Alex Parker for access.
join the group
We are actively recruiting domestic undergrad, MSc, PhD students and postdocs, and international PhD students.
If you’re interested in joining our group please check out the application guidelines and email Prof. Bongers at amanda.bongers@queensu.ca and please include:
- your curriculum vitae or resume
- who you are and in what position you are interested
- explain your interest in our research
- *prospective post-docs only* provide a one-page critique of one of our research papers
Due to a high number of applicants, only candidates that can be considered for a position will be contacted.
Amanda Bongers 