Students carry on tradition of excellence at Ontario Biology Day

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/OntarioBiologyDay09.jpg” caption=”McMaster biology student Mohammed Athar receives an award from Dr. Hubberstey, chair of the biology department at the University of Windsor, for Best Oral Presenter at the 2009 Ontario Biology Day Conference. Photo courtesy of the biology department.”]Forty McMaster biology students presented talks based on their senior research projects at the 22nd Annual Ontario Biology Day (OBD) held at University of Windsor. This group constitutes almost half of those currently conducting senior thesis/project courses in the Department of Biology.

The biology students were among 160 students from nine Ontario universities who came to Windsor to give oral and poster presentations on original research they conducted during this academic year.

Four faculty advisors, Robin Cameron, Joanna Wilson, Jonathan Stone and Pat Chow-Fraser, attended the conference to support their students. Chow-Fraser, chair of the biology department, has been attending OBD conferences since the 1990s.

“I really look forward to coming to these conferences. There is no better way for our students to build confidence and learn to become professionals,” said Chow-Fraser. “Many of them will continue into graduate studies and eventually become academics. In fact, we have past OBD participants now as faculty at McMaster, York and Windsor, and they are mentoring the next generation of researchers.”

Students at the conference conduct research under the supervision of professors not only from the Department of Biology, but also from biochemistry and biomedical science; medicine; pathology and molecular medicine; philosophy; psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences; and psychology, neuroscience and behaviour.

“The quality of research and presentations improves every year,” said Chow-Fraser. “I am very proud that one of our students, Mohammed Athar was named the best platform presenter in the category of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology.”

“I really did not expect to win this,” said Athar, who is supervised by Professor Xu-Dong Zhu in the Department of Biology.

Members of the McMaster community are invited to attend the Biology Undergraduate Symposium in MDCL on Wednesday, April 8 when all 106 senior thesis and project students will give presentations on their research.

Click here for the presentation schedule. The opening address is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. and the post-symposium reception for students and their supervisors will be at 5 p.m.

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[img_inline align="right" src="http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/OntarioBiologyDay09.jpg" caption="McMaster biology student Mohammed Athar receives an award from Dr.  Hubberstey, chair of the biology department at the University of Windsor, for Best Oral Presenter at the 2009 Ontario Biology Day Conference. Photo courtesy of the biology department."]Forty McMaster biology students presented talks based on their senior research projects at the 22nd Annual Ontario Biology Day (OBD) held at University of Windsor. This group constitutes almost half of those currently conducting senior thesis/project courses in the Department of Biology.  <br />
<br />
<p>The biology students were among 160 students from nine Ontario universities who came to Windsor to give oral and poster presentations on original research they conducted during this academic year.  <br />
<br />
<p>Four faculty advisors, Robin Cameron, Joanna Wilson, Jonathan Stone and Pat Chow-Fraser, attended the conference to support their students.  Chow-Fraser, chair of the biology department, has been attending OBD conferences since the 1990s.<br />
<br />
<p>"I really look forward to coming to these conferences. There is no better way for our students to build confidence and learn to become professionals," said Chow-Fraser. "Many of them will continue into graduate studies and eventually become academics.  In fact, we have past OBD participants now as faculty at McMaster, York and Windsor, and they are mentoring the next generation of researchers."<br />
<br />
<p>Students at the conference conduct research under the supervision of professors not only from the Department of Biology, but also from biochemistry and biomedical science; medicine; pathology and molecular medicine; philosophy; psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences; and psychology, neuroscience and behaviour.<br />
<br />
<p>"The quality of research and presentations improves every year," said Chow-Fraser.  "I am very proud that one of our students, Mohammed Athar was named the best platform presenter in the category of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology."<br />
<br />
<p>"I really did not expect to win this," said Athar, who is supervised by Professor Xu-Dong Zhu in the Department of Biology. <br />
<br />
<p>Members of the McMaster community are invited to attend the Biology Undergraduate Symposium in MDCL on Wednesday, April 8 when all 106 senior thesis and project students will give presentations on their research.<br />
<br />
<p><a href="http://www.biology.mcmaster.ca/bus/bus_2009.htm">Click here</a> for the presentation schedule.  The opening address is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. and the post-symposium reception for students and their supervisors will be at 5 p.m.

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