Hi! My name is Matthew Hartono and I am originally from South Tangerang, Indonesia. I went to high school in Singapore before moving to Vancouver in early 2021. I realized that I did not want to pursue a purely scientific degree, and that led to me combining my knowledge in the sciences with my passion …
Author Archives: Christine Goedhart
Peer Tutor Spotlight – Achol Jones
Hi! My name is Achol and I was born and raised in Vancouver. I just finished up my second year at UBC studying Neuroscience. I am in the first cohort of the major, which is super exciting and provides lots of opportunity to help develop the program, which I am working on this summer. Although …
Peer Tutor Spotlight – Joshua Jin
Hi! I’m Josh, and I was a Peer Tutor for BIOL 112! I currently live in Vancouver, but I’ve called almost every major city in Metro Vancouver home, including Surrey, Coquitlam, Burnaby, and even UBC when I was an infant (funny how my life went full circle like that). I’m currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Microbiology …
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, …
Peer Tutor Spotlight – Kira Ptak
Hi – I’m Kira! I was born in the States, then moved to the Netherlands in 2010. I went to Scotland to start university, however, after my first year, I realized that what I really wanted to study went beyond what was offered at the university, so I decided to transfer to UBC where I …
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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Peer Tutor Spotlight – Christie Lie Aoki Katayama
Hey! I’m Christie and I was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, where I attended a German school and completed the Abitur, the German High School Diploma. I am currently a 3rd-year Biology student, and these past 2 years, I’ve been awarded the Faculty of Science International Student Scholarship. Although I’m from a very …
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Peer Tutor Spotlight – Anthony Moss
Hi! My name is Anthony. I was born and raised in Southern Ontario. I went to high school in Mississauga, Ontario and completed the International Baccalaureate (IB Program) in the last 2 years of high school. I moved to British Columbia to do my BSc at UBC four years ago. I am currently a 4th …
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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Peer Tutor Spotlight – Nicholas Viegas
Hi! My name is Nicholas and I was born and raised in Vancouver. I am currently a 3rd Year Honors Microbiology and Immunology Student, and this past year, I was named as a TREK Scholar for finishing with a cumulative yearly average amongst the Top 5% in the Faculty of Science. After having peer tutored …
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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Peer Tutor Spotlight – Jubi Lee
Hi! My name is Jubi and I am a Biology major. I actually graduated last summer with a BSc in Biology and am currently back as a non-degree student taking special education courses full-time. Also, I grew up in Vancouver and cannot imagine being anywhere else but here! This term I am peer tutoring for …
Peer Tutor Spotlight – Timothy Wolf
Hi, I’m Timothy and I’m from Washington State. I am majoring in Nutrition Science with a minor in Biochemistry. I’m interested in helping people with both improving their health and studying science, so I’m glad that I have the chance to be a peer tutor for BIOL 200 this term, which is my favorite course …
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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