research team

Erin Ottmar (Principal Investigator) is an Associate Professor of Learning Sciences and Technologies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She co-developed the game "From Here to There" with the goal of innovating and promoting math teaching and learning. She has been Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PI on numerous IES, NSF, and Spencer-funded projects (totaling more than $7 million) focusing on STEM education, perceptual learning related to math, and design, development, and evaluation of educational technologies. She is a recent NSF CAREER awardee.

Puyuan Zhang is a Research Scientist of Learning Sciences & Technologies at WPI. Her research interests focus on the cognitive mechanisms underlying human learning. Employing behavioral and eye-tracking techniques, Puyuan investigates how multiple top-down (e.g., executive function and memory retrieval) and bottom-up (e.g., perceptual learning) cognitive processes interactively underpin mathematics problem-solving. She received her Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Hong Kong.

Alena Egorova is a PhD candidate in the Learning Sciences & Technologies program at WPI. She earned her MA in Psychology from Moscow State University, focusing on emotional burnout in teachers. With over 7 years of experience as a researcher and designer in tech projects, Alena aims to explore how new technologies and data can enhance education. Her current research interests include the interplay of anxiety and cognition in learning, particularly within the context of educational technologies.

Zelda Ferris is an MS student in the Learning Science and Technologies program. She earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Northeastern University in Boston and went on to work as a software engineer and a middle school math teacher in Providence, Rhode Island. Zelda is interested in researching math and computer science curriculums that are accessible, inclusive, and transferable.

Ji-Eun LEE is a Research Scientist of Learning Sciences & Technologies at WPI. Her research interests are largely directed towards applying learning analytics and educational data mining techniques to improve instructional design and student success in mathematics education. She examines data models to produce algorithms that identify student behaviors and mathematical strategies that predict learning outcomes and engagement in FH2T. She received her Ph.D. in Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences from Utah State University.

Sarah Olson is a fourth-year Computer Science BS/MS student at WPI, and this is her first year working in the MAPLE lab. Her overarching goal is to improve the resources and support available for children with language-based learning disabilities by understanding the influence of cognitive processes in learning interventions. She will graduate with both her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Computer Science in May 2025.

Keira Reid is part of the class of 2025 at Mass Academy. She joined the MAPLE lab in 2024. Keira is passionate about continuing in research as she continues her academic journey.

Vanessa Peloquin is an undergraduate student at WPI, majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and graduating in 2027. Her research in the Maple Lab includes perceptual cueing in mathematical operations, as well as the effects of perceptual cueing in different cognitive control skills (working memory, inhibition, attention). Outside of the Maple Lab, her interests include hardware engineer and cybersecurity.

Miles Mathieu is an undergraduate at Umass Amherst, majoring in pure mathematics with minors in computer science and linguistics. He is also very interested in education, especially in math.

Caitlin Mills (Assistant Professor, UMinnesota) is a cognitive and educational psychologist who is an expert in using state-of-the-art educational technologies and scalable AI-based solutions to decrease mind wandering and improve engagement during learning.

Joaquin Anguera (Associate Professor, Neurology and Psychiatry, University of California-San Francisco) is the Director at Neuroscape, the translational neuroscience center at UCSF that develops, trains researchers, and provides data for the ACE-X measures in various contexts to understand cognitive mechanisms.