Trish Schulte
LS-CWSEI Director
I am a professor in the Department of Zoology at UBC and the departmental director for Life Sciences for the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative. Along with an active research program in Evolutionary Physiology, I have a long-standing interest in university teaching and learning. I have won multiple awards for teaching and co-authored a leading textbooks in animal physiology. I earned my PhD in Biological Sciences at Stanford University, where I studied mechanisms underlying variation in gene expression in fish. I began my career as an assistant professor at the University of Waterloo, where I taught Human Physiology and Human Molecular Genetics before coming to UBC in 2001. Currently, I teach the core course “Fundametals of Physiology” and the 3rd year honours Biology seminar. I work with the team of Life Science STLFs to advance the use of evidence-based pedagogical practices, focusing on the large-enrollment core courses in Biology.
Connect: pschulte{at}zoology.ubc.ca, website: Schulte Lab
Megan Barker
Science Teaching and Learning Fellow, Flexible Learning Initiative Teaching & Learning Fellow
Having a background in protein biochemistry and structural biology, I love that my new science education work with LS-CWSEI is something that my parents actually understand! I’m currently working with courses related to “small biology” – understanding the cells, molecules, and processes that make life happen. With these courses, there are a few projects on the go – developing course materials that promote active learning, assessing student learning and engagement, strengthening connections between courses, and researching how to get around the barrier of jargon in biology. I’d also love to get a project going relating to visual literacy in molecular/cell biology, if anyone’s looking for a collaborator. Outside of work, I’m interested in all sorts of things – books, board games, odd urban goings-on, ringette (the old new hockey), snacks, “British Period Dramas with a Strong Female Lead” (or so Netflix tells me), and projects that you can hold in your hands when they’re done.
Connect: barker{at}zoology.ubc.ca, twitter
Natalie Schimpf
Science Teaching and Learning Fellow
I joined the Life Sciences CWSEI team in July 2014 and have since been immersed in the world of science education. Before coming to British Columbia I completed my PhD in comparative physiology (cockroach metabolism and breathing) and Graduate Diploma of Education at the University of Queensland in Australia. I have always had a keen interest in science and learning, and I think it is so important to have a scientifically literate community that is able to make informed decisions about a number of pressing issues faced by society. Since coming to UBC I have been working as part of a team in the renewal Biology 140, a large-enrollment first-year lab course. I am also keen to investigate how students in the Biology program are required to engage with the scientific literature.
Connect: nschimpf{at}zoology.ubc.ca
Tammy Rodela
Connect: trodela{at}zoology.ubc.ca
Former Science Teaching and Learning Fellows:
Lisa McDonnell
Science Teaching and Learning Fellow
I joined the CWSEI group in January, 2012, to pursue my passion for science and teaching in this unique post-doctoral position. Before becoming an STLF I completed my Ph.D. in the Department of Wood Science at the University of British Columbia, where I studied the role of secondary cell wall-specific cellulose synthases in the biosynthesis and properties of cellulose in secondary cell walls of plants (mainly Arabidopsis, poplar, and spruce). As an STLF I work heavily with faculty teaching the core 200 level Fundamentals of Genetics course, as well as consulting with others on aspects of teaching molecular biology and genetics in courses and labs. I’m engaged in pedagogical research investigating the retention of knowledge in genetics, and problem solving in genetics.
I have recently joined the Division of Biological Sciences at UC San Diego!
Connect: lmcdonnell at ucsd dot edu , twitter, blog: A Scientific Approach to Teaching
Laura Weir
Science Teaching and Learning Fellow
I joined the Life Sciences team in May 2012. I am currently involved with various courses, including physiology, evolution, and various facets of organismal diversity. my passion for logic and order in all parts of life reflects my main research emphasis in the Biology curriculum, which focuses on implementing activities to guide students to clearly explain biological concepts. UBC and Vancouver are the most recent stop on my academic tour of Canada, after earning my B.Sc. at Concordia University in Montréal, and my M.Sc. and Ph.D. at Dalhousie University in Halifax. I have a biology background in different aspects of the ecology and evolution of mating systems in fishes, despite the fact that I was afraid of anything with scales until well into my undergraduate degree.
Connect: lweir{at}zoology.ubc.ca
Martha Mullaly
Science Teaching and Learning Fellow, First Year Biology Flexible Learning Initiative Teaching & Learning Fellow
Connect: mullally{at}zoology.ubc.ca
Amanda Banet
I’m a biologist & postdoc at the University of British Columbia. I conduct research in both biology (ecology/evolution/physiology) and science education. Currently I’m an NSF International Research Fellow, collaborating with Scott G. Hinch to study maternal effects of stress on offspring quality in Pacific salmon. We want to understand how stress on the mother during migration (things like climate change, human disturbance, etc.) affects the quality and survival of her offspring. Here at UBC I’ve also had the unique experience of working with the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative, conducting research in science education and helping professors in the departments of zoology and botany implement teaching methods in their classrooms that are supported by peer-reviewed education research.
Connect: mandybanet{at}gmail.com, website: amandabanet.com/
Bridgette Clarkston
I am a biologist, university teacher, science education researcher, and educational consultant with over eight years of experience producing in-class activities, assessments and website content for universities and outreach initiatives such as Let’s Talk Science and the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. In 2012 and 2013, I had a wonderful time working with the LS-CWSEI, consulting with faculty and teaching assistants to use empirically-based methods to teach evolutionary content in various courses. I am now wearing two education hats: as a Marine Sciences Educator with the Bamfield Marine Sciences Center Public Education Program and as an independent education consultant with Evidence-Based Education, working with K-12 and university classes as well as other organizations to apply evidence-based best teaching practices to engage learners as active participants in their learning. I also manage the LS-CWSEI website.