During the last few days I was invited to take part in the Fifth Beijing Science Festival (BJSF) that took place at the Beijing Olympic Stadium. It was my first time to participate in such a big and so well organized event that aims at engaging children and the general population in science, technology, engineering […]

As my research focuses on how technology can be used to engage students in meaningful mathematics and science learning, I continuously think about the educational (and societal) impact of modern technology. I also keep asking myself a simple question: why despite such a proliferation of novel and often free digital tools for education, we still […]

  Since coming to UBC in 2004, I was very fortunate to participate in many projects aimed at improving educational experiences of our students. These projects would not have been possible if not for the UBC Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund – TLEF. This fund’s goal is to support innovation in teaching and learning at […]

I  will always remember how hands-on science activities inspired me to engage with science at a deeper level. I didn’t want to become a scientist because I got a 100% on a test, but because I wanted to figure things out and I wanted to play with things. Hands-on science has always fascinated me. I […]

I have been teaching graduate courses in the Faculty of Education at UBC for the last 8 years. During this time, I have worked with many practising teachers, who have decided to pursue their advance academic degree. One of the challenges they faced was combining work, family and their studies. Commute to UBC was a […]

Growing up in the family that valued education and having a mother who was a mathematics and science teacher, September 1st has always been a special day for me. In the Soviet Union where I grew up, it marked the beginning of a new academic year – a new adventure. And while I had my […]

During the last year a group of my students and I have been working on creating short videos of STEM experiments that our teacher-candidates can do with their students. This project became possible thanks to the generous support of the UBC Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund. We are very grateful for their support. Many of […]

We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. (Carl Sagan) For the last year and a half, my colleague from Simon Fraser University, Dr. Sarah Johnson, and I have been collaborating as co-editors of a special issue of Physics in Canada, dedicated to physics […]

On May 4, 2017 Gerald Tembrevilla and I had and opportunity to share our work on the collection of videos for future STEM educators. This work has been supported by UBC Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund, UBC Work and Learn Program and the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. Our presentation: 2017_UBC_TLEF_poster_MilnerBolotin_Tembrevilla_Final

On May 3, 2017 I visited Richmond public library for a special outreach event for the general public. It was a rainy day and I had to carry a big box of science demonstrations with me. It was one of the volunteering events I have been involved it since I came to British Columbia almost […]