I’m currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Zoology, co-supervised by Dr. Eric Taylor and Dr. Jeffrey Richards. I study freshwater adaptation in a euryhaline fish, prickly sculpin, by focusing on ion regulation in fish from habitats that vary in the distance to the sea.
I got my bachelor’s degree from Tianjin Agriculture University, China, where I majored in Aquaculture. I then went to Texas A&M University for my master’s degree, where I studied population genetics of blue crab and phylogeography of Excirolana.
I’ve been a TA in Biol 140 since I came to UBC, both in the previous in-person version and new online version.
What do you most enjoy about being a TA?
I really enjoy the interaction with students. I’m happy to provide guidance to students when they have questions, resolve their confusions, and provide advice on dealing with relationships with their peers. What I enjoy the most is talking with students about my own research topic in class. It allows me to test my ability to tell my research story to people who are not familiar with the topic, as they are the beginners in the field. I can then modify the way I present my work based on the students’ reactions. I also like to share the difficulties that I have experienced during my research. Students really like to hear about my research and they always have really good questions to ask. Students feel like I’m a real person through this activity.
What has been an interesting outcome of your TA experience?
I’ve learned a lot from the course I TAed, which helps me in my own research. Some of the terminology/ideas we cover in class I was initially not clear on, but they have turned out to be very important in my research and have allowed me to better self-regulate my own work. For example, in class we often use rubrics to evaluate students. I’ve never done that on myself, but after being a TA I have started to use those rubrics to regulate myself in my own writing and daily performance.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to cook and bake, so when I have spare time I go online and find recipes that I then cook/bake. I’m not worried too much about the outcome, I really enjoy the process. This is actually my way to alleviate my stress. I find I can calm myself down when I cook/bake.
How has your unique background influenced your TA experience?
My educational background is mainly from China, as I didn’t go abroad until my master’s study. This background makes it easier for me to help/mentor the students who also just arrived to UBC with Asian educational backgrounds. As I have similar experience, I better understand their difficulties in adjusting to new learning styles. Therefore, I can modify my teaching style or provide more guidance to such students to help them adapt to the new learning environment and style more smoothly.