Bruce Dunham Term 2, Section 210
Dr. Bruce Dunham is a senior instructor in the Department of Statistics. Prior to arriving at UBC in 2005 he held positions at the universities of Nottingham and Derby in England, his native country. Dr. Dunham studied at the University of London for his PhD in probability theory. After several years pursuing a traditional research-oriented academic career, he decided his interests resided in education and pedagogy. He has taught over thirty different courses in the areas of mathematics and statistics, and is delighted to be contributing to the Communicating Science course. When not working, Bruce enjoys his time with his daughter and is also an avid follower of his home-town soccer club, Blackpool FC.
Reinhard Jetter Term 2, Section 212
I got my undergraduate training in chemistry at the University of Munich, Germany, finished with a diploma thesis on organic synthesis and the physical chemistry of antiaromatic compounds. I then obtained my Ph.D. at the Botany Department of the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany (1993), with studies on waxes of various Poppy species carried out under guidance of Markus Riederer. Next, I moved to the Institute of Biological Chemistry at Washington State University, where I worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow with Rod Croteau (1994-96). My work at the IBC focused on the cloning and characterization of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of conifer resin diterpenoids. I then worked as a Research Associate and independent group leader in the Biology Department at the University of Wuerzburg, Germany (1996-2003), where I began my investigations into the polyketides and triterpenoids found in plant skins. Finally, I joined the University of British Columbia in 2003, where I am now full professor and Canada Research Chair in Plant Natural Products Chemistry, with a cross-appointment between the Departments of Botany and Chemistry. I am leading a group of chemists and biologists focusing on the various aspects of plant surfaces, using a wide range of techniques. My projects are highly interdisciplinary, ranging from molecular genetics over enzyme mechanism and chemical product identification to the physiology of water transport and the chemical ecology of plant-insect-interactions.
Andrew Trites Term 2, Section 213
Dr. Andrew Trites is a professor and director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit at UBC and research director of the North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium. Dr. Trites has been studying marine mammals in the North Pacific for over 25 years. His research involves captive studies, field studies and simulation models that range from single species to whole ecosystems. His research program is designed to further the conservation and understanding of marine mammals, and resolve conflicts between people and marine mammals. He has published over 100 papers and is frequently interviewed by media on issues pertaining to marine mammals. He oversees a research program that includes researchers, students, technicians and support staff. The training of students, and the collaboration between researchers specializing in other disciplines (such as nutrition, ecology, physiology and oceanography) is central to the success of his research program. Visit his homepage.
Rebecca Ko Term 2, Course Coordinator
Rebecca is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Psychiatry at UBC. She works in the MacVicar lab and uses different biochemical and imaging techniques to study neuron-astrocyte interactions in the brain.
