Joonkoo Park

What is your field of study?

I study numerical cognition and its neural basis. I investigate how we understand numbers and learn math. I was interested in how nature and nurture interact to give rise to human cognition and numerical cognition gives an excellent opportunity to study the interaction between primitive cognitive abilities (e.g., ability to comprehend numerical quantity without learning to count) and learned, higher-level, uniquely human faculty (e.g., ability to solve basic and complex math problems). 

What do you see as the potential or value of your work/research?

From a basic science perspective, my work will contribute to the growing body of knowledge about human cognition that philosophers have been thinking about for millennia. From a translational point of view, my research topic has direct relevance to education and public health. Thus, I hope to make contributions to advancing pedagogical approaches in math education. 

What honors courses are you teaching? What does honors teaching mean to you?

I'm teaching the Developmental Psychology honors course. I'm most excited about the new honors course I designed - What Makes Us Human. I love teaching my honors students. Students in a small group setting are much more actively engaged and proactive. They are eager to learn and curious about many things. I found a lot of smart and hard-working yet humble students. 

How would you describe Commonwealth Honors College as a community of scholars?

It is a very unique environment with full-time CHC faculty and fellow joint-hires spanning many disciplines. I especially like being part of a greater community with diverse backgrounds and research fields.