MAKING CONNECTIONS: Students, faculty, staff, and community partners as co-creators of a biodiversity science course for undergraduates

TitleMAKING CONNECTIONS: Students, faculty, staff, and community partners as co-creators of a biodiversity science course for undergraduates
Faculty/College/UnitScience
StatusActive
Duration2 Year
Initiation04/01/2023
Project Summary

The specimens in natural history collections such as the Beaty Biodiversity Museum (BBM) enrich our understanding of biological diversity through the physical, genetic, and ecological information they contain. As sources of scientific information for the public, museums also play a pivotal role in connecting community to science.

Future biodiversity scientists require experience with collections based research. They also need to be effective communicators and engaged in equity and decolonization initiatives in order to contribute to the communities they serve. During strategic planning in 2019, BBM faculty, students, and staff recognized that a course rooted in collections and modern museum practices will prepare emerging scientists to do this work.

Drawing on the BBM’s rich collections and working in cross-departmental collaboration, the MAKING CONNECTIONS project is the opportunity for students to co-create and pilot a new undergraduate course connected to real world issues, focused on natural history collections and science communication.

Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2023/2024
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorJackie Chambers & Bridgette Clarkston
Year 1: Funded Amount24,318
Year 1: Team Members

Jackie Chambers, Teaching and Learning Manager, Beaty Biodiversity Museum (BBM), Faculty of Science
Bridgette Clarkston, Associate Professor of Teaching, Botany / Honorary Associate in Undergraduate Education, BBM, Faculty of Science
Quentin Cronk, Director, BBM / Professor, Botany, Faculty of Science

Collaborators:

Warren Cardinal-McTeague, Assistant Professor, Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry

Beaty Biodiversity Museum Team:

Derek Tan, Manager of Exhibitions
Lesha Koop, Exhibits Fabricator
Dale Gintner, Marketing, Communications and Events Coordinator
Nicole Balsdon, Teaching and Learning Coordinator
Catherine Ouellet-Martin, Sr. Operations Manager
Ildiko Szabo, Cowan Tetrapod Collection / Collections Curator
Chris Stinson, Cowan Tetrapod Collection / Lead Curatorial Assistant of Mammals, Reptiles, and Amphibians and Cross Collections
Mark Pitblado, Curator, Biodiversity Informatics
Sheila Byers, Curatorial Assistant, Marine Invertebrate Collection
Linda P.J. Lipsen (Jennings), Collections Curator, Vascular Plants and Algae
Karen Golinski, Collections Curator, Bryophytes, Lichens and Fungi
Spencer Goyette, Curatorial Assistant, Herbarium
Karen Needham, Collections Curator, Spencer Entomological Collection
Nicolas Bailly, Curatorial Assistant, Fish Collection
Bruce Archibald, Collections Curator, Paleontology

Consultants:

Sunita Chowrira, Associate Head, Biology / Professor of Teaching, Botany, Faculty of Science
Jessica Garzke, Science Education Specialist / Sessional Instructor, Zoology and Skylight, Faculty of Science
Christine Goedhart, Science Education Specialist, Botany and Skylight, Faculty of Science
Blaire Steinwand, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Zoology, Faculty of Science
Ashley Welsh, Interim Associate Director, Skylight, Faculty of Science
Zoreh Moradi, Research Analyst, Skylight, Faculty of Science
Alex Moore, Assistant Professor, Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry and Botany, Faculty of Science
Kirsten Hodge, Lecturer, Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science / Museum Director, Pacific Museum of Earth

Year 1: TLEF ShowcaseYear 1: TLEF Showcase
Year 2: Project YearYear 2
Year 2: Funding Year2024/2025
Year 2: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 2: Principal InvestigatorJackie Chambers & Bridgette Clarkston
Year 2: Funded Amount24,318
Year 2: Team Members

Jackie Chambers, Teaching and Learning Manager, BBM, Faculty of Science
Bridgette Clarkston, Associate Professor of Teaching, Botany / Honorary Associate in Undergraduate Education, BBM, Faculty of Science
Quentin Cronk, Director, BBM / Professor, Botany, Faculty of Science

Collaborators:

Warren Cardinal-McTeague, Assistant Professor, Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry

Beaty Biodiversity Museum Team:

Derek Tan, Manager of Exhibitions
Lesha Koop, Exhibits Fabricator
Dale Gintner, Marketing, Communications and Events Coordinator
Nicole Balsdon, Teaching and Learning Coordinator
Catherine Ouellet-Martin, Sr. Operations Manager
Ildiko Szabo, Cowan Tetrapod Collection / Collections Curator
Chris Stinson, Cowan Tetrapod Collection / Lead Curatorial Assistant of Mammals, Reptiles, and Amphibians and Cross Collections
Mark Pitblado, Curator, Biodiversity Informatics
Sheila Byers, Curatorial Assistant, Marine Invertebrate Collection
Linda P.J. Lipsen (Jennings), Collections Curator, Vascular Plants and Algae
Karen Golinski, Collections Curator, Bryophytes, Lichens and Fungi
Spencer Goyette, Curatorial Assistant, Herbarium
Karen Needham, Collections Curator, Spencer Entomological Collection
Nicolas Bailly, Curatorial Assistant, Fish Collection
Bruce Archibald, Collections Curator, Paleontology

Consultants:

Sunita Chowrira, Associate Head, Biology / Professor of Teaching, Botany, Faculty of Science
Erica Jeffrey, Science Education Specialist, Zoology and Skylight, Faculty of Science
Christine Goedhart, Science Education Specialist, Botany and Skylight, Faculty of Science
Blaire Steinwand, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Zoology, Faculty of Science
Ashley Welsh, Faculty Liaison, Skylight, Faculty of Science
Zoreh Moradi, Research Analyst, Skylight, Faculty of Science
Alex Moore, Assistant Professor, Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry and Botany, Faculty of Science
Kirsten Hodge, Lecturer, Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science / Museum Director, Pacific Museum of Earth
Daisy Rosenblum, Assistant Professor, Critical Indigenous Studies / Anthropology, Faculty of Arts / Co-Director, Community Engaged Documentation and Research Space / Co-Lead, Relational Technologies Research Cluster