Dr Jacob Paul and Associate Professor Michelle Jongenelis
Lowe Theatre, L1, Redmond Barry Building, Parkville VIC 3052
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Dr Jacob Paul:
To quantify the world around us we learn to use symbols to represent numerical quantities and then combine these symbols using mental calculations, which helps us make everyday decisions like balancing household budgets, allocating time for work tasks, and tracking our physical activity to stay healthy. However, over half of Australian adults have poor numeracy skills (Level 2 or below, OECD), with difficulty calculating two or more steps involving whole numbers, common decimals, percents and fractions. Initiatives to improve functional numeracy will continue to be ineffective without fundamental knowledge of symbol learning. Here, I will present two ongoing studies investigating this issue: (1) an online survey with quantitative tasks to understand the lived experiences of Australian adults with self-identified maths learning difficulties, and (2) an associative learning experiment (7 Tesla neuroimaging) to model individual differences in the process of mapping unfamiliar symbols with quantities.
Associate Professor Michelle Jongenelis:
E-cigarettes have been described as a public health menace. We have a window opportunity to act to reduce their impact, but powerful forces are undermining affirmative action. In this presentation, I will discuss the current regulations around e-cigarettes and related products, and what needs to happen to prevent e-cigarettes from becoming Australia’s next public health disaster. I will also present key research that has been used to advocate for greater restrictions on the devices, and counter the arguments used by vested interests who are actively lobbying for e-cigarettes to be considered consumer goods.
About Dr Jacob Paul
Dr Jacob Paul is an Academic Fellow in the School of Psychological Sciences where he leads the Maths At The Human Scale (MATHS) Lab, which studies how mathematics interacts with the body at all levels - from neurons to neighbourhoods. His primary research focuses on how numbers are encoded in the brain, how we construct mental models of maths knowledge, and the mechanisms that drive individual differences in maths learning behaviours, including persistent maths difficulties like dyscalculia.
About Associate Professor Michelle Jongenelis
Associate Professor Michelle Jongenelis has expertise in health promotion, intervention development and evaluation, behavioural psychology, and clinical psychology. She works across multiple and diverse health-related behaviours including alcohol and tobacco control (including use of e-cigarettes), nutrition, physical activity, and sun protection. Michelle works as a researcher and consultant for a broad range of organisations covering the not-for-profit and government sectors. She sits on the Australian Council of Smoking and Health, the World Federation of Public Health Associations’ Tobacco Control Working Group, and is co-convener of the Public Health Association of Australia’s Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs SIG.