Lab Researchers

Current Researchers

Percival Matthews
Principal Investigator
http://edpsych.education.wisc.edu/people/faculty-staff/percival-matthews
Curriculum Vitae

My research program is organized around two primary goals: 1) to understand some basic underpinnings of human mathematical cognition, and 2) to find ways to leverage this understanding into effective educational techniques that can be used to impact the life chances of everyday people. My research has spanned all stages of development and has included work both in K-12 schools and in the laboratory. Currently, my largest projects involve

exploring how basic perceptual abilities that all humans come with can help anchor understanding of fractions concepts and
investing how we can improve children’s understanding of the equal sign, a type of knowledge that is an important entry point for algebraic thinking.

When I’m not in research mode, I enjoy hanging out with my wife and two daughters, experiencing new foods, working out, and reveling in the music of the ’70s (which I feel set the high water mark for popular music).

Valerie Buroker
Lab Manager

Valerie is a project manager investigating the relations between fractions and algebra in middle and high school students. She graduated from UW-Madison in 2022, where she earned a B.S. in Psychology and Neurobiology. As a previous undergraduate research assistant in the MELD lab, she was excited for the opportunity to return to research after working as a special education paraeducator for a year.

In her free time, Valerie enjoys traveling, painting, reading, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family.

Graduate Students

Robert Quintana
Graduate Student

Robert graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College where he earned a B.A. in Psychology. After graduation, Robert worked at an alternative school, where he served as a teaching assistant in a classroom for children with emotional/behavior difficulties. He also worked a Behavioral Technician at Wisconsin’s Early Autism Program and as a math tutor for Schools of Hope in the MMSD school district.

Research Interests: Robby is interested in how the development of certain cognitive abilities influence mathematical understanding and trajectories. Specifically, how differences in spatial skill and proportional reasoning influence fraction understanding and general calculation skill. He hopes this research will contribute towards new learning tools and interventions to that make math more accessible and fun . In his downtime, he likes to take long walks in areas with vegetation and water, bike around Madison, and work on his jump shot.

Graduate Alumni

Yunji Park
Curriculum Vitae

Yunji is a postdoctoral scholar in the department of psychiatry at Stanford University. Yunji completed her Doctorate and a Masters in Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she earned her bachelors degree and a Masters in Cognitive Science in South Korea. Working in the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, she was involved in the various projects studying the development of numerical cognition. Yunji specifically investigated the representation of magnitude and how it relates to mathematical achievement over the course of the development.

Research Interests: I’m interested in young learners and their brain development in the context of math education. I’m also interested in kids’ structural and functional brain changes shaped by educational experience! My current project focuses on the development of nonsymbolic ratio discrimination and its relationship with math competence (behavioral), children’s neural representations for nonsymbolic and symbolic fractions and how the representation changes over the course of development using fMRI, and exploring white matter tracts that are related with fractional knowledge using DTI. If you are interested in my work and want to know more, please visit my personal web page.

Alex Viegut smiling in red cardigan with black and white shirt underneath.

Alexandria Viegut
Curriculum Vitae

Alex is an assistant professor in the psychology department at UW – Eau Claire. Her current research focus is measuring and supporting students’ understanding of fractions, especially through visual models. She earned Ph.D. (2022) and M.S. (2019) degrees in Educational Psychology at UW-Madison, and holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame. After completing her PhD, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Learning Sciences at the University of Delaware. As a graduate student, Alex enjoyed teaching undergraduate child and adolescent development classes in the Educational Psychology Department.

Research Interests: My work draws from both psychology and math education research, and I’m currently exploring connections between fractions and algebraic thinking. I am also interested in the role of visual representations (number lines, gestures, diagrams, etc.) in children’s math thinking and learning. If you’d like to hear more about my research, please visit my professional website or email me at viegutaa@uwec.edu! Outside of research and teaching, I enjoy running, card games with friends, and playing piano.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Xiang Cheng
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Xiang is a senior from Guangzhou, China. This is her third year working in the MELD Lab. She is majoring in Education Studies and Mathematics, working on Statistics and Arts & Teaching certificates. In the past, Xiang has been tutoring high school students in mathematics. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a Doctoral Degree in Educational Psychology and work as a researcher. She enjoys writing calligraphy, playing Pipa, singing, and watching cute animal videos in her free time.

Stewart Schultze
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Stewart is a second-year student from Edina, Minnesota. This is his second year in the MELD lab. He is majoring in Neurobiology. This past summer he worked as a CNA and shadowed healthcare professionals. After graduation, he aims to attend Medical School to become a doctor and work as a neurosurgeon. Outside of school and career work, he enjoys volunteering through the Red Cross, cooking with friends, and playing tennis.

Maddie Pritz
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Maddie is a first-year undergraduate student at UW-Madison from Grayslake, IL. She is majoring in Psychology, and this is her first year working in the MELD lab. After finishing her undergraduate degree, she aspires to go to graduate school on the Cognitive Psychology track. Outside of school and the lab, she finds joy in playing the guitar, creating art, and eating good food.

Daria Zikel
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Daria is a senior at UW-Madison from Kenosha, Wisconsin. This is her second year working in the MELD Lab. She is majoring in Psychology and Neurobiology. She hopes to pursue a career in healthcare after undergrad and graduate education. Outside of school and the lab, Daria enjoys reading, playing piano and hanging out with her friends.

Paige Sideris Undergraduate Research Assistant
Paige is a first-year undergraduate student at UW-Madison from Munster, Indiana. This is her first year working in the MELD Lab. She is majoring in Psychology. She hopes to go on to graduate school to become a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist. Outside of the Lab, Paige enjoys reading, playing tennis, and spending time with friends and family.

Amelia Jensen
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Amelia is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UW-Madison originally from Crystal Lake, Illinois. This is her seventh semester in the MELD Lab. She is majoring in Biochemistry with certificates in Gender & Women’s Studies and Biocore Curriculum. She hopes to go to graduate school to pursue her DNP and become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. Besides school and work, with her time, Amelia enjoys sleeping, cooking, and spending quality time with those she loves most.

Devon Adams
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Devon is a first-year undergraduate majoring in neurobiology on a pre-physician assistant track and working towards a certificate in either global health or gender and women’s studies. Her hometown is Onalaska, WI and some of her hobbies include reading, baking, and spending time with friends and family.

Madilyn Kaiser
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Madilyn is a junior at UW-Madison from Pulaski, Wisconsin. This is her first semester working in the MELD Lab. She is majoring in Psychology, and hopes to go to graduate school to become a Physician’s Assistant. Outside of school, work, and the lab, Madilyn enjoys traveling, movies, and spending time with friends and family.