Contact

• mestre@illinois.edu

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Biography

I am interested in how people learn and solve problems in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. I work at the interface of science learning and cognitive science (e.g., visual cognition, reading comprehension, nature of expertise, transfer of learning). Using techniques common in cognitive science (e.g., eye-tracking, reading speed) but heretofore not used to study science learning, I am attempting to learn details about how both experts and novices store, retrieve and apply knowledge. Ongoing investigations include explorations of the role of misconceptions in comprehending scientific text, visual processing of diagrams in problems, and conceptual problem solving.