Bruce Dunham Term 2, Section 211
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.
Jackie Stewart Term 2, Sections 212 and 213
Dr. Jackie Stewart is an instructor in the Department of Chemistry. She has been teaching general and organic chemistry since 2005. Jackie’s research interests span the areas of self-regulated learning, problem solving, and assessment of learning. She is passionate about helping students learn through innovative instructional methods and by motivating them to use research-tested study techniques. Jackie received the Killam Teaching Award in 2006 and 2010, as well as the SUS Teaching Excellence Award in 2010. She enjoys cooking and has introduced several of her friends to her favourite vegetable: kale.
Andrew Trites Term 2, Sections 212 and 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.
Reinhard Jetter Term 2, Course coordinator
Dr. Reinhard Jetter got his undergraduate training in chemistry at the University of Munich, Germany, and his Ph.D. in Botany at the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany (1993). He did postdoctoral research at the Institute of Biological Chemistry at Washington State University with Rod Croteau (1994-96) on the cloning and characterization of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of conifer resin diterpenoids, and he worked as an independent group leader in the Biology Department at the University of Wuerzburg, Germany (1996-2003) on the polyketides and triterpenoids found in plant skins. Finally, he joined the University of British Columbia in 2003, where he is now a full professor with cross-appointment between the Departments of Botany and Chemistry. He is leading a group of chemists and biologists focusing research on the various aspects of plant surfaces, with interdisciplinary projects 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.
Vanessa Hrvatin Term 2, Journalism TA
Vanessa is
entering her final year of the Journalism program at UBC. Originally from Sarnia, Ontario, she completed her undergrad in biology and environmental science at Queen’s University. She is aspiring to have a career in science journalism, having just completed an internship at Canadian Geographic.
She has done extensive science writing, including a genetics honours thesis, but has also done feature writing and appreciates the difficulty scientists often face when attempting to communicate science to a broader audience.
She loves playing tennis, trying new activities, and visiting new places.
Michael Ruffolo Term 2, Journalism TA
Michael completed his undergrad with a degree in Biology at the University of Western Ontario. He then moved out west to complete a Master of Journalism at UBC. He has always enjoyed sharing information, and he felt that a degree in journalism would help him do that. He has published works with The Tyee, and has produced videos for Daily Planet and the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week”.
Derek Cho Term 2, Statistics TA
Derek Cho is a second year MSc. student in the department of Statistics at UBC. His interests include machine learning and statistics in sport. He also studied statistics during his undergrad at UBC. He recently finished an eight month co-op work term at Statistics Canada. He is an avid ice hockey and soccer fan. His favorite teams are the Vancouver Canucks and FC Barcelona.
