Dr. Amanda Bongers is an Assistant Professor at Queen’s University, specializing in Chemistry Education. Dr. Bongers’ current research interests include incorporating principles of sustainable development into Canada's chemistry education curriculum, as well as approaching learning in science from perspectives in educational research and cognitive psychology.
What aspect of teaching at Queen’s is your most favourite?
“My favourite aspect of teaching is engaging with the students and hearing how they are interpreting the material and models that are being taught. I like when I can work together with the students to get meaning out of the material, I also like that I can bring experience from my past and present research so that the students are able to make it more applicable. It shows that what they’re learning could be useful one day.”
How/why did you decide to study chemistry?
“My biggest motivation was pretty much the fact that I liked chemistry and biology and I wanted to keep learning about it so I did a degree in biochemistry. Throughout my biochemistry degree, I started to get really interested in chemistry from a practical side of things. Doing my PhD in an organic chemistry lab was about experiencing it and seeing how my research could impact the world. My biggest inspiration was my mom, and she inspired me to just be a scientist in general, she wasn’t a scientist but we were just always exploring in nature and asking questions. When it came to thinking about grad schools, I went to the Canadian Society for Chemistry Conference and I saw some really inspiring Canadian researchers which got me really excited to pursue a PhD.”
What is the most rewarding aspect of a career in research?
“There are a lot of rewarding things about a career in research. I think that all the research that I’ve done even since undergrad has been funded by tax payers, so it’s rewarding to feel that you’re contributing to growing science capacity in Canada and giving back to those communities to funded the research in the first place.”
What are your current research interests?
“I’m still very interested in organic chemistry but now from more of a theoretical perspective: I’m studying learning and cognition in chemistry. In chemistry and especially organic chemistry we have to understand these molecules and their processes that are totally invisible at the molecular level. We can barely view them with a microscope, so that means we have to use these symbolic diagrams that get very complex, and we have to visualize all the dynamic things that molecules are doing. I’m studying how we understand and encode these images in the brain and how experts do it compared to learners with the hope that we can improve how it is taught. I’m also studying the topic of sustainability in chemistry because I think the way to solve global challenges (like climate change) is for young chemists to start taking them on, and we need to get these young chemists on board starting in general chemistry. We should be teaching young people how important the topics they are learning in chemistry are to developing a sustainable world.”
Why or how do you think your field is of importance to industry?
“Chemistry courses in university are a gateway to all science programs. If you’re going to medicine, engineering, it doesn’t matter, you’ll be taking a chemistry course. These students then go on to get STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) degrees that are really needed in industry, and lead to some of the highest paying jobs. So it’s a pipeline effect: the more students we can help to succeed the more qualified professionals the university can send out into industry. My research in visualization and modelling also has the potential to be impact industry, for example, pharmaceutical companies use virtual reality for drug design, to visualize how a molecule will fit into an enzyme active site, so modelling and visualization skills are very important in industry but we still don’t understand how one develops those skills.”
What kind of advice do you have for students who are considering a career in research?
“My advice would be to don’t do things that feel easy, because if it’s easy then you’re probably not pushing yourself enough. Don’t be afraid to start in research if you know nothing about it, that’s just the nature of research, to learn and discover new things. Try to work in different research labs in different fields if you can. Think about going into grad studies and consider a different research group than where you worked in your undergrad or switching universities. A lot of students (undergrads) don’t know what kind of research they want to do, so look for an environment that you can thrive in, which is usually more important than whatever the research specifically is, then you’ll do well. Look for a supervisor that will help you grow and a group that will nurture your talents.”
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