SPEAKERS.
communicate B.I.G. ideas.
KEYNOTE
9.45am
MEET JENNIFER GARDY
"As scientists, we often hear that we should get out there and communicate more. But why? And more importantly, how? In this talk, I’ll explain the important role scientists have to play in building a scientifically literate public, and will provide some simple and practical tips for improving your science communication. You’ll leave inspired to take a new approach to your communication, whether it’s streamlining your writing or building a better slide deck"
Jennifer Gardy is an Assistant Professor at UBC's School of Population and Public Health, a Canada Research Chair in Public Health Genomics, and a Senior Scientist at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. She is an occasional host of CBC's The Nature of Things, a science communicator, and a children's book author.
Meet our panelists (1.30pm)
MEET
VERONIQUE LECAULT
Dr. Lecault is co-founder of AbCellera, a Canadian biotechnology company focused on the discovery of therapeutic antibodies from natural immune repertoires. She received her PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of British Columbia, where she trained under the supervision of Dr. James Piret and Dr. Carl Hansen. During her studies, she developed a microfluidic mammalian cell culture platform that allowed for monitoring of thousands of single hematopoietic stem cells at once, and for clonal selection of high-secreting cell lines for antibody production. Prior to this, she simultaneously obtained a B.Sc. in Biochemistry/Biotechnology and a B.A.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, summa cum laude, from the University of Ottawa. Dr. Lecault has received numerous distinctions including the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award, and in 2007 she was named one of “80 Canadian Women to Watch” by Chatelaine Magazine. In her free time, she enjoys windsurfing, Crossfit, and practicing yoga.
MEET GRACE LEE
From neuroscience to social entrepreneur to biotechnology, Dr. Grace Lee has carved out an unconventional career journey combining science with business & Ecommerce. She is currently a product management and marketing executive at STEMCELL Technologies and Director of Krimson Marketing Inc., and is known in the academic community for her advocacy work providing professional support for postdocs and graduate students in areas. She has also been involved with the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade where she provides mentorship to aspiring entrepreneurs in the Leaders of Tomorrow program and helps raise the voice of small business owners who face many challenges while trying to thrive in the economy of British Columbia. She regularly takes on speaking engagements in both the academic and business communities. Learn more on her website at www.drgracelee.ca.
MEET NICOLA JONES
Nicola Jones is an award-winning freelance science journalist. She has an undergraduate degree in chemistry and a masters in journalism, both from UBC, where she has taught a class in science journalism in recent years. She lived in London for nearly a decade, where she worked for New Scientist and then Nature as a news reporter, features and commentary editor. Today she splits her time between writing freelance stories on the environment, physical sciences and Canadian science policy, and editing opinion pieces for the anthropology webzine Sapiens.
MEET STEVEN J. HALLAM
Dr. Hallam is a molecular biologist, microbial ecologist, entrepreneur, and innovator with over 20 years experience in field and laboratory research and innovation at disciplinary interfaces. He is an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of British Columbia, Canada Research Chair in Environmental Genomics and a scholar in the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) integrated microbial biodiversity program. He is also a program faculty member in the Bioinformatics and Genome Sciences and Technology training. Dr. Hallam currently directs ECOSCOPE an NSERC CREATE industrial stream training program in support of the emerging bioeconomy. Dr. Hallam’s current research intersects microbial ecology, biological engineering and bioinformatics with specific emphasis on the creation of functional screens and computational tools that reveal hidden metabolic powers of uncultivated microbial communities. His laboratory has developed MetaPathways, a modular annotation and analysis pipeline to predict metabolic interactions from environmental sequence information. Other research areas include single-cell genome sequencing and biosensor development for environmental monitoring and biocatalyst discovery.
Meet our workshop speakers
12pm
MEET ROBIN COOPE
How do robots and 3D printing fit into curing cancer? Dr. Robin Coope has spent 7 years at BC Cancer Agency managing and creating new tools to help do exactly this. His current work at the BCCA's Genome Sciences Centre as the Instrumentation Group Leader involves conversing with specialists in widely divergent fields to solve challenges faced by physicians and life scientists. Dr. Coope’s enthusiasm for technological innovation is well reflected in his diverse portfolio, ranging from lab automation to medical devices, and his extensive career spanning art installations, science on television, mountain bike stunt shows and Lego robots. In this workshop, Robin will be reflecting on his experiences as an engineer at the interface of clinical research and technology development, and discussing the interplay of technology and life sciences in his daily interactions at the BC Cancer Agency.
12pm
MEET THERESA LIAO
Theresa Liao is the Communications Coordinator for the Department of Physics & Astronomy at UBC, and a founder of the art-science organization Curiosity Collider. Before her Science Communication career, she studied biochemistry and did research about Type 1 Diabetes for her Master’s degree.
" A typical science-themed public event - a scientist standing in a lecture theatre talking about the science he or she does - usually draws the attendance of scientists or science enthusiasts. But, this means we stay close with ideas we are comfortable with, and miss out on the creativity, innovation, and challenges that might come from other disciplines. Even more importantly, we continue to share science with people who are already familiar with it, instead of those who are curious or could be inspired. This workshop draws from the speaker’s own experience creating interesting ways to engage people in science, namely through casual café discussions, art exhibitions and performances. How to create such events? What are the critical considerations? How to reach out beyond the usual crowd? Join the speaker at this workshop to find out."
4pm
MEET JAMES HOGGAN
Respected author James Hoggan has just released a new book: I’m Right and You’re an Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean it Up. As the book highlights, our society has never been more fractured -- or confused. From climate change to immigration to gun control, debates about key issues are littered with misinformation and divisive rhetoric leading to polarized opinions and a paralyzed public square.
Hoggan spent the past three years traversing the globe and speaking with leading thinkers as he researched this rising phenomenon. The results paint a remarkable picture: the biggest collective challenge we face may be pervasive toxic public conversations.
James Hoggan has built a reputation as a tireless advocate for ethics and integrity in public discourse and relations through his writings and work at Hoggan & Associates. He has appeared regularly in national print, TV and radio interviews; founded DeSmogBlog; and his last book, Climate Cover Up, sold tens of thousands of copies worldwide. As such, Hoggan is ideally placed to deal with this complex yet essential issue.
A seasoned speaker, Hoggan has spoken at numerous institutions including Yale University, Columbia University, American Geophysical Union, and the Empire Club.
12pm
MEET NICOLA JONES
Nicola Jones is an award-winning freelance science journalist. She has an undergraduate degree in chemistry and a masters in journalism, both from UBC, where she has taught a class in science journalism in recent years. She lived in London for nearly a decade, where she worked for New Scientist and then Nature as a news reporter, features and commentary editor. Today she splits her time between writing freelance stories on the environment, physical sciences and Canadian science policy, and editing opinion pieces for the anthropology webzine Sapiens.
MEET ERIC ZHAO & STEVEN BARNES
"Mental health and wellbeing in graduate student life"
Eric Zhao is an MD/PhD Student in the Bioinformatics program. His research investigates the clinical relevance of genomic instability signatures using next generation sequencing. Eric has been engaged in initiatives, strategy, and policy surrounding student mental health and wellbeing. He served as a UBC Senator for two years, and as President of the Medical Undergraduate Society, during which time he has been involved in provincial and national advocacy efforts on various health issues. Presently, he is a student representative on the implementation committee for the Education Pillar of the Faculty of Medicine’s new Strategic Plan. In this role, he primary advises around learner wellness and the learning environment.
Steven Barnes holds a Ph.D. in Behavioural Neuroscience (Biopsychology)from the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. He was a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow in Neurophysiology Life & Brain
research institute at the University of Bonn. His neuroscientific expertise lies in the areas of psychiatric disorders, epilepsy, learning and memory, and neuroplasticity. Steven currently has a keen interest in the translation and visualization of knowledge from each of these research areas, but especially from current research on bipolar disorder (and is a member of CREST.BD). Currently, Steven teaches in the Department of Psychology at UBC, and helps direct a peer-run support group for individuals experiencing mental health issues: The Kaleidoscope. Steven is also an active artist: He did a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University. His current art practice involves the
production of new media pieces that aim to inspire dialogue on the ways we think about and use modern technologies.
12pm
4pm
4pm
MEET JACQUI BRINKMAN
Jacquelyn Brinkman is the Manager, Graduate Pathways to Success program in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Her current work focuses on improving the graduate student experience through offering professional development programs, orientation, and the Three Minute Thesis. Jacqui completed her BSc (Biology) at the University of Victoria and her MSc (Biology) from McGill University. Jacqui’s past experience includes managing postdoctoral and undergraduate student educational programs within the UBC Faculty of Medicine. She also worked as a lab-based researcher both within academia and the biotechnology industry.
"As graduate student researchers, you are busy. Very busy. How can you balance all of your academic responsibilities with the many opportunities that are available to you at UBC and in Vancouver? How do you decide? This interactive session will explore the many resources at UBC and help you develop a strategy for making the most of your time in graduate school at UBC."
Meet our tech-talks speakers (14.15)
MEET SNEHA BALANI
PhD student in Connie Eaves's lab (IOP program)
DNA Barcoding to study clonal dynamics of tumour generation
Clonal assay systems are critical for analyzing the in vivo growth potential of individual cells within heterogeneous populations. Although this can be achieved using limiting dilution, or single-cell transplants, both approaches lack the feasibility and precision required for addressing larger scale questions. DNA barcoding is a genetic tracking strategy that makes use of a large array of DNA barcodes incorporated into lentivirus to generate vectors that will deliver a different single barcode into each cell transduced. Clone numbers and sizes of their expanded progeny are then inferred in sequenced DNA extracts. This methodology has now been used to analyze the clonal composition of various regenerating normal and malignant cell populations.
MEET ANALISE HOFMANN
PhD student in Chris Loewen's lab (GSAT program)
Exploring reproducible science: coding practices & analysis sharing
Reproducible Science is a buzzphrase being thrown around, but what does Reproducible Science really refer to? There is a push in the scientific community to understand and develop frameworks for producing as well as sharing reproducible analysis to help improve the transparency of our work. For us as grad students in Bioinformatics, GSAT, and Integrated Oncology, many of us are increasingly reliant on computational analysis. In this talk I will highlight a variety of practices on how we can perform reproducible analysis for ourselves, platforms available to share and receive credit for our work, as well as provide insight into a variety of resources being developed at UBC to help meet NSERC and CIHR grant requirements for reproducible science. All levels of coders and non-coders welcome! Some tools covered include: Jupyter Notebooks/R Studio, version control (gitHub), good coding documentation, data management, and producing DOIs for citation of your work (ie. Zenodo, UBC's Abacus Dataverse Network).
MEET KIERAN O'NEILL
Single-cell Whole-genome DNA Methylation Sequencing: State of the Art, Applications, and Bioinformatics Methods
Over the past five years, single-cell sequencing has undergone a revolution, enabling interrogation of intercellular heterogeneity at several levels, including transcriptomic, genomic and epigenomic. Single-cell whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (SC-WGBS) is currently the most comprehensive method for investigating single-cell epigenomic regulation. SC-WGBS has important applications, especially in understanding stem cell differentiation and oncogenesis. In this tech talk, I will briefly outline SC-WGBS library construction, talk through some existing studies that have been published using this method, and describe bioinformatics methods for analysing the data, both published and in use by myself and collaborators in the Hirst lab.