The Toronto Envirothon Workshop at #YorkUniversity on April 13, 2017. Envirothons are team-based #HighSchool science competitions that have been around for decades in Canada & the USA. Students form clubs supervised by dedicated teachers, and learn about #Forestry, #Wildlife, #AquaticBiology & #soilscience. A one day, intensive workshop runs ahead of the local, regional competition. The […]
Education
From university professor to University Professor
At last week's York University convocation for the Faculty of Science and Lassonde Engineering School, I was made University Professor. That's me with the Dean of Science, Dr. Ray Jawawardhana. But, I'm already a university professor, so what does this mean? University Professor is an honorific title that exists at many North American universities, including University of Toronto […]
Gardening for biodiversity & local food in Carolinian Canada
Two excellent Canadian documentaries, The End of Suburbia (2004) and Escape from Suburbia (2007), discuss the enormous implications of our unsustainable North American car culture, which has spawned sprawling suburbs and gridlock in southwestern Ontario, and the Greater Toronto Area. These films include fascinating conversations with "futurists" about how people will convert their (sub)urban lawns into vegetable patches to grow local […]
Soapbox Science Comes to North America at Yonge & Dundas in Downtown Toronto
Science Fairs & Science on Ice at York University
The annual Science Fair is a right of passage for many aspiring, young scientists. I've been fortunate (if that's the right word), to experience them as both a judge, and a parent. Back in the 1990s, I was blown away by the creativity and enthusiasm of the young citizen scientists when I was a judge at the annual […]
Your pricey text book is key to success in 2nd year biology
My second year Plant Biology course is filled with stressed out students. But, while they may not realize it, the students who regularly come to lecture are, likely, the least stressed people in the course. My advice to all undergraduates is simple: aim to attend every lecture and lab, to write notes, to review them within 24 hours, and to keep […]
A fun learning outcome for Plant Biology students
First year at university is tough for students. The transition from high school to university is a shock to the system of young people entering a system where deadlines come with consequences. There are complex schedules to juggle, and no one checks to see if you are showing up at lectures (at least not by name). But, in my opinion, […]
The Awesome Applied Plant Ecology Students of Fall Term 2016
My 24th and final 2016 blog post is a shout-out to the amazing students who took my 4th year Applied Plant Ecology course (BIOL 4095), in Fall Term, from September 2016 to a couple of weeks ago. Many of you are pictured above in the last class in early December. Not only did you embrace blogging, tweeting […]
Guest blogging about Advent Botany at the University of Reading
The first piece of advice I give undergraduates is: "show up to all of your lectures and labs, even if you're barely conscious". Why? Because simply being present improves your learning. As Weingardt (1997) observed, "The world is run by those who show up". My second piece of advice is, "take handwritten notes with a pencil […]
Getting In The Zone with Carolinian Canada Coalition and World Wildlife Fund Canada
Help biodiversity & be a #CitizenScientist #InTheZone: @carolinianzone & @WWFCanada's exciting new joint initiative https://t.co/fTM2S1qfmJ pic.twitter.com/Qn6oZMlDOv — ((( Dawn Bazely ))) (@dawnbazely) October 27, 2016 My last post was about the national environmental charity, Nature Canada's Women for Nature Network. Today, I'm going local, in reflecting on why I'm a member of the board of directors of […]
