For the past several years, Bridgette Clarkston has included two class projects focused on community partnerships and experiential learning in her BIOL 320 Survey of Algae course: a Compare & Contrast Algae-in-Art project, and a Seaweed Species Richness of Stanley Park project. Below, Bridgette describes why and how she includes these two projects in the …
Author Archives: Christine Goedhart
Teaching Spotlight – Getting Students to Reconnect to Nature with a Journaling Assignment
This term, Jennifer Klenz incorporated a new Nature Journal assignment series in her BIOL 111 course to enable students to reconnect with all the living things around them. Below, Jennifer shares her motivation for creating this assignment series, how she did it, the impact it has had on students and the course, and what she’s …
TA Spotlight – Pablo Sandoval Acuña
I am Pablo (he/him) and my hometown is Quito, Ecuador. I did my undergrad in Biological Science there, and I recently finished my Master’s degree here at UBC in the Zoology department. I conducted my Master’s research in the Srivastava Community Ecology Lab, where I studied how different aspects of urbanization affect communities of aquatic …
Student Research Spotlight – Ethan Wong
Growing up in Courtenay, I was fascinated by plants, animals, and insects while camping and seeing the pristine wildlife on Vancouver Island. I loved the outdoors and often participated in ocean sports such as surfing, kayaking, and stand up paddle boarding. This shaped my decision in late high school to study science and specialize in …
Student Research Spotlight – Natalie Ma
Hello! I’m Natalie, a fifth-year Biology Honours student. I was born in Vancouver, BC and fortunate to have been raised amidst the breathtaking beauty of the West Coast! As a UBC student, I’ve been a part of URO’s REX Committee since my third year, in which I design workshops for undergraduates new to research and …
TA Spotlight – Rain Xiong
Hello everyone, I am Rain (she/her) from Guangzhou, China! I came to Vancouver in 2016 for undergraduate study here at UBC where I majored in Biology. Now I am a 5th year PhD candidate in the Sugioka Lab, conducting studies using the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans as the model system. My research interest is focusing on …
What I Learned from My Recent Course Development Experience
By Christine Goedhart In the spring 2024 semester, I had the privilege to develop and teach a brand new undergraduate course at UBC: Biology of Cannabis – BIOL 348. This wasn’t my first time developing or teaching a course; prior to coming to UBC I was a biology faculty at a community college in Los …
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TA Spotlight – Ina Na
Hi! My name is Ina (she/her) and I am a fourth year PhD candidate in the Keeling Lab where I study the diversity and evolution of a widespread group of parasites called the apicomplexans that includes Plasmodium spp. (causative agent of malaria) and Toxoplasma gondii. I completed my undergraduate degree at UBC in Biology with …
Student Research Spotlight – Henry Luo
Hello! My name is Henry and I’ve just completed my undergraduate degree in Honours Biology. I am from Guangzhou, China and I moved to the beautiful city of Vancouver at the age of 12. As a part of my program requirement, I have been incredibly fortunate to be a part of the Auld Lab to …
Teaching Spotlight – Showcasing the complexities of genetics with pedigree case studies
Pam Kalas, Maryam Moussavi and Solveig van Wersch recently worked with some colleagues to create two case studies that counter genetic essentialism and reflect the complex reality of how genes are expressed as phenotypic traits. These case studies, one featuring the variation in hair colour and the other featuring the variation in the blood clotting factor involved …
TA Spotlight – Ilke Geladi
Hi, I’m Ilke! I am originally from Belgium but moved around South and North America growing up before finally settling in Canada. I did my undergrad at McGill University where I did a BSc in Biology. I then did an MSc in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems as part of the Erasmus Mundus Masters Programme (TROPIMUNDO). …
Student Research Spotlight – Nataly El-Bittar
Hi! My name is Nataly El-Bittar and I’m a fourth year Biology student originally from Lebanon! I just graduated at the end of May and am so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve gotten over the past four years. I have been volunteering at the AMS Food Bank for the past two years and recently …
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Teaching Spotlight – Integrating Systems Thinking and Students’ Personal Values into Final Projects
This past term Ilke Geladi and Blaire Steinwand tried something new in their section of BIOL 180: They incorporated two new classroom activities to help students explore systems thinking and identify their own personal values in preparation for their final projects. Below, Ilke and Blaire share their motivation for doing this, how they did it, …
TA Spotlight – Magnus Macaulay
I’m Magnus from Nova Scotia on the East Coast of Canada! I began my studies at Dalhousie University where I did a BTECH in Environmental Landscape Horticulture and upon refining my interest of plants to plant molecular science, I did a BSc in Biology with Honors. Now, I’m in a MSc in Botany here at …
Student Research Spotlight – Sebastian Kondratowski
Hey there! My name is Sebastian and I am a 4th-year undergraduate student in the Faculty of Science’s Biology program. I was born and raised in the beautiful city of Vancouver, BC. I have been incredibly fortunate to have done many fascinating research projects over the course of my degree here at UBC. During this …
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Student Research Spotlight – Toktam Movassagh
Hi! My name is Toktam (pronounced talk-tam) and I’m currently in my senior year at UBC majoring in Biology and minoring in Health & Society. I was born in Tehran, Iran and I’ve lived in Vancouver for most of my life, but I love traveling and exploring the world! I’m currently a part of the …
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TA Spotlight – Zandra Santa Rita
Hi, I’m Zandra! I was born in the Philippines, immigrated to Canada in 2008 and lived in Saskatoon, SK (Treaty 6 Territory, the Homeland of the Metis) since. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Saskatchewan (Usask) where I received my BSc. Hons. in Biology with a minor in Archaeology. In my undergrad, …
Teaching Spotlight – Using ChatGPT in the Biology Classroom
ChatGPT has recently taken higher education by storm and has caused a lot of uproar around what this new technology means for the future of teaching and learning. While many instructors are trying to figure out how to prevent their students from using ChatGPT, Celeste Leander has instead chosen to embrace and integrate this new …
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Teaching Spotlight – Making Questions More Understandable For EAL Students
As an instructor in Botany and Vantage College, Caitlin Donnelly teaches many international students for whom English is not their first language and who are still in the process of learning English. She has found that these students sometimes answer questions incorrectly, not because they don’t understand the concepts, but because they don’t understand what …
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TA Spotlight – Amy Kim
Hi! I’m Amy (she/her) and I am from Vancouver, the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and sə̓lílwətaʔɬSelilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Biology and I am currently a PhD candidate in the Rieseberg lab located in …
Student Research Spotlight – Elizabeth Chesley
Hi! My name is Elizabeth and I am a 5th year Biology student in the Faculty of Science. I am originally from Medicine Hat, A.B., but have called Vancouver home for 7 years now. Through my degree I have been involved in a rather diverse range of research experiences. In the summers following my 2nd …
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Serving the Underserved Majority: 5 Ways to Support Women in Biology Classrooms
By Christine Goedhart Walk into any undergraduate biology classroom, take a look around at the students in the room, and you might notice something: most students are women.* Given that women now outnumber men in higher education throughout much of the Western world, this might not be too surprising, but it actually is quite different …
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Student Spotlight – Frances Butterfield
Hi – I’m Frances Butterfield and I’m originally from Treaty One territory, or Winnipeg. I’m a fourth year student in the Combined Major in Science (CMS) program and biology is one of my packages, along with chemistry and earth and ocean sciences. I really like the CMS program because it gives me flexibility in terms …
Teaching Spotlight – Creating Animations to Teach Biological Processes and Principles
To help shift students’ focus from memorizing to understanding, Pam Kalas and Rosie Redfield recently developed innovative animations and teaching materials for learning mitosis and meiosis. Their question-driven, terminology-free, stop motion videos encourage students to discover the underlying principles and build a deep understanding of these key processes. Below they describe what motivated them to …
TA Spotlight – Sophia Fan
I’m Sophia (she/her), a second year MSc student in the Tseng lab at UBC Zoology. I’m from Snuneymuxw land over on the island, a small city also known as Nanaimo. I moved out east to the University of Toronto for my undergraduate degree in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, where I lived on land home to …
Student Research Spotlight – Ruhi Mander
Hi! My name is Ruhi Mander and I am a 4th year student in the Faculty of Science, specifically in the Biology Program. I am originally from Surrey, B.C. where I lived with my parents and younger brother, and am now living here at UBC as I pursue post secondary. Throughout my degree I have …
The Simple Secret to Creating a More Inclusive and Equitable Classroom
By Christine Goedhart A question I often get from instructors is: How can I make my classroom more inclusive and equitable for all students? My answer: Get to know your students. This response usually takes people off guard because they are expecting a checklist of defined things that they can do that will result in …
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Student Research Spotlight – Fabrizio Chow
Hello! My name is Fabrizio Chow (he/him) and I am currently in my 5th year of my Chemical Biology degree here at UBC. I am originally from Chilliwack, in the Lower Mainland, so I’ve grown up near Vancouver. Currently, I am fortunate enough to do research in the Samuels Lab, where we focus on plant …
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TA Spotlight – Jessica Li
Hello! I’m Jessica (she/her) and I’m from the traditional lands of the Treaty 7 region, which includes the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda, as well as the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III, now also known as the City of Calgary. I moved here in 2015 and got my BSc …
Teaching Spotlight – Using Instructor Talk in the Classroom
If you observed one of Brett Couch’s classes, you would notice that in addition to talking about course content, he also frequently explains the ‘why’ behind his teaching decisions, reveals secrets to success, and shares personal experiences. This type of non-content talk directed to the entire class is known as Instructor Talk, and using it …
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