Hello everyone! This my Biography, where you can get to know a little bit more about me. My name is Jordan Heyes and I am currently studying Chemistry in the Honours program at the University of British Columbia (UBC). I was born and raised in North Vancouver on the northern side of the Burrard Inlet, right across from the city of Vancouver. I have always had an interest in science, and my current career goal is to become a materials chemist, with a focus on polymer science. I also enjoy working out and swimming with friends, skiing, cooking, and occasionally playing video games or reading in my downtime.
I first became interested in chemistry during high school around grade 10, when I got to see what kinds of reactions I could do from demonstrations, and I was fascinated. From then until the end of grade 12, that initial fascination only got stronger, and when I applied to UBC I knew that that was the degree I wanted to explore. Chemistry is amazing to me since everything we experience is governed by it, and extraordinary things can be done with chemistry.
As a chemistry undergraduate, I have been exposed to multiple sub-disciplines, such as analytical, physical, organic, and inorganic chemistry. While most students have a greater preference towards one discipline, I have found that each one has fascinating information. As such, my studies has led me to pursuing materials chemistry, with a preference in polymer science. This newer emerging field incorporates all facets of chemistry with real world applications. I have been tailoring my degree by taking courses that teach me about industrial chemistry, polymers and their applications, optical and electronic materials, and engineering materials. Ultimately I want to learn more about polymeric materials that have important functions compared to regular plastics. I plan to join groups that focus on polymers with interesting properties, like light emission or conductivity similar to metals.
Professionally, I am in the Science Co-op Program, which gives students the opportunity to do paid internships at different companies and research groups to get work experience related to a student’s field of study. I have been taking jobs that have increasingly geared towards my interests in polymer science. Most recently I worked at DPoint this past summer, which gave me a chance to design polymeric composite membrane materials for gas and water transport. This and past co-op positions have strengthened my desire to create new and exciting polymeric materials. This course (English 301) has also helped improve my technical writing ability and online professional presence, something that I feel will enhance my marketability in the future.
