{"id":2889,"date":"2024-01-02T15:14:52","date_gmt":"2024-01-02T22:14:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/bionews\/?p=2889"},"modified":"2024-01-03T13:11:47","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T20:11:47","slug":"ta-spotlight-elsa-cyr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/bionews\/2024\/01\/ta-spotlight-elsa-cyr\/","title":{"rendered":"TA Spotlight – Elsa Cyr"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On a BC Ferry (Photo source: Elsa Cyr)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hello<\/span>, I\u2019m Elsa (she\/her)! I am from Toronto, but moved to Vancouver for my undergraduate degree in Biology at UBC. I am currently finishing up my Master\u2019s degree in the Department of Zoology.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I am co-supervised by the (Ben) Matthews lab and the Gordon lab, working on characterizing the neurons involved in taste perception in mosquitoes. <\/span>As part of my research, I have developed a protocol to look at live changes in activity of the neurons while delivering a stimulus.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mosquito larva with neuron fluorescence (Photo source: Elsa Cyr)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During my degree, I have also had the pleasure of TAing BIOL 200 (Fundamentals of Cell Biology), BIOL 372 (Principles of Neurobiology II), and BIOL 336 (Fundamentals of Evolutionary Biology).
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What do you most enjoy about being a TA?<\/em><\/h4>\n

Definitely interacting with the students. It is extremely rewarding to see them understand course material they might have been previously struggling with. I love coming up with different way to frame and explain material in a clear way. My favourite moments are when I see that something clicked, and that the student has grasped the material.<\/span><\/p>\n

What has being a TA brought to your graduate studies experience?
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Although the workload can sometimes be a little overwhelming, I have enjoyed TAing alongside my research. Being a TA has given me the opportunity to think of fundamental material in a different way. Seeing as I have mostly taught introductory courses, I have been able to go back to material I may not have thought of since my own undergrad. This has really given me a chance to step back and appreciate the fundamentals of biology and of what I am studying. Being a TA has also given me the opportunity to switch gears for a few hours a week, a well-needed change of pace at times.<\/span><\/p>\n

How has your unique background influenced your TA experience?<\/em><\/h4>\n

Seeing as I\u2019ve completed my undergrad at UBC, I have previously been a student in most of the course that I\u2019ve TA\u2019ed. Because of this, I have been able to draw from my own experience as a student in these courses to try and figure out the best way to approach material with students. I usually try to think back to what made me understand certain material, and how I can frame the content of the course so that students can grasp it. I try to build up the complex concepts in a way that is easily accessible. I am always open to students coming to see me if they are struggling and talking through material with them one-on-one.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is something you are currently doing that you are excited about?
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In terms of TAing, I recently had the opportunity to transfer in-class material into online material. With online content being more prominent now, we have to find new ways to make it engaging. This term, along with a couple other TAs, I had the opportunity to transfer a tutorial into an online format. This required thinking about the best way to present the material to a student that wouldn\u2019t have a TA to answer live questions while they are working through a worksheet. It was extremely rewarding to hear from students that this material helped them understand concepts.<\/span><\/p>\n

What do you like to do in your spare time?<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n
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Gabriola Island, BC (Photo source: Elsa Cyr)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I love travelling around, and especially exploring my surroundings. When I\u2019m not too busy, I try to take as many day or weekend trips as I can. I am always open to recommendations on where to go next! I love the beautiful sunsets, the mountains, and the ocean. When it\u2019s nice outside, I like to go hiking or to the beach, and when it\u2019s raining (as it often is), I like cooking,\u00a0reading, or watching a good movie. I try to look for calming activities that will help me disconnect from my work.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hello, I\u2019m Elsa (she\/her)! I am from Toronto, but moved to Vancouver for my undergraduate degree in Biology at UBC. I am currently finishing up my Master\u2019s degree in the Department of Zoology.       I am co-supervised by the (Ben) Matthews lab and the Gordon lab, working on characterizing the neurons involved in … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “TA Spotlight – Elsa Cyr”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99079,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4398934,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ta-spotlight","category-uncategorized","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/bionews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/bionews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/bionews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/bionews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99079"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/bionews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2889"}],"version-history":[{"count":45,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/bionews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2938,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/bionews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889\/revisions\/2938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/bionews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/bionews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/bionews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}