Graduate student excellence recognized in the 2019-2020 Graduate Student Awards
The academic excellence, research potential and leadership abilities of Cell & Systems Biology graduate students was recognized in award presentations at the 2019 CSB Holiday Party held in the Madison Avenue Pub on December 6th, 2019.
Professor Dinesh Christendat announced the recipients of a number of prizes, scholarships, fellowships and awards. Through the generosity of private donors and matching funds from the University, a substantial number of endowments have been established to provide these internal awards to CSB graduate students. Many of these awards are provided as a top-up to the student’s base stipend.
Congratulations to all the graduate students who were granted these acknowledgements of their hard work, persistence and eloquence!
The CSB Forefront is a fascinating digital magazine produced by CSB graduate students
The inaugural volume of Cell & Systems Biology's graduate student newsletter is out! The CSB Forefront covers many aspects of life in grad school. Faculty profiles give insights into what motivates CSB professors. Graduate student life is covered in housing profiles, lifestyle surveys and book reviews. Conference presentations and research publications from CSB labs are celebrated. There are articles on finding jobs after graduation and new initiatives to boost your career profile.
Chief editors Francis Lee and Tatiana Ruiz Bedoya drive this project with the objective of strengthening CSB's sense of community by celebrating student achievements and by discussing shared interests and struggles. The CSB Forefront also provides a safe and inclusive platform for graduate students to share their ideas and experiences. In this spirit, the Forefront team is always looking for a graduate student who wants to express their ideas either via text or visuals. If you have something you would like to share with our community, contact details are in the newsletter!
CSB397 Research Abroad course provides new skills and new experiences
Our undergraduate CSB397 course provides the opportunity to conduct scientific research in academic labs around the world. In 2019, we had 17 students going to Singapore (NUS), Japan (Riken), Denmark (Copenhagen), Germany (Konstanz), Scotland (Strathclyde) or England (City). Upon returning to Canada, students present a final report or poster to the Department describing the results of their experiments.
CSB students Echo Jing and Stephanie Le agreed to share their experience as research students in Singapore. They highlight the experiential learning opportunity provided by the course: “This was the first time I’d worked in a molecular cellular lab,” Echo says. “I learned experimental research techniques and that gave me insight into what a real molecular cellular researcher does in a real lab setting. I also learned how to approach problems critically as a researcher.”
More details on CSB397 can be found under International Experience on the CSB website. Entry to this course is limited, and the deadline to apply for Summer 2020 is December 3, 2019.
Creating Community and Establishing Efficiency Leads to Recognition for Tamar Mamourian through a University True Blue Award for Service
Tamar Mamourian is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Department of Cell & Systems Biology. She is the recipient of a True Blue Award for her Service to the University.
"Tamar Mamourian excels at making people feel important and valued. She recognizes them as integral members of the University of Toronto community but more importantly, as real people with feelings, needs, wants, and desires of their own. She fosters a sense of community in all those around her and happily helps anyone who walks into her office."
"In addition to her convivial personality, she accomplishes her work with great efficiency. If you ever need anything done at CSB or in Ramsay Wright, you talk to Tamar! She manages to successfully align all University policies and personnel to get the job done in a timely and cordial manner. The Department thanks Tamar for being a listening ear and handing out help and guidance with a smile on her face!"
A True Blue Award for Lisa Matchett recognizes her exemplary work in Joint Health and Safety
Lisa Matchett is a Teaching Lab Technician in the Ramsay Wright Building who has been recognized with a True Blue Award for Innovation. The True Blue Award highlights the practices of exemplary faculty and staff who make invaluable contributions to the University every day.
Over the past 13 years, Lisa consistently strived to make Ramsay Wright a safer, healthier environment in her position as Worker Co-chair of the Joint Health & Safety Committee. Through the many changes at U of T, she has kept up-to-date with the latest protocols and legislation. She has been pro-active in scheduling committee meetings, ensuring that building inspections are completed and any deficiencies are brought to the attention of Principal Investigators. She maintained this professionalism even under the added duress of constant renovations in the building and the problems that ensue from outside contractors.
As problems arise, she has responded quickly and confidentially with staff, faculty and students. Lisa collaborates with a team who make the Ramsay Wright building a model for other JHS committees across campus.
Dr Heather McFarlane joins Cell & Systems Biology as Professor and Canada Research Chair in Plant Cell Biology
Dr Heather McFarlane has been appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell & Systems Biology starting July 1st, 2019.
Professor McFarlane’s research aims to uncover the mechanisms by which plants sense and respond to the status of the cell wall, with the goal of modifying plant cell walls to advance sustainable agriculture, food security, and next-generation biofuels.
Her multidisciplinary approach integrates cell biology, genetics, transcriptomics and computational modeling of protein sequence evolution to produce a systems level understanding of plant cell wall biosynthesis.
Her excellence in research has led to her successfully competing for a Canada Research Chair Tier II in Plant Cell Biology.
Welcome to the Department, Professor McFarlane!