Dr Elena Prieto-Rodriguez
| Work Phone | +61 (0)2 4921 7 |
|---|---|
| Fax | +61 (0)2 49 217 |
| Elena.Prieto@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Position |
Lecturer
School of Education
|
| Office | HA95, Hunter Building |
Biography
My professional academic career has encompassed two specialised areas: Mathematical Foundations of Computing and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education.
In 1997 I finished an Honours Bachelor Degree in Mathematics/Mathematics Education. This Degree is a 5 year program with the last two years specialising in Methodology and Didactic of Mathematics.
Shortly after completing my degree, during the academic year 1998-1999, I held a position at the National University of El Salvador. I was the on-site coordinator of a Masters program in Mathematics Education developed by the Spanish Agency for International University Cooperation (CUES). This program was designed to improve the quality of mathematics teaching in El Salvador.
In 2000 I commenced a postgraduate degree in Theoretical Computer Science at The University of Victoria, Canada. My success in Canada led me to be offered a scholarship to study a PhD in Computer Science at the University of Newcastle, Australia. I started my doctoral studies in September 2001, completing a PhD in Mathematical Foundations of Computing in 2005. This was followed by an appointment as a post-doctoral fellow at the Newcastle Bioinformatics Initiative (now Priority Research Centre for Bioinformatics, Biomarker Discovery and Information-Based Medicine, CIBM).
Subsequently I took up a full-time research position with the Australian Research Council Linkage project Engineering Choices, Engineering Futures. My responsibilities in the project included its overall management and implementation, liaison with the different stakeholders, design of questionnaires, statistical and cluster analysis of relevant data obtained and writing up of several published papers and the final report for the project.
I have lectured at the University of Newcastle from 2002 to present, teaching courses on Theory of Computation, Computer Networks, Introduction to Software Engineering, Formal Languages and Automata, Curriculum Studies in Mathematics, and Specialist and Extended Studies in Mathematics.
Qualifications
- PhD (Computer Science), University of Newcastle, 2005
- Bachelor of Science (Mathematics), Complutense University of Madrid - Spain, 1997
Research
Research keywords
- Combinatorial Optimisation
- Engineering Education
- Mathematics Education
- Parameterised Complexity
Research expertise
My professional career as a researcher has been divided between two areas: Computer Science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education. Hence, my research output is split between publications in the area of algorithms for problems in bioinformatics and research into engineering education. My journal publications in both areas are all in highly ranked journals.
In 2005 I became a postdoctoral fellow with the Australian Research Council Linkage project “Identification and Development of Strategies for increasing engineering enrolments”, known as Engineering Choices, Engineering Futures project. This project finished in 2009 with two publications in ERA A journals and over 10 international conference papers. My area of specialisation in education focuses on determining what factors most contribute to school-aged awareness and understanding of the enabling sciences for engineering. In particular I am very interested in the effects of mathematical relevance in secondary education learning.
Collaboration
In the past ten years as a researcher at the University of Newcastle, I have always worked, and thoroughly enjoyed, interaction with other academics. I have a long history of international research collaboration with colleagues in the area of Mathematical Foundations of Computing. In this capacity, I was invited to work with colleagues in universities in Norway, Germany, Canada and Spain.
At UoN I have collaborated with Emeritus Professor Adrian Page (Professor of Engineering, former Pro Vice-Chancellor Research at UoN, and leader of the Student Experience and Engagement project at the Faculty of Engineering), Professor John O’Connor (Head of School of Mathematics and Physical Sciences and academic leader of the acclaimed and highly successful outreach program “The Science and Engineering Challenge”), Professor Sid Bourke (former President of the Australian Association for Research in Education who pioneered National literacy and Numeracy testing in Australia) and Professor Allyson Holbrook (Foundation Director of the Centre for the Study of Research Training and Impact at UoN).
Languages
- Spanish
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 130208 | Mathematics And Numeracy Curriculum And Pedagogy | 50 |
| 130306 | Educational Technology And Computing | 40 |
| 080201 | Analysis Of Algorithms And Complexity | 10 |
Centres and Groups
Centre
- Centre for the Study of Research Training and Impact (SORTI)
- Hunter Medical Research Institute
- PRC - Priority Research Centre for Bioinformatics, Biomarker Discovery and Information-Based Medicine
Group
Administrative
Administrative expertise
From January to December 2011 I was the Centre Manager for the Priority Research Centre for Bioinformatics, Biomarker Discovery and Information-Based Medicine.
At present I am program Convenor for the Bachelor of Teaching /Bachelor of Mathematics degree at the University of Newcastle
Teaching
Teaching keywords
- Algorithms and Data Structures
- Computer Networks
- Formal Languages and Automata
- Java Programming
Teaching expertise
I have lectured at the University of Newcastle from 2002 to present. In the Engineering Faculty, I taught courses on Theory of Computation, Computer Networks, Introduction to Software Engineering and Formal Languages and Automata always receiving excellent course assessments from my students. I currently teach courses on Mathematics Pedagogy and Curriculum Studies.
At secondary school level, in the academic year 1999-2000, I was Teacher, IT Coordinator and Curriculum Designer at the Pan-American School of San Salvador, El Salvador. I taught Mathematics for Grades 10 and 11 and Information Technology for years 6-12. Also, I worked as a Teaching Assistant at Patcham High School in Brighton, England, during the academic year 1996-1997. I taught Mathematics at the General Certificate of Secondary Education level (equivalent to Australia's Year 10).