Tamara Kelly

York University

Phone: 416.736.2100 x22972

Biology Undergrad Office, 311 Lumbers Building.

Hats I Wear Associate Lecturer in the Biology Department at York University since July 2008.

Currently teaching: first-year Biology (term focussed on evolution, ecology, and conservation); second-year Genetics; fourth-year Reproduction. This 4th year course is really about developing skills in critical analysis, writing, and oral presentations, all in the context of reproduction. While I lecture for about 6 of the classes, most are filled with small-group activities.

Former Hats: Was Lab Director for a slew of second-year labs (Animals, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Genetics). Helped to develop an integrative second-year lab course that replaced the lab components of our Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Genetics courses. Developed tutorials for our second-year Genetics course.

Robes I Wear & Places I've Been:

As a child I longed to be a superhero or a tree; as a biologist I've realised that the latter likely isn't possible.

...

Along this scholastic road were many detours and I'm happy and grateful for every single one of them.

B.Sc. McMaster University 1996 (Biology/Geology) - I like things that are alive, and things that were alive and are now preserved in rock. I especially enjoy the looking at rock part when it also involves drinking a beer. My first year was terrible academically, but socially brilliant. Throughout my undergrad, I tried a lot of different jobs, many of which I didn't like ... things you don't like often = good stories.
Concordia University 1998 (Environmental Toxicology) - This was one of those life moments that you stumble into and find some of the most supportive people of your life. I am very glad I stumble a lot.
Ph.D. McGill University 2005 (Human Genetics) - I did this degree to expand my horizons so that I could better work in conservation biology, but along the way, the interest in teaching and learning grew. So instead of doing the traditional postdoc, I actively sought out teaching positions. As well, I worked as a science writer and editor for a short time, and found I did not enjoy either (nor was I that good at them).
Sessional Lecturer 2005-2007 Wilfrid Laurier University - Here I taught comparative anatomy and first year biology to both majors and non-majors. At WLU, I found extraordinarily supportive faculty and staff, who allowed me to explore teaching and learning (i.e., they smiled gamely and let me do what I wanted to do).
Sessional Lecturer 2006, 2007 Trent University (taught Evolution and Population Genetics)
To learn more about teaching and learning, I ~~stumbled into~~ took a position as a Science Teaching and Learning Postdoctoral Fellow - University of British Columbia, Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative, and moved to Vancouver in 2007. This position was an amazing opportunity that allowed me to immerse myself in the scholarship of teaching and learning. While at CWSEI, I worked on the effectiveness of using written homework assignments (as compared to multiple choice assignments) at improving student comprehension of course concepts (with Rosie Redfield). I also helped to initiate and develop small class learning groups with Karen Smith (and George Spiegelman) of UBC for a first year biology course and worked with peer tutors (with Carol Pollock and George Spiegelman).

I returned to Ontario in 2008 to work at York University, where I am now an Associate Lecturer. Here, I work with some fantastic people (Tanya_Noel - now of University of Windsor, Paula_Wilson, Julie_Clark and more), and teach a variety of courses. I'm interested in a lot of things to do with education, including transferable concepts and skills, including writing, and scaffolding - is there a best way to help students understand certain concepts? I like to incorporate team work into my courses so that students have the opportunity to discuss and wrestle with biological concepts.

At York, I've had the opportunity to: teach first year Biology (ecology, evolution, genetics); teach second-year Genetics; teach fourth-year Reproduction; direct labs for our second year Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Animals, and Genetics courses; help to create a lab-based second-year Methods course; supervise students in Honours Thesis 3.0 and Selected Readings 3.0 courses. Two years ago I was thrilled when one of my students did a selected readings on common misconceptions of cell biology and genetics!

This coming year I'm back to teaching genetics and am consulting and collaborating with colleagues from other institutions: Colin_Montpetit from Ottawa and Fiona_Rawle from UTM. This is what I love about oCUBE - it's a large support/discussion network. You want to talk genetics and how to change your course to more accurately reflect the way you should be teaching? There's people who want to talk to you about this!

Feathers in My Cap

Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award

President's University-Wide Teaching Award (< 10 years)

Faculty of Science Excellence in Teaching Award (Senior Tenure-Track)

Faculty of Science Excellence in Teaching Award (Junior Tenure-Track)

Scholarly Stuff

In 2010 Tanya Noel, Julie Clark and I authored a strategy guide for instructors for the First Canadian Edition of the Fenton et al "Biology: Exploring the Diversity of Life" textbook. We moved away from the traditional Instructor's Manual format and tried to create a manual that instructors (including ourselves) would find useful. Last year, Tanya Noel and I updated the guide for the Third Edition of the text.

I collaborate with my fellow York (and now Windsor) colleagues on a variety of projects. I get to work with awesome people every day.

I helped to host Ontario Biology Day (OBD) at York in 2010 and survived. I watched others host OBD since then and cheer people on from the sidelines.

Cooking Abilities

None to speak of. I am hideously incompetent in the kitchen so you won't see any recipes from me. Except cookies. I like cookies (and occasionally have been known to bake some when I don't eat all the dough). I also enjoy eating hummus.

Bribe Quotient

I accept bribes in the form of cookies and beer. Rules: no raisins in the cookies and the beer should be dark (St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout is a favourite).

Other Stuff

I have a partner (who has no interest in the biological unless it's finding out what is killing his favourite pine tree at the cottage) and a seven-year old lab. Our cottage is home to our fork-lift (picture to come), which has been handy in moving a shed, allowing us access to our cottage during a flood, and just general moving stuff about (including a 2 storey shed). I never knew I would come to love a fork-lift so much.

I like to run, hike, ski, and snowshoe, but inevitably injure myself in non-clever ways. If only you could run without your Achilles tendon...

This is our Maggie. She's far larger than this picture would indicate as she was 2 months old at the time. She's seven now and likes to imagine that she is always starving.